# Rattle & BPO Concert Last Night



## KRoad (Jun 1, 2012)

So any way, having missed out on the last invite the phone rings yesterday afternoon - the CEO's wife can't make to the concert would I like to go instead. Seats are upfront and centre, with reluctance, I say yes (though really, after a heavy week, I would have been content to watch a movie on TV with a few beers).

Concert was Schumann Symphonies 1 & 4, plus Profofjew Violinkonzert Nr.1 Dur op. 19 with Daishin Kashimotzo featuring on fiddle.

House was packed as would you expect anytime - but particularly on a rainy night here in Berlin.

Interestingly, the the warm, slightly bass enhanced acoustics so characteristic of Philharmonie BPO recordings are just as much a feature of/in live performance.

The concert was just fine, with Kashimotzo giving an off-the-cuff/off the programme rendition of a Bach violin partita (with exquisite ornamentations) which met with thundering applause.

The Schumann was (to my ears at least) not significantly different from that of the 1992 Levine/BPO recording (DG).

However, two observations: firstly, the volume produced by the orchestra was surprisingly soft. I am almost certainly listening to my music (more often than not through audiophile headphones) too loud - no doubt to the detriment of my hearing. And secondly, Rattle himself is certainly no Mahler on the podium. Indeed, one speculates whether the BPO would/could perform just as well without his delightful beaming presence. At one point he actually appeared to be struggling to keep up with the tempo of the orchestra itself!

Anyway, arriving back home at around 22:30, I cracked a couple of brewskis, turned on the TV and settled back into my (now interrupted) usual Saturday night vices. Think I'll check out a little more Schumann this Sunday PM... at a reduced volume of, course.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I too have found live orchestral concerts disappointingly soft sometimes. I have no trouble hearing the nuances, it's just that I don't feel very immersed. I almost feel that my dinky little computer speakers project better. I think it depends on the venue.

Some of my favorite rock acts too, Ian Anderson in particular lately, are opting for _much_ lower volume levels, though still exponentially louder than an orchestra. I'm actually glad I got to experience the Richter scale volumes of the 1970s when one had no choice but to become one with the music.


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