All Gade concert in NYC

[edurban]

On Thursday, May 4 the New York Scandia Symphony will give a concert entitled " The Danish Golden Age" at Symphony Space on the upper west side of Manhattan.  The program will celebrate the 200th anniversary of Niels Gade, and will consist of the "Echoes of Ossian" Overture, the 2nd Symphony and the violin concerto (with Stephanie Chase as soloist.). Tickets are $25, $15 for students and seniors. Starting time is 8pm.  The orchestra is a 50 piece group conducted by Dorrit Matson, about whom I know nothing.  But I'll be there, especially since it's just around the corner from me...

[Alan Howe]

Great programme! Hope we'll hear a report on the concert.

[kolaboy]

Wonderful news. I doubt there's ever been an "all Gade" concert in America, before.

[edurban]

  Could be.  Got to buy my tickets tomorrow...

[Finn_McCool]

Good Gade!

[JimL]

If they were going to do a Gade symphony other than the 1st, why the 2nd rather than the 4th?  That's my favorite.

[Mark Thomas]

Maybe they didn't know it was your favourite, Jim? 

[JimL]

Well, just for that, I shan't drive up from North Carolina to see the concert! 

[kolaboy]

Ah, another North Carolinian lurks here...

Regarding the symphonies, I would have preferred the 6th.

[Alan Howe]

Rather than stating what one's favourite Gade symphony is (which, as has been pointed out countless times before at UC, is an unhelpful exercise anyway unless proper reasons are given), we would be grateful to hear a report from anyone who actually went the concert today...

[kolaboy]

Right.

Proper Reason Number One: The sixth was written after the death of his first wife and is cast in a rather somber mood (which is mainly reflected in the first two movements). It's sincerity appeals to me.
Proper Reason Number Two: The percussion writing in the finale is brilliant and never fails to raise my pulse rate.

So, excuse my intrusion into the thread , but the music of Gade is a subject that  inspires my enthusiasm.

[Alan Howe]

Your points are interesting - but irrelevant to the thread, as I indicated before. If you want to start another thread on Gade's symphonies, you are welcome to do so, of course. But this thread is supposed to be about the concert.

[edurban]

The concert went very well, though the audience was small.  (It was not part of a Symphony Space series, so all the publicity was up to the orchestra and its largely Danish sponsors.  I saw no mention of it anywhere but in the flyers that were mailed out...although that was enough to catch my eye.) Orchestra played very well with only a few indicators of short rehearsal time.  Ensemble was generally good, solo playing excellent, tempos unexceptionable.  Overture went extremely well...what a fresh and inspired Op.1 this is!  Gade's use of the orchestra is imaginative and so assured for a young fellow from the 'provinces'...Symphony was less impressive, but the material, though always attractive, is not quite varied enough to make structural points clear.  As several posters have pointed out, there are stronger options among the 8 symphonies, though No.1 may have been a mite
too long (and anyway has too many similarities to the overture) and No. 5 needs a piano.  Best was the concerto, the strongest piece (imo) which was fabulously played by Stephanie Chase.  One can only marvel at the absolute assurance she brought to a work she must have learned for the occasion and is unlikely to play again anytime soon.  An extreme enjoyable evening...

[Alan Howe]

A great report - thanks. Sounds like you have a fine violinist there.