Angela Hewitt in Adelaide

[Muzakian]

I'm thinking of going to this -

Feb 15th - Angela Hewitt and the ACO.

BIBER: Battalia
BACH: Concerto in G minor BWV1058
Concerto in D major BWV1054
or
Concerto in A major BWV1055
Concerto in D minor BWV1052
TÜÜR: Passion
BACH: Brandenburg Concerto No.5 BWV1050
GOLIJOV: Last Round

This will all be new to me, though I've heard great things about her Bach, and it's such a rare thing for Australia to have any notable classical musicians performing!
Is anyone familiar with these works? Would you recommend paying to hear them?

Btw, sorry about the earlier post!

[lenny]

she is good, but her temperament is lacking, and she doesnt have enough fury for my tastes.

plus i think she is pretentious.

[lenny]

btw - i dont mean to say i wouldnt pay to see her play, she is great at what she does, but i have a dvd of her chopin 2nd sonata and her reading really lacks the fury of a pogolerich.

[Alde]

btw - i dont mean to say i wouldnt pay to see her play, she is great at what she does, but i have a dvd of her chopin 2nd sonata and her reading really lacks the fury of a pogolerich.

When it comes to repertoire, Angela is the next Rosalyn Tureck.  Her Bach is phenomenal.  Also her Handel and Mozart playing is top notch.  I have heard her perform Granados, Ravel, and Chopin and didn't really like it.  Its difficult to listen to a pianist objectively once you have labelled them a specific type of performer.
There is nothing wrong with being the next Tureck.  Angela's Bach, Handel and Mozart rep will keep her busy for a very long time.

[lenny]

yes i agree, she has the perfect temperament and technique for those composers.

btw - i notice some random composers and pieces ive never heard of, they sound very interesting!

[ionutz]

Personally I woud pay to see her esp since she is playing quite a lot of Bach. You siad that there aren't many pianists to come your way so why lose this opportunity.How bad can it be?

[pianowelsh]

I heard her live playing Bach well tempered clavier ALL (in two concerts) and the Goldberg variations and she is unparalleled in these (in my opinion). She is a very graceful performer and it is extremely educational to watch her. She has a lot of imagination and is a very sensative player. I have to concur that she dosen't have a uniformity of magic in the works of Ravel Chopin etc. But she is by NO means bad in these either. Yes go and see her (if you can get a ticket - they tend to sell fast)!

[dmk]

I saw this concert in Wollongong, it was very good except for a violinist who kept smiling whenever she made a mistake and the ACO had a bit of a nervous start in the Biber:)

Angela Hewitt was excellent, I particularly enjoyed her slower movements in the Concertos, well worth the $$

dmk

[lenny]

btw - i didnt mean to put people off, you just have to know what kind of pianist she is, great for bach etc. but not totally my type.

and when i called her pretentious, this was because of the bach DVD i have where she is interviewed - she is canadian and yet somehow sounds like the queen, a bit lardeedar.

[Muzakian]

Hey thanks for the feedback everyone! I just got back (managed to get the last ticket! ) and I must say, it was fantastic! Yeah there was a lot of Bach in the program, so I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy it (I basically only listen to romantic/impressionistic music). And to be honest, the A concerto and the Brandenburg concerto didn't keep my interest all the time, but the fury of the Dm concerto was amazing! Hewitt was indeed very good... she plays Bach with more pedalling and colour than many others do.... oh and I do agree, she does kinda look pretentious and regal, heh. The Tuur was the real highlight though (at least for me). It was a gorgeous post-romantic tone poem for strings, with lots of beautiful shimmering textures and an amazing climax. I think its good to incorporate contempory works into programs like this, otherwise how will any talented composers today ever get themselves heard?

[Nightscape]

I must step in in defense of Angela Hewitt's Ravel.  Now granted, some of it is not the best, but in the more neo-classical Ravel pieces she really shines.  Her recordings of  the Meneut Antique, Sonatine, Valses, and le Tombeau are excellent.  I also like her rendition of le valle des cloches from Miriors.  On the other hand, there are other performers I prefer for the other Ravel pieces.

[pianowelsh]

agreed nightscape! I don't mean to imply she is bad at these composers but i don't feel she consistently meets the heights that she does when playing Bach. But she does set a tall order in that respect. She is definately better as you said at the more neoclassical elements. But she is a legend. BUY ALL HER CDS