Do you ever completely disagree with a critic's review of a concert that you just read?
Have you ever wanted to tell the musicians what you thought of a recent performance?
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May 4th, 2007
Mahler, Adams, Rimsky-Korsakov
Hello,
I just wanted to tell you what a glorious night of music this was! I was so glad to have been in the audience for this performance; I feel as if I was part of something utterly extraordinary. I enjoy all of the BSO performances, but this night was like none other for me in recent memory. Bravo (and brava) to all involved, from conductor to soloist to everyone in the ensemble who performed exquisite music so brilliantly and with such passion and lyricism.
Thank you so much for an unforgettable night!
Edie Williams
Columbia
April 20th, 2007: The Four Seasons
Tremendous performance(s)!!!!!!!!
Words pretty much fail...
Bravo, Jonathon! Bravo, Ilya! Bravo, everyone!
Or, as my concert companion more aptly yelled at you all, "WHOOO HOOOO"!
Anon
April 16th, 2007
Hi, virtuousi.
I've been meaning to write, have been to lots of your concerts and have been having a great time. I've gone to some twice, just because they are so amazing that I can't think of anything I'd rather do (and it's not because I don't have a full life). Vissi d'arte.
Went to the Rite/Alpine, of course. Was a knock-out. I brought the director of a cultural organization in town. She's been in B'More (in a very different scene) for decades, and this was her first time to the BSO since she was a kid. She's since been promoting some of your upcoming performances on her radio show.
Rounded up about 7 first-timers for the Glass, and while I know you all may have had mixed feelings about playing that piece (i.e., getting dizzy from playing one riff for an hour), it was a nice exposure for some young hipsters. Some of them have gotten subscriptions for next year! The imagery definitely worked, as did the split-second choreography of images/sound.
I dug the wild & woolly Sibelius.
The Verklarte Nacht was simply gorgeous (wish the audience had gotten the poem insert, but that's not your fault). The shimmering texture and colors of the details were exquisite.
You should have felt the audience at Bolero...the person I brought with me (new to town, and a new fan of yours) turned to me and said "this is like a rock concert!" The Daphnis & Chloe was stunning.
I heard a couple of folks grumble at Tom's spiel re: the Danielpour at the Saturday concert, but I personally appreciated it, and I know others did also. Certainly is a true legacy of composers who write in specific & overt reaction to their times, as well as those who embody the angst of the times in a more abstract (but no less powerful) way, like Vaughan Williams.
Your performance(s) of his 4th was spectacular. My heart was literally pounding both times I went. One woman in the audience near me exclaimed "it doesn't get any better than that".
I've also been getting out recently to see some of you in chamber concerts, at An die & Candlelight, etc. The Monument Piano Trio is fab, as is the Stevanovic/King duo, and all the performers at the Candlelight. Last night, after the Candlelight concert, a friend & I were discussing what a great city this is to live in because of all of this phenomenal musical talent.
Finally, I think that all the promotional stuff is effective. I've told many people (of diverse backgrounds) about the affordability and, more importantly, the innovative programming for next year (e.g., the Beethoven w/contemporary composers, etc.), and many are intrigued, and either have gotten subscriptions or are planning on going. Good to see your concerts featured in the City Paper. I also think that some of your pairings (e.g., with imagery/talks) has brought in some new folks from the community, and it's cool that your Rite is the #1 downloaded classical performance in Itunes (not that I know what an Ipod looks like).
All to say, you are appreciated, and will hopefully be even more so in the future.
As always, thank you!
Anon
February 7th, 2007
Kudos to the fine tenor & horn, and the challenging Britten piece (I'm one who welcomes more challenges in your programming, glad you have Messiaen and Schoenberg in the works - bring on the Penderecki, Varese, Ligeti, Xenakis...!).
Also loved the Diamond. Poignant in its timeliness and effort to be joyful (can an Adagio for strings ever be anything but heartbreaking underneath it all?).
And that Tchaikovsky last movement pretty much bordered on rock n' roll in your collective hands.
Can't wait for La Mer,
Anon
January 14th, 2007
Thanks to the whole BSO, Maestra Alsop, and the Peabody for a thoroughly enjoyable evening. I look forward to more 20th century music from the BSO (maybe even 21st!) as Alsop's conducting runs a tight ship and is suited for complex and technical works. Bravo!
-LHall
January 9th, 2007
Thank you
I got myself an apartment in Mount Vernon so that I can stroll around the corner to the Meyerhoff as often as possible. Frankly, if I didn't have a great job and cats, I might live up in one of the Grand Tier Boxes, and just eat, drink, and breathe the music you make like some mad music vagabond.
I have been enthralled, moved, touched, inspired, challenged, and downright intoxicated by your performances.
To be a recipient of such exquisite beauty, and of your incredible individual and collective talent, energy, passion, and artistry is a profound gift, and I thank you.
June 17th, 2006 - Red Violin Concerto
I have subscribed to the Casual Concert series since its inception. I do not care for the contemporary cacophony of noise that is being crammed down my ears most recently.
Why not have a separate series for contemporary pieces? It seems that those of us who cherish the old masters no longer will be humming when they leave the concerts. Most recently, I find myself grumbling.
Please ask Marin Alsop to leave the Casual Concerts as they were in the past - beautiful and lovely to the ears. I would rather be humming.
Rita Palmere - Towson
June 9th, 2006 - Mahler Symphony #2
Friends -
I did manage to get to the Mahler #8 at NSO and it is a very different piece so unfair to compare but....why not. The BSO - hands down - wins the weekend Mahler competition. Both pieces were "world premieres" for me since I don't think I'd ever listened to recordings. Your Mahler #2 was transcendent. The BSO managed the tension and tone and pulse of Mahler with energy and restraint. Bravo!
-Laura Hall
Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!
I loved your performance so much I could hardly drive home.
See you June 15.
-Doug Roberts
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I was privileged to be in the audience at Starthmore on June 10 (my birthday!) when you and Maestro Temirkanov rendered your magnificent Mahler #2. Never have I been prouder than I was that night of my association with the BSO and the small role I've been able to play in the organization. Your playing, your passion, and the edifice you built under the Maestro's hands that night still hang in the air, and will remain forever in the memories of those who were there. Thank you.
-Jeff Liss, Board Vice Chair
June 4th, 2006 - Khachaturian Violin Concerto, Tchaikovsky Manfred
To the entire BSO and especially Mr. Carney,
Thank you thank you for such a passionate performance on Saturday, June 3. Your opening tribute to Leri Slutsky brought tears to my eyes and the eyes of many others. Maestro Temirkanov had a special glow that night, or maybe I just imagined it to be more than usual because I realized how much I am going to miss him. I am looking forward to his magic in the Resurrection symphony.
Mr. Carney, I have been an embarrassingly fervent fan of yours forever, and still have vivid memories of hearing you play, in particular, the Metropolis symphony and the Four Seasons (I went two days in a row!) The Khachaturian was intoxicating and almost surreal. Thank you for your never-ending magic and inspiration. (Incidentally, since I got to meet you and shake your LEFT hand a few months ago, my own left hand has become mysteriously more masterful on my classical mandolin...)
Thank you all for another wonderful concert season. (A special bravo also to the cello section, so close to my heart :-) I am in the market for a cello and some lessons in the near future...what a passionate and haunting instrument you have so mastered and loved.) Your new website is a wonderful idea, and I have enjoyed reading through it. I hope many others will feel proud of and a little bit closer to our wonderful orchestra and all the amazingly talented people who make it so special.
Sincerely,
Lisa Marroney
Greetings to my "friends" in the BSO -
I feel like I know you all from your playing. I'll be browsing the website and hopefully seeing being the curtain doesn't take away from the magic on stage.
For now, let me just say that having seen Maestro Temirkanov so many times in St. Petersburg when I lived there (1993-1994), it has been wonderful to hear him here with this wonderful orchestra. We will miss him - especially if Tchaikovsky is on the program. I hope the BSO will continue its high standards and tradition of bring young, lesser known soloists to the stage. I especially hope Maestro Alsop will finally reprise Too Hot to Handel with the Morgan State Choir; this former music purist has never had so much fun (the performance of the traditional Handel in 2005 was thrilling).
See you all next week at Strathmore for Mahler (I can't believe I had to choose between #2 with you and #8 with the NSO!)
- Laura Hall
Silver Spring, MD
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