# Your Perfect Concert Programs



## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

I have a number of things in mind here. One is a generalized concert - stating not specific works but types of works. Another is a specific concert program with a selection of actual works. Finally, I wish to open up the program to any works even if they would likely never be actually played together (possibly because they are from remotely different eras or the ensembles are quite different), which would be an idealized concert.

Your selections don't actually have to be perfect or even what you most would like. I'll give examples of what I think would be wonderfully fun to hear:

_Generalized Concert_: I have posted this desire before.

Orchestral work from the Romantic Era
Orchestral work from the Modern Era
Contemporary Orchestral work (ideally this would be a world premiere)

_Specific Concert_:

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
Furrer: Piano Concerto
Stockhausen: Gruppen

_Idealized Concert_:

Tallis: Spem in alium
Bach: Concerto for Two Violins
Mozart: Piano Concerto in D minor (K. 466)
Brahms: String Sextet No. 1
Boulez: Sur Incises
Reich: Six Marimbas

NOTE: The idealized concert does not have to have works from each era. It's whatever you wish.


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

I like this idea.

Here's one idea for an idealized concert I'd enjoy hearing:

First half - duration 30-32 mins

Selection of Mozart opera arias - 10-12 minutes

Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms - 20 mins

Intermission

Second half, 32 minutes

Schoenberg: 3 Piano Pieces, Op. 10 - 12 mins

Mahler: Rückert Lieder - 20 mins


----------



## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

I like thematic programming. I do not like a grab bag of unrelated music.

Such as:

*London Pride*
1. Westminster Waltz (Robert Farnon)
2. Haydn: Symphony 104 (London)
intermission
3. A London Symphony (Vaughan Williams)

*Way Out West*
1. The Cowboys overture (J Williams)
2. Rodeo suite (Copland)
intermission
3. Grand Canyon Suite (Grofe)

*Young Gustav Mahler*
1. Blumine from symphony 1
2. Songs of a Wayfarer
intermission
3. Symphony 1

*Day of Wrath*
1. Danse Macabre (Saint-Saens)
2. Totentanz (Liszt)
intermission
3. Symphonie Fantastique (Berlioz)


----------



## allaroundmusicenthusiast (Jun 3, 2020)

Specific/idealized concert:

Ockgehem - Missa Prolationum
Ligeti - Lux Aeterna

Intermission

Mahler - Symphony 2


----------



## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

Let's say:
Beethoven Symphony No. 4
Schoenberg After Handel
Brahms Piano Concerto no. 2
Intermission
Grosse Fuge arranged for string orchestra


----------



## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

Sibelius Symphony 7
Sibelius Symphony 5

Which is actually coming this season to TSO. I'm already drooling.


----------



## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

mbhaub said:


> I like thematic programming. I do not like a grab bag of unrelated music.
> 
> Such as:
> 
> ...


I like that approach!

I'd love a French theme with Debussy's La Mer, Franck's Symphony, and Saint-Saens 3rd.


----------



## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

Here's a twist, the one concert I would love to actually CONDUCT would be:

Mozart - Marriage of Figaro Overture
Dvorak - Cello Concerto (preferably with Alisa Weilerstein as soloist)
Beethoven- Symphony 7

Then do one of Dvorak's Slavonic Dances as an encore (probably Op 46 #7)

That would be so much fun.


----------



## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Vaughan Williams: Overture to "The Wasps" (that middle section blows me away every single time);

Brahms: Violin Concerto (the piano's my instrument but this is the one concerto in the whole of the repertoire that I've loved the most for the longest time);

Mozart: "Jupiter" Symphony - no encores after THAT finale.


----------



## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

Some very nice concerts listed above.



TwoFlutesOneTrumpet said:


> Sibelius Symphony 7
> Sibelius Symphony 5
> 
> Which is actually coming this season to TSO. I'm already drooling.


Possibly my two favorite Sibelius symphonies. Enjoy it, but then how could you not?



Olias said:


> Here's a twist, the one concert I would love to actually CONDUCT would be:
> 
> Mozart - Marriage of Figaro Overture
> Dvorak - Cello Concerto (preferably with Alisa Weilerstein as soloist)
> ...


Absolutely sublime.



Animal the Drummer said:


> Vaughan Williams: Overture to "The Wasps" (that middle section blows me away every single time);
> 
> Brahms: Violin Concerto (the piano's my instrument but this is the one concerto in the whole of the repertoire that I've loved the most for the longest time);
> 
> Mozart: "Jupiter" Symphony - no encores after THAT finale.


Brahms concerto is glorious above all other string concertos, and yes, the Jupiter finale leaves one stunned that such a thing is possible.


----------



## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

How about Henry Wood's Jubilee Concert in 1938? Rachmaninoff soloist in his own 2nd Piano Concerto and the premiere of RVW's Serenade to Music. Never mind the rest of the programme. I'll settle for those two.


----------



## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

1. Sibelius 6, 7 & Tapiola, played without a break
2. Bruckner Christus Factus Est, Symphony 9 & Te Deum, played without a break
3. Beethoven Egmont Overture, Brahms 1 BPO Karajan


----------



## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

I don't really understand the OP. My ideal concert is whatever I'm otherwise listening to. 

Right now I'm listening to Puccini. Would be great live, yes.


----------



## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

Ethereality said:


> I don't really understand the OP. My ideal concert is whatever I'm otherwise listening to.


Well, OK. So if you are on the phone, placed on hold, and the phone plays elevator music, your favorite concert is 2 hours of elevator music. Seems like an odd choice, but some of it is not too bad.

All you have to do is pick 3 classical music works you'd really love to hear. That would create a concert.


----------



## KevinJS (Sep 24, 2021)

How about:

Orff - Carmina Burana 

and since there’s a children’s choir kicking around:

Tritsch Trastch Polka
Blue Danube

and round the whole thing off with 

Beethoven’s 9th

(I’d suggest the 7th but may as well use the choirs)


----------



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

HenryPenfold said:


> 1. Sibelius 6, 7 & Tapiola, played without a break
> 2. Bruckner Christus Factus Est, Symphony 9 & Te Deum, played without a break
> 3. Beethoven Egmont Overture, Brahms 1 BPO Karajan


I have heard the Sibelius 6th & 7th done with little more than a minute between them ... (Rattle/BPO) ... and it diminished both of those great works so the idea of adding Tapiola into the mix ... aaarrrggh

You didn't specify whether it is the 3 movement B9 torso or one of the completions, however we know that Bruckner considered using the Te Deum as a finale for the 9th but decided, wisely, that they didn't make much sense together.


----------



## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

"The Klee Club" concert

Gunther Schuller - Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee (1959)
Tan Dun - Death & Fire - Dialogue with Paul Klee (1992) 
Sandor Veress - Hommage À Paul Klee, a concerto for piano, strings & percussion (1951)


----------



## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

"The Mountain Men" concert

d'Indy - Jour d'Été À La Montagne
Vaughan Williams - The Shepherds of the Delectable Mountains
Villa-Lobos - Symphony No.6 "On the Outline of the Mountains of Brazil"


----------



## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

One of my pet peeves about many concert programs is their brevity - if I am paying so much to see live music, I want to be hearing it for at least 80 minutes and preferably more. Here are some slightly "expanded programs" I would love to see:

*"The Timeless Power of Sacred Music" (preferably in a cathedral):*
Tallis - Spem in alium
Bach - Magnificat
INTERMISSION
L. Boulanger - Du fond de l'abime
Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms

*Two Epic Landscapes:*
Strauss - An Alpine Symphony
INTERMISSION
Messiaen - Des canyons aux etoiles

*Intimate Yearnings and Elegies:*
Barber - String Quartet
Janacek - String Quartet No. 2
INTERMISSION
Schnittke - Piano Quintet
Brahms - Horn Trio

*International Colors:*
Enescu - Octet for strings
Boulez - Le marteau sans maitre
INTERMISSION
Takemitsu - From Me Flows What You Call Time
Bartok - Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion

*Unpredictable Spotlights:*
Gliere - Concerto for Coloratura Soprano
Debussy - Rhapsody for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra
Bowen - Viola Concerto
INTERMISSION
Vaughan Williams - Tuba Concerto
Poulenc - Organ Concerto

And finally, the concert program of my dreams, in a cathedral setting, might be this:
*Fauré - Requiem*
INTERMISSION
*Bruckner - Symphony No. 8*


----------



## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Hmm... so many choices, not sure about perfect but here are some I would like:

Monteverdi - Beatus vir
J.S. Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
J.S. Bach - Passacaglia and Fugue
*Intermission*
Bartok - Piano Concerto No. 2
Messiaen - L' Ascension for organ

Ravel - Piano Trio
Ravel - Introduction and allegro
*Intermission*
Stravinsky - Violin Concerto
Debussy - Nocturnes

Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 27
Mozart - String Quintet k. 516
*Intermission*
Prokofiev - Symphony No. 6

Brahms - Violin Sonata No. 1
Brahms - Op. 117
*Intermission*
Mahler - Das Lied Von der Erde

Rodrigo - Invocacion y danza
Falla - Nights in the Gardens of Spain
*Intermission*
Takemitsu - Eclipse for Shakuhachi and Biwa
Gubaidulina - Viola Concerto

Reich - The Desert Music
*Intermission*
Partch - Delusion of the Fury


----------



## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

*Night Owl* evening concert series

Program #1

_Aftonland_ (1957) by Arne Nordheim, for soprano & orchestra 
_"... the Journey on this Night"_ (1966) by Karl-Birger Blomdahl, for soprano & orchestra
_Nocturnal_ (1961) by Edgard Varèse, for soprano + chorus of basses & orchestra
_Nótt, Op.59_ (1964) by Jón Leifs, for tenor + bass & orchestra

midnight snack break

_Noche oscura_ (1950/'51) by Goffredo Petrassi, cantata per coro e orchestra
_Symphony No.3 "The Song of the Night", Op.27_ (1916) by Karol Szymanowski, for tenor + choir & orchestra

... to be continued ...


----------



## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

Wagner: Tannhauser Overture
Beethoven: Triple Concerto
_intermission_
Brahms: Symphony No. 3


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Another concert, a little longish:

*Beethoven* - _Sonata no. 23 in F minor_, op. 57

*Duruflé* - _Requiem_

Intermission

*Schoenberg* - _Three Piano Pieces_, op. 10

*Verdi* - _Requiem_


----------



## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

I'm fine with any program, as long as in each of its intermissions, Cage's 4'33" is performed.


----------



## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Brahmsian Colors said:


> Wagner: Tannhauser Overture
> Beethoven: Triple Concerto
> _intermission_
> Brahms: Symphony No. 3


The overture and the symphony are my favourite examples by their respective composers. The concerto, not so much.


----------



## KevinJS (Sep 24, 2021)

hammeredklavier said:


> I'm fine with any program, as long as in each of its intermissions, Cage's 4'33" is performed.


There's a thought. How about two performances, one with the bar open and the other with it closed, to give each intermission a distinct ambience?


----------



## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

Becca said:


> I have heard the Sibelius 6th & 7th done with little more than a minute between them ... (Rattle/BPO) ... and it diminished both of those great works so the idea of adding Tapiola into the mix ... aaarrrggh
> 
> You didn't specify whether it is the 3 movement B9 torso or one of the completions, however we know that Bruckner considered using the Te Deum as a finale for the 9th but decided, wisely, that they didn't make much sense together.


I heard a transmission of 6 & 7 straight through and thought it enhanced both, which just goes to show how the same event can be differently perceived. I also attended a performance of the Bruckner. 'Torso'? How dare you!


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I like the idea of attending an alternative _Il trittico_ - in other words, three short operas which generally correspond with the different moods of Puccini's works but written by three different composers:

_Eine florentinische Tragödie_ by Alexander von Zemlinsky (1915-16)
_Der Jasager_ by Kurt Weill (1930)
_L'heure espagnole_ by Maurice Ravel (1911)

I appreciate that there is an imbalance insofar as two of the above are sung in German and the other in French but that wouldn't bother me particularly.


----------



## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Prodromides said:


> "The Klee Club" concert
> 
> Gunther Schuller - Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee (1959)
> Tan Dun - Death & Fire - Dialogue with Paul Klee (1992)
> Sandor Veress - Hommage À Paul Klee, a concerto for piano, strings & percussion (1951)


Maybe supplemented with the Peter Maxwell Davies piece.


----------



## calvinpv (Apr 20, 2015)

Interesting selections so far. I might listen through a couple of these concerts for fun tonight.
Here's some concerts I'd attend:

Scriabin: Prometheus, the Poem of Fire
Saariaho: Du cristal ... à la fumée
Intermission
Stravinsky: The Firebird

*Visions of Nature*
Sibelius: Symphony No. 7
Murail: Désintégrations
Intermission
J.L. Adams: Become Ocean

Mahler: Symphony No. 6
Intermission
Boulez: sur Incises

*Titans of Electronic Music*
Varèse: Déserts
Stockhausen: Kontakte
Intermission
Boulez: Répons

Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No. 3
Pärt: Tabula Rasa
Intermission
Bach: Concerto for Two Violins
Schnittke: Concerto Grosso No. 1


----------



## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

Allegro Con Brio said:


> One of my pet peeves about many concert programs is their brevity - if I am paying so much to see live music, I want to be hearing it for at least 80 minutes and preferably more. Here are some slightly "expanded programs" I would love to see:


I am done at 80 minutes. Brevity amplifies enjoyment.

Same with dinner out. I want small courses, not a giant plate of food that I need take half home.


----------



## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

joen_cph said:


> Maybe supplemented with the Peter Maxwell Davies piece.


Indeed. Never had I a(ny) recording on PMD's "Five Klee Pictures" (plus I never heard this work, either); I was merely perusing through my file data noticing more than one Klee in titles. Unbeknownst to me that, whilst searching online, there have been papers already dedicated to this very subject.


----------



## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

*Night Owl* concert series

Program #2:

_Lunar Symphony_ (1998) by Meyer Kupferman, 49 minutes

10-minute star-gazing refresher

_Twill by Twilight_ (1988) by Toru Takemitsu, 12 minutes
_Night Music_ (1943) by Humphrey Searle, 9 minutes
_Timbres, Espace, Mouvement 'La Nuit Etoilée'_ (1978/'91) by Henri Dutilleux, 20 minutes


----------



## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

*Night Owl* concert series

Program #3:

_Sundown Dances_ (1990) by Maurice Ohana, 22 minutes
_In the Hours of the New Moon_ (1913) by Nikolai Roslavets, 13 minutes
_Central Park in the Dark_ (1906) by Charles Ives, 7 minutes
_The Night Watch_ (1961) by Maurice Jarre, 7 minutes

Audience leg stretches prior to organist finger stretches

_Firmamentum, an organ concerto_ (1988) by Harri Viitanen, 45 minutes https://bis.se/composer/viitanen-harri/viitanen-firmamentum-concerto-for-organ-and-orchestra


----------



## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

Prodromides said:


> _Lunar Symphony_ (1998) by Meyer Kupferman, 49 minutes


Where might one find this to give a listen?

I can find it nowhere on the internet.


----------



## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

eljr said:


> Where might one find this to give a listen?
> 
> I can find it nowhere on the internet.


Hi, eljr.

Thanks for your interest in Kupferman's music. If such interest is great enough, then acquiring a download or a (used) CD might well be the only way to hear this symphony. I've owned Soundspells CD #130 since it was a new release about 20 years ago. Kupferman's publisher issued dozens of albums on Meyer's music: https://www.soundspells.com/cds.html










http://www.coomanarts.com/ss/130booklet.pdf

Happy hunting.


----------



## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

*Night Owl* concert series

Program #4:

_Into the Twilight_ by Arnold Bax, 13 minutes
_Angel of Dusk_ by Einojuhani Rautavaara, 27 minutes
_Notturno_ by Aarre Merikanto, 10 minutes

a little interlude before all hell breaks loose

_Night Interlude_ by Franz Schreker, 11 minutes
_Helle Nacht_ by James Dillon, 22 minutes


----------



## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

*Night Owl* concert series

Program #5:

_Star's End_ by David Bedford, 47 minutes

restroom twinkle

_Nocturnal Thoughts_ by Leif Segerstam, 15 minutes
_Notturno_ by Donald Martino, 18 minutes
_The Heaventree of Stars_ by Alun Hoddinott, 11 minutes


----------



## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Prodromides said:


> *Night Owl* concert series


----------



## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

Prodromides said:


> Hi, eljr.
> 
> Thanks for your interest in Kupferman's music. If such interest is great enough, then acquiring a download or a (used) CD might well be the only way to hear this symphony. I've owned Soundspells CD #130 since it was a new release about 20 years ago. Kupferman's publisher issued dozens of albums on Meyer's music: https://www.soundspells.com/cds.html
> 
> ...


Thanks but I got this far on my own before I asked for your help.


----------



## Open Book (Aug 14, 2018)

SanAntone said:


> Another concert, a little longish:
> 
> *Beethoven* - _Sonata no. 23 in F minor_, op. 57
> 
> ...


This sounds like some of the concerts in Beethoven and Brahms' day, from biographies I have read. They could be ridiculously long and varied. Some of them even had more than one world premiere by these composers, a lot for an audience to take in.


----------



## Open Book (Aug 14, 2018)

This concert was not a wish, it was real and I attended it. 

Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante K364 followed by his Posthorn Serenade K320, very well done by The Indian Hill Orchestra of Littleton, Massachusetts.

Two works I love. Mozart's underrated serenades and divertimenti are seldom performed live, so what a treat this serenade was. K364 is a perfect dialogue between the violin and viola that's just great to see live, the two soloists facing each other and almost squaring off.


----------



## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

"All right, let's take it from the beginning again" concert

_Gênesis, symphonic poem & ballet_ (1954) by Heitor Villa-Lobos, 19 minutes
_La Création du monde_ (1923) by Darius Milhaud, 16 minutes
_Original Sin_ (1961) by John Lewis, 27 minutes

Eve's refreshment: bobbing for apples

_A Garden Eastward_ (1952) by Hugo Weisgall, 16 minutes
_Genesis_ (1989) by Charles Wuorinen, 36 minutes

Banishment from concert hall paradise


----------

