Stemme, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Dausgaard, Royal Albert Hall | reviews, news & interviews
Stemme, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Dausgaard, Royal Albert Hall
Stemme, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Dausgaard, Royal Albert Hall
Schumann transformed; Berlioz falls flat
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Thomas Dausgaard: 'Dausgaard’s style is, perhaps, too fussy for such a great big hall. His nuancing is ultra-refined, and not everything tells in the wide open spaces'
“The curse of Schumann,” remarked Prom director Roger Wright to me before Monday’s concert, bemoaning the fact that only (only!) 2,000 seats had been sold for the Swedish Chamber Orchestra’s concert under Thomas Dausgaard - whereas Dausgaard's earlier Tchaikovsky/ Sibelius Prom had been jam-packed. But he was right: the Albert Hall is more than half empty with those numbers, and looks it. A pity. I can’t recall a better, more spirited, or indeed more interesting performance of any Schumann symphony than Dausgaard’s of the C major, No 2, and it absolutely deserved a full house.
“The curse of Schumann,” remarked Prom director Roger Wright to me before Monday’s concert, bemoaning the fact that only (only!) 2,000 seats had been sold for the Swedish Chamber Orchestra’s concert under Thomas Dausgaard - whereas Dausgaard's earlier Tchaikovsky/ Sibelius Prom had been jam-packed. But he was right: the Albert Hall is more than half empty with those numbers, and looks it. A pity. I can’t recall a better, more spirited, or indeed more interesting performance of any Schumann symphony than Dausgaard’s of the C major, No 2, and it absolutely deserved a full house.
Share this article
more Classical music
'The total confusion about post-Brexit rules adds to the distress': classical musicians speak out
Ten players and administrators on the fallout in government restrictions to EU touring
Apartment House, Wigmore Hall online review - introspective music for isolated times
Serene lockdown listening in three concerts dedicated to Morton Feldman
Classical CDs: Janáček, Myaskovsky, Prokofiev, John Wilson
An arboreal opera, two Soviet symphonies and some rarely heard English string music
Gillam, Hallé, Bloxham, Hallé online review - music of poetry
Turbulence, calm, and long, slow melodies in a concert commemorating 2020
The Soldier's Tale, Scottish Chamber Orchestra online review - top performers master a baggy mini-monster
Actor and violinist excel in this Stravinsky-Ramuz confection
András Schiff, Wigmore Hall review - Bach in isolation
Total focus on one composer brings balm for the spirit
Gabrieli Consort, McCreesh online review - joyous Bach Christmas Oratorio
Pared-down reading makes for an immersive experience
Vienna New Year’s Day Concert, BBC Two/Radio 3 review - noble integrity and missionary zeal
Riccardo Muti brings aristocratic melancholy to a surprisingly moving, audienceless ritual
Classical CDs Weekly: Sibelius, Roger Désormière, George Szell
Three life-enhancing box sets
Bevan, LPO, Jurowski, RFH online review – never-ending stories
A year of disruption ends in gusto – and doubt
'Having to establish a real conversation with the audience is a good challenge': Raffaello Morales on a possible musical future
Pioneer of a rare 2020 success story, the Fidelio Orchestra Cafe, on adapting to change
Best of 2020: Classical music concerts
Heroic smaller enterprises have kept music live under unpromising circumstances
Add comment