# Finding Specific Performances



## Stargazer (Nov 9, 2011)

For those of you who have it out to see a particular piece of music live: how do you find out about performances of it?

I have a list of ~30 pieces that I absolutely must see live sometime! Most of them aren't performed terribly frequently though, and it can be hard to actually find performances of them. I recently found out that groups in my area performed 3 of these pieces in the past year, and I had absolutely no idea that these groups even existed, much less that they were performing them! Does anyone have any suggestions for how to search for these things? Google returns too many superfluous results, and looking at the "season calendar" for the major symphonies nearby ends up missing out on all of the smaller venues.

I think that we really need a classical database that lets you search for all the upcoming performances in a given area! I bet that such a service would do really well (at least for me it would )


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Yeah. My white whale is the Mahler Symphony No. 8. Can't find it live anywhere.

I would travel anywhere in the US to hear it done live.


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## Stargazer (Nov 9, 2011)

hpowders said:


> Yeah. My white whale is the Mahler Symphony No. 8. Can't find it live anywhere.
> 
> I would travel anywhere in the US to hear it done live.


Seems we share something in common .


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

hpowders said:


> Yeah. My white whale is the Mahler Symphony No. 8. Can't find it live anywhere.
> 
> I would travel anywhere in the US to hear it done live.


According to a database from the 'net, Mahler's 8th is not programmed by any of 21 major orchestras in the US this 2014-15 season. All of his other symphonies have multiple performances. Economics may play a role here.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

KenOC said:


> According to a database from the 'net, Mahler's 8th is not programmed by any of the US's 21 major orchestras this 2014-15 season. All his other symphonies have multiple performances. Economics may play a role here.


Thanks! Story of my life.

Yet in Caracas, of all places, they put it on a few years ago in a credible performance with Dudamel.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Yes, two or three years ago Dudamel did the entire Mahler cycle twice, once in LA and again in Venezuela. May be some kind of record. (And all from memory, without score.)


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Stargazer said:


> Seems we share something in common .


According to the fine detective work done by KenOC, you and I will just have to "wait 'til next year" I guess.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

KenOC said:


> Yes, two or three years ago Dudamel did the entire Mahler cycle twice, once in LA and again in Venezuela. May be some kind of record. (And all from memory, without score.)


I found their Simón Bolivar Orchestra to be filled with mostly young but very impressive players.

They obviously have a first class program to develop the talents of young, talented musicians.


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

According to Bachtrack, Mahler's Eighth is going to be performed in the UK next July.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Too far for me. If only water was a better conductor of sound!!


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## Stargazer (Nov 9, 2011)

Mahlerian said:


> According to Bachtrack, Mahler's Eighth is going to be performed in the UK next July.


Thank you very much for sharing that link! That's exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for!! I just saved it to my favorites list.

I notice that it has a few glaring issues though. For one, they are missing entire sections of the U.S., many of which have some very talented and accomplished orchestras. And second, it seems to limit searches to city or state - I can't find a way to do a radial distance search. This is particularly problematic in places like the northeast, where there are a bazillion states lumped in a small area.


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