Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site hcrvx1.UUCP
Path: utzoo!hcrvax!hcrvx1!don
From: don@hcrvx1.UUCP (Don McKillican)
Newsgroups: net.music.classical
Subject: Concertgebouw Tour
Message-ID: <1255@hcrvx1.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 30-Sep-85 12:58:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: hcrvx1.1255
Posted: Mon Sep 30 12:58:54 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 1-Oct-85 00:52:28 EDT
Organization: Human Computing Resources, Toronto
Lines: 40

I had the considerable pleasure last night of hearing a concert from Bernard
Haitink and the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, who are presently on
tour on this continent.  The program states that the tour also includes Ann
Arbour, Boston, Pasadena, Washington D.C. and New York, but does not state
whether these cities are/were before or after this concert in Toronto.
Nonetheless, if anyone still has the chance to hear this group, GRAB IT!

I was not encouraged by the program, which featured Mussorgski's "Khovan-
shchina" prelude, Shoskakovich's 6th Symphony and Schumann's 2nd, none of
them works with which I was or ever desired to be terribly familiar.  But
Haitink is a persuasive advocat of all of them, and we managed by dint of
industrious applauding to squeeze two Slavonic Dances out of them as an
encore, and I much enjoyed myself.

I was probably most surprised by the Khovanshchina.  The basic "throaty"
tone of the Concertgebouw I have known and admired for years, but they
displayed here a shimmering string tone which was positively ravishing!  Very
nice.

The Shostakovich was very well done.  It's a pity the work isn't better known:
it lives in a very similar world emotionally to the much more popular 5th.  The
initial slow movement was somber and meditative without letting the line sag,
which is a substantial tribute to Haitink's feel for the architecture.  The
other two movements were vigorous, energetic, exciting, and all those sorts of
adjectives, and the orchestra really "came on" for the ending.  Great fun!
(even if a bit hokey.)

The Schumann I was less happy with, granted I'm not the world's most devoted
Schumann fan anyway.  The corner movements were okay, but I thought Haitink
got a bit lost in the cross-rhythms of the scherzo, and the slow movement
dragged some.

All told, an enjoyable evening.  The orchestra is simply wonderful: a warm,
rich, full tone, great projection, and a solid command of their program.
Recommended.

			Don McKillican
			Human Computing Resources Corporation
			Toronto, Ontario, Canada
			{ihnp4,decvax,utzoo,watmath}!hcr!hcrvx1!don