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BPO Concert
Feb. 26th, 2006 12:00 amOther Kenjari and I went to the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra concert tonight. Beethoven's 5th piano concerto (the "Emperor" concerto) and Elgar's 1st symphony were on the program. The BPO has a great, warm sound that gives their concerts an intimate feel.
I really enjoyed the Beethoven. It's a terrific piece, and the orchestra sounded like they were having a lot of fun with it. The soloist, Jon Kimura Parker, was quite good. I was not overwhelmed by his performance of the first movement, but I was impressed with the way he played the third movement. He gave it just the right level of giddy excitement.
I have to say that I didn't particularly like the Elgar. The BPO's performance was good, but the piece itself kind of bored me. I found the first movement to be overcrowded and kind of swollen. There were some really great moments, but they weren't much more than a few bright lights in a sea of fog. The middle movements were much better - more coherent, more interesting. The final movement, however, was a return to the busy, overstuffed style of the opening.
I really enjoyed the Beethoven. It's a terrific piece, and the orchestra sounded like they were having a lot of fun with it. The soloist, Jon Kimura Parker, was quite good. I was not overwhelmed by his performance of the first movement, but I was impressed with the way he played the third movement. He gave it just the right level of giddy excitement.
I have to say that I didn't particularly like the Elgar. The BPO's performance was good, but the piece itself kind of bored me. I found the first movement to be overcrowded and kind of swollen. There were some really great moments, but they weren't much more than a few bright lights in a sea of fog. The middle movements were much better - more coherent, more interesting. The final movement, however, was a return to the busy, overstuffed style of the opening.
