Oddballs and outcasts in the ballroom

By Sam Johnstone, 11 October 2016

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Reviewed at Heimathafen Neukölln, Berlin on 9 October 2016

Gubaidulina, Fünf Etüden, Op.1

Scelsi, Okanogan

Dutilleux, Sonata for Oboe and Piano

Dutilleux, Les Citations

Piazzolla, Tangos

Thomas Hecker, Oboe

Elsie Bedleem, Harp

Ander Perrino Cabello, Double Bass

Henrik Magnus Schmidt, Drums

Anna Kirichenko, Piano

Classical meets Modern in an evening of chamber music at Berlin's Konzerthaus

Christie Franke, 7th March

A varied programme of music for flute trio spanning a wide period presented at Berlin's Konzerthaus.

***11

Korngold and Mahler from Ray Chen, Vasily Petrenko and the RPO

Roy Westbrook, 12th May

Few violin concertos soar from the first bar as Erich Korngold’s does, especially as in Ray Chen's high-wire account at the Royal Albert Hall.

****1

Energetic Currentzis and Utopia at the Elbphilharmonie

Mengguang Huang, 12th May

From Berg’s crystalline intimacy to Dionysian Mahler, Teodor Currentzis and Utopia defy orchestral tradition with standing musicians, spatial acoustics and an emotional intensity that breathes new life into the concert life.

****1

Petr Popelka delivers a thrilling opening for Prague Spring

Frank Kuznik, 12th May

With Petr Popelka on the podium, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra brings a native feel and colorful exuberance to a cultural icon.

****1

Clara Yang's immersive piano recital gets lost in the clouds

Kurt Gottschalk, 11th May

Prerecorded acoustic guitar, soft beats and more piano accompany video of jittery yellow circles and masses of illegible text in a concert that feels both meditative and too much to take in

**111

Era-defining string sound in the Liverpool Phil’s Mahler 9

Rohan Shotton, 10th May

Domingo Hindoyan nears his five-year anniversary at the RLPO with Mahler's Ninth Symphony.

****1

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Sam Johnstone

Sam Johnstone is a musician and writer based in Berlin. He has written on classical, contemporary and world music for Sinfini Music, The Cusp and World Music Network, and about the influence of the avant-garde on contemporary music in Germany and Japan whilst studying at Oxford University and SOAS, University of London. Sam blogs at www.spljohnstone.com and tweets at @spljohnstone

Oddballs and outcasts in the ballroom with the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin