I’ve been waiting for Hans Zimmer’s next production and I happened to stumble upon it on an internet radio channel. I’ve been listening to this station that plays exclusively symphonic movie score and one of the tracks I thought were so good that I wanted to check what it was. Turns out it’s from “The Last Samurai”.

Well the soundtrack is very good, the music is slow and soothing. There are rather few glimpses of Zimmer’s more dynamic work but they’re there. I haven’t really had a chance to listen to it that much but right off the bat I love it already.

7.5/10

Program:

Strauss – Serenade for wind instruments

Strauss – Obo concerto

Mozart – 40th symphony

Orchestra: Trondheim Philharmonic

Conductor: Eivind Aadland

Soloist: Albrecht Mayer

To be frank, Strauss was rather dull and disappointing. Herr Mayer followed up with an encore of a Bach piece from his latest album, which was a lot more appealing. The main problem is that the obo doesn’t really make a mark on the music, it tags along with the orchestra but there’s little accomplished, there are other far more successful pieces written for the obo. Then we arrive at the highlight of the evening, Mozart’s 40th and one might say it was consistent with most of his other work. Thoroughly done, spectacular at times but there’s a feel of workmanship to his music, which could easily be held against him had it not been for his brilliant ability to make it interesting.

Program:

Arriaga – Los esclavos felices

Haydn – 85th Symphony, La Reine

Beethoven – 5th Symphony

Orchestra: Trondheim Philharmonic

Conductor: Walter Weller

It was a pleasant evening with Beethoven and Haydn. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a concert and we were almost late as well. But once it got started it was nice to be back. I did not know the two preceeding pieces, but Haydn was done rather well. Then the highlight of the evening, Beethoven’s 5th and I was a little disappointed. It would have liked it bolder, bold IS beautiful. With a work like that one would like them to let go a good amount, to let the music really speak for itself, not be bound by the interpretation so much.

Next week it’s Mozart’s 40th, I’m really looking forward to it.

Works I’ve enjoyed of late..

Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto #1 (the one and only)

Mendelssohn’s violin concerto in E minor

Rachmaninov’s piano concerto #1, #2 and #4

Sibelius’ “Swan of Tuonela” (VERY tranquil and harmonic)

Vivaldi’s “Four seasons” by Anne-Sophie Mütter

Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture

There is something so captivating about Rob Dougan’s “Furious angels”. The album is packed with quality tracks. I don’t quite know how to account for the phenomenon, his vocals are questionable and if it wasn’t for the magnifique tunes I wouldn’t like it at all. But the clean, melodic tunes make it a big hit. I was first stunned by his blockbuster track from “Matrix reloaded”, entitled “Chateau” and I still think it’s his finest to date. But “Furious angels” carries more of the same, I see a strong influence of classical music (if I was more of a classical buff I would be able to recall the actual pieces) used to good effect. (more…)