# To Digital Concert Hall subscribers: What's your favorite concert?



## Lord Lance (Nov 4, 2013)

I got myself a month's subscription to the Digital Concert Hall and so far've heard one concert and was very pleased. I was wondering from other subscribers: What's your favorite concert from the archives? Now it is very large, so I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a single common submission.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Although the DCH didn't start until after Rattle's arrival in 2002, there are concerts going back to the mid 1970's (from film). There are also numerous interesting items in the movie section and loads of interviews. I would recommend watching Trip to Asia, a film about one of their asian tours. As to the concerts, I wouldn't know where to begin! There is a complete Mahler cycle along with lots more Mahler, two Sibelius cycles, an Abbado Beethoven cycle, more Strauss (R) and Bruckner than you can count on your hands and feet! If I were to offer a few suggestions...

Herbert Blomstedt's Nielsen 5th (2013-14 season)
Andris Nelsons' Zarathustra from this last season
An interesting staged Gotterdammerung from the 2009 Aix festival ... Rattle / Heppner / Dalayman
Semyon Bychkov's Alpensinfonie and Shostakovich 11th
Kirill Petrenko's Elgar 2nd
etc., etc., etc.


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## papsrus (Oct 7, 2014)

Separate issue, but I tried one of the free introductory concerts last night (Schumann No. 1) and was really enjoying it, but experienced some streaming interruptions so had to bail. If there's a low resolution option, I didn't see it. I have a cable feed, so pretty fat pipe into the home, I'd assume. Any ideas?

BTW, this was pretty late, so high traffic was not likely the problem.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Anything where Rattle and Barbara Hannigan collaborates will make my day.  Ligeti was one fine example.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

papsrus said:


> Separate issue, but I tried one of the free introductory concerts last night (Schumann No. 1) and was really enjoying it, but experienced some streaming interruptions so had to bail. If there's a low resolution option, I didn't see it. I have a cable feed, so pretty fat pipe into the home, I'd assume. Any ideas?
> 
> BTW, this was pretty late, so high traffic was not likely the problem.


From the top menu bat go to "How it works" then click on the "Bandwidth test", this will tell you the connection rate to your closest server. If you then do the extended test it will show you statistics on a number of possible servers.

Despite the fact that I generally have a very good connection, there are times when I get a lot of dropouts. The problem there isn't the incoming pipe but more likely the load coming from the nearest ISP hub.


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## Lord Lance (Nov 4, 2013)

papsrus said:


> Separate issue, but I tried one of the free introductory concerts last night (Schumann No. 1) and was really enjoying it, but experienced some streaming interruptions so had to bail. If there's a low resolution option, I didn't see it. I have a cable feed, so pretty fat pipe into the home, I'd assume. Any ideas?
> 
> BTW, this was pretty late, so high traffic was not likely the problem.


Alternatively, reduce the resolution of the stream. Click the 'HD' in the video player. Reduce it to 'lowest' and see the difference in streaming.


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## papsrus (Oct 7, 2014)

Thanks Becca. I'll try the test. 

LL, that seems like the ticket! Thanks.


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## Lord Lance (Nov 4, 2013)

papsrus said:


> Thanks Becca. I'll try the test.
> 
> LL, that seems like the ticket! Thanks.


"LL"? That's what my best friends call me. You know what this means, don't you, *pappy*? We are now best friends for life. _Forever_.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Lord Lance said:


> "LL"? That's what my best friends call me. You know what this means, don't you, *pappy*? We are now best friends for life. _Forever_.


Now I feel paralyzed after reading this. Gimme more Merlot please.


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Greetings Lord Lance, I have subscribed for three months and I absolutely adore the Digital Concert Hall. I haven't seen a concert that I didn't like and I find most of the interviews I've watched to be very informative and entertaining. It is impossible for me to pick a favorite, but here are some that stand out given events in my life:

1. 2 Sept 2015, Lucerne, Rattle, Mozart, "Sinfonia Concertante"-soloists Kashimoto and Grosz; "Orchestral Journey w. Haydn": not only great fun, the opening "Chaos" was outstanding. I just purchased the new "Creation", P. Herreweghe and I love the performance, but if I could only replace H's "Chaos" with the BP's it would be perfect!

2. On Halloween I watched Abaddo's 19 May 2013 "Symphonie Fantastique"--beautiful and great fun; orchestra was very obviously having great fun, too.

Also, on Halloween: 19 Sept 2015, Rattle, Herrmann/Psycho, Schoenberg/Gluckliche Hand, Nielsen/Symph No. 4

3. 12 Cellists, 19 Oct 2015 Faure and S. American program with Anna Prohaska. Wonderful! Also, loved their 9 May 2012 concert w. Annette Dasche

4. First of the Beethoven Cycle: Rattle, 12 Oct 2015 Sym 1 and 3 I've just started the Beethoven.


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

*Digital concert Hall- Never a Viewing Problem*

I have never had any problem viewing anything on DCH.


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## sweetviolin (Jun 21, 2015)

So looking forward to the concert tomorrow at 7pm. Never been to a classical concert before, and even though it's on the telly, it's live!


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Congratulations, SweetViolin!!! The Digital Concert Hall is amazing--you will be able to see so much wonderful detail that you could never see if you were sitting in the symphony hall. Do you have a ticket specifically for the Saturday concert or do you have a multi-hour/month subscription? If you have the ticket specifically for Saturday's concert remember you can still watch all the interviews for free at any time and the Berlin Philharmonic sends e-mails re/ free concerts and also posts them on their Facebook Page. Let us know what you thought of the concert; I'll be watching tomorrow, too. Enjoy!!!! Jo


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

On tomorrow's program is Rattle's arrangement of music by Rameau from Les Boreades. Here is a video of a much younger Simon Rattle doing it with the BPO in 1993. It is fascinating to see some familiar but very young looking faces ... Stefan Dohr (1st horn), Sarah Willis (2nd horn), Emmanuel Pahud (flute) and Albrecht Mayer (oboe). At that time Sarah had recently joined the Staatskapelle Berlin and was a guest player with the BPO, it would be another 9 years before she joined the BPO as the first female member of brass section.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

It would be impossible for me to pick any one - or even half dozen favourite concerts in the DCH. Having said that, I could pick one very special item and that is in the 'Movies' section, _Trip to Asia_ which documents the orchestra's 2007 tour of the far east. Interspersed with film of concerts, rehearsals and travel are very frank and intersting comments by various orchestra members, also Simon Rattle, about life as a musician and in an orchestra. Well worth seeing...

https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/film/104


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## sweetviolin (Jun 21, 2015)

JosefinaHW said:


> Congratulations, SweetViolin!!! The Digital Concert Hall is amazing--you will be able to see so much wonderful detail that you could never see if you were sitting in the symphony hall. Do you have a ticket specifically for the Saturday concert or do you have a multi-hour/month subscription? If you have the ticket specifically for Saturday's concert remember you can still watch all the interviews for free at any time and the Berlin Philharmonic sends e-mails re/ free concerts and also posts them on their Facebook Page. Let us know what you thought of the concert; I'll be watching tomorrow, too. Enjoy!!!! Jo


Magnificent! Bravo!!! Incredible experience. Got the chills several times. Electricity thru my body. Best investment I have done ever! Got the monthly subscription (you too?), and I'm looking forward to tomorrow too! Thank you JosefinaHW. The details were fantastic. Saw the movie about Sergiu Celibidache yesterday, and I loved it! The 3rd by Beethoven conducted by Rattle was also fantastic! Got something to truly live for now. 

Thank you Becca! Really interesting to see. Will watch the full concert tomorrow. The Trip to Asia will be fun too. Thank you!


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

sweetviolin said:


> Magnificent! Bravo!!! Incredible experience. Got the chills several times. Electricity thru my body. Best investment I have done ever! Got the monthly subscription (you too?), and I'm looking forward to tomorrow too! Thank you JosefinaHW. The details were fantastic. Saw the movie about Sergiu Celibidache yesterday, and I loved it! The 3rd by Beethoven conducted by Rattle was also fantastic! Got something to truly live for now.
> 
> Thank you Becca! Really interesting to see. Will watch the full concert tomorrow. The Trip to Asia will be fun too. Thank you!


I am thrilled that you are enjoying your self! It is definitely addictive; I especially love the fact that after the concerts are added to the archive, I can listen to a movement two, three, four times if I choose--just like audiences would applaud and call for multi-encores during a concert! If you want to explore a piece of music, there frequently are multiple performances by different conductors and musicians; I usually watch the performance in its entirety, then I frequently go back and play them all movement by movement for example--it is so engrossing. I also feel that I am learning more about the technique of some of the musicians because the cameras zoom right in on the musicians' hands or the instruments' strings: I understand that some music schools require students to learn to play all the standard instruments of the orchestra at a basic level. I envy their ease of access to all those instruments and instructors, but I'm definitely picking up more and more as I watch.

Yes, I could go on and on... talk about a temptation to binge watch and listen, right! I signed up for a monthly subscription in Sept 2015 and then in Dec 2015 I switched to the annual plan. I agree with you that I couldn't have made a better purchase for this new stage in my music education. As Becca said there are so many wonderful concerts and I've only scratched the surface. I definitely think you should watch:

1). Andris Nelson, conducting Also Sprach Zarathustra Oct. 18, 2014

I don't have the words to describe his interaction with the music and the orchestra--breath-taking! And, he is so gracious with the audience and the orchestra--I especially love how he turns and asks the orchestra to turn to all the audience locations. I'm not sure if he started this and Simon Rattle followed his lead--it doesn't matter, you can tell this comes from the kind of person he is. 'Also, how he asks all the individual musicians to stand.... at that moment I decided to use his picture as my profile picture here.  https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/concert/20281

2a). Interview with Nelsons and Swedish trumpeter Hardenburger https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/interview/20417-3

2b). They also perform Mahler's 5th in the concert that is discussed in the interview. https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/concert/20417

I am going to watch the performance and the movie that Becca recommended, too.

Please continue to share what interviews, movies, concerts, etc. you watch and please call me Jo. Big Hug!!


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

That Nelsons Also Sprach is quite amazing.

Coming up is the annual Easter Festival at Baden- Baden and there are always live streamed special events "live lounge" with various musicians with Sarah Willis as host. Here is the one from last year...


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Becca said:


> That Nelsons Also Sprach is quite amazing.
> 
> Coming up is the annual Easter Festival at Baden- Baden and there are always live streamed special events "live lounge" with various musicians with Sarah Willis as host. Here is the one from last year...


Thank you for recommending this: these people are so enchanting and interesting. I could NOT believe that that was Albrect Mayer--he looks so different. I also didn't know that he has solo recordings--I'm definitely going to look into them.

It seems that everything the Berlin Philharmonic does is outstanding. I do have to say that I was surprised that everyone seemed stunned when McDonald said he would pick the viola as his alternate instrument. Brahms loved the viola, I love the viola--it has such a rich deep sound!


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2016)

Just been subscribing since Christmas. I started with Rattle's Sibelius cycle, but I'm finding it difficult to settle to listening to much else, only because I'm like a kid in a sweetie shop!


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## Lineu Miziara (Feb 20, 2016)

I've been a subscriber of the Digital Concert Hall for more than three years and I must say it changed my life.You see,I consider the Berlin Philarmonic one of the great conquests of mankind.The spirit of Karajan and Furtwangler is present in each performance.The way each concert is filmed really puts you inside the music,and I find fascinating when we can see a spontaneous expression of joy,of adventure,in the faces of the musicians.This is really an orchestra where,as Sir Simon Rattle said,everyone is Laurence Olivier!


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