I hope that the Classical Beaver brings a change of underwear for the Oregon Symphony’s January 14, 15 and 16th concerts, because the ‘rock star’ violinist Joshua Bell will now be playing the great Violin Concerto of Johannes Brahms in place of the previously programmed First Concerto of Dmitri Shostakovich. I’ll bet that principal oboist Marty Hebert is also salivating at another opportunity to play one of the most gorgeous oboe solos in the universe in the 2nd movement of the Brahms concerto.
Tickets available by calling the Oregon Symphony ticket office at 503-228-1353 or online at www.orsymphony.org.
19 replies on “joshua bell changes program for portland”
too bad “RS” josho won’t be playing the corigliano red violin concerto instead.
heck, he plays it :”everywhere” else, why not here?
Bob, if you’d like to exchange your ticket(s) to the Bell concert for something later in the season – perhaps Carlos’s final program, with Adams’ Cite Noir – just let me know by email at ecalder@orsymphony.org.
thanx for your kind offer, elaine.
let’s deal, ok?
get josh to play murray schafer’s wonderful violin concerto next time he hits town & i’ll call it even!
:))))))
I have to admit that this is a very disappointing change. The Brahms can be heard all the time. It is also my understanding that the Shostakovich 10th symphony is not being played either. I was crushed when I heard that. OH well…that is life.
I believe that the Shosty 10th will reappear in a later season for reasons not known publicly right now, so don’t fret too much…
wow, i hadn’t fully registered that shosty’s 10th was being replaced by that delightful bit of social realism otherwise known as his 5th symphony.
as the 10th was to have been the final work heard on March Music Moderne 2012, i am now wondering if the 5th will be a thematically appropriate close to this month-long series of pdx concerts?
i have no doubt that the general audience will welcome this change out – even Papa-Stalin is likely smiling on the other side of curtain.
however . . .
Somewhat disappointed but it’s Josh Bell. I’ll likely still be in the hall three nights in a row… unless his Brahms sucks.
whaaaa! but i just got the shostakovich from the library 🙁 alright, brahms it is then…
I realize it is Bell but I could swear that he performed the Brahms in a previous appearance. This has been a tough season in that several less frequently performed pieces that I dearly looked forward to hearing will not be done. I wish Bell had been a bit more creative in the substitute piece. Trading an exciting, less frequently heard piece for yet another rendition of a warhorse is not a good exchange in my view. At least the symphony will probably make out better financially for the substitution.
and you wonder why classical music is considered passe. . .
(and I AM a brahms fan, but this is ridiculous)
The biggest problem in classical music is the inability to move beyond the standard repertoire in the concert hall, on the radio and in the recording studio. While this substitution greatly disappoints me, I am sure far more people will cheer it. And that is the sad part.
Maria, I’ll make you the same offer I’ve made to Bob Priest: if you don’t want to hear Joshua Bell play the Brahms, then email me at ecalder@orsymphony.org and we’ll exchange your ticket(s) to something else – maybe the concert Carlos is conducting in May with John Adams’ Cite Noir?
I can’t understand the dismay here! It’s not as though Bell were scheduled to play the Knussen, Salonen, Ades, or Higdon concerto and he then decided to switch to the Brahms. Instead, he was going to play the Shostakovich 1st Concerto – hardly new fare!
I think it’s also easy to pooh-pooh programming when one doesn’t have to charge for tickets or pay performers. When you have to make enough money to cover the expenses for a set of concerts (including an undoubtedly large soloist fee) it can constrain choices of repertoire in all but the richest markets, I would suspect.
I will respectfully disagree with you a bit, Charles. I don’t think that the Shostakovich violin concerto is performed at nearly the same frequency as the Brahms, so I do see this as a significant change. My impression was that it was Bell who drove this substitution. Perhaps I am wrong. If it was his doing, then I remain very disappointed. Believe me, I do understand the need to sell tickets. I guess that I am just frustrated that the state of classical music is such that finances often have to trump other considerations and that listeners just seem to want to hear the same thing over and over again. I do believe that the symphony does a good job in programming, especially considering this market. I don’t believe that I have ever criticized the symphony’s programming but have always been complimentary. Finally, thanks for the info regard the 10th. I hope it does show up again on a future schedule.
I do believe that it was Bell’s decision, in fact last time he was here, he said something to the effect that he’d love to play the Brahms with us.
I think one thing that is often overlooked is the fact that with our relatively low number of classical series concerts each season, we duplicate repertoire quite a bit less than some of the larger orchestras, and even with that, Carlos doesn’t like to revisit pieces too often, so that further limits how often you get to hear certain repertoire. Think about the last time you heard a Brahms symphony here – I would say we should do one every season, either with Carlos or a guest, but we can go several seasons without playing a Brahms symphony, which makes me very sad.
So, even though we did the Brahms last season, it is another matter to have it played by an artist of Bell’s caliber – it’s an event in its own right, and one that the orchestra (and audience) will greatly enjoy. And I’m sure that he’ll do the Shosty or other less-often played piece the next time he comes here.
as for this last minute change being bell’s decision, isn’t there a contract in place that can help keep him “on task?
just wondering . . .
I agree with Charles that Shosty is “hardly new fare!”, yet also with Mr. Heikkinen that it’s not played as often as the Brahms (Jennifer Cho played it here last time, I believe). What I think is most important is to celebrate the fact that this world-class violinist is returning for, what, the third out of the past four or five seasons? That the OSO folks have been able to bring Bell and other great artists is the most important reason to attend, in my opinion (as a classical music fan – my opinions are not intended to represent those of All Classical Public Media, Inc. nor its employees – John Pitman, music director).
I’ll be there if a recording gig doesn’t pop up and I can still use my Oregon Trail card – I’m happy if I get to hear anyone of this calibre while I’m not working
I am sure you are hoping these will be my last words on this subject. I will undoubtedly enjoy Bell’s performance and nobody appreciates the symphony’s ability to attract quality artists more than I. That said , as a subscriber I do buy tickets with a certain expectation based on what is scheduled. I recognize that things happen that require adjustments. However, from what I can see, it appears that Mr. Bell decided just a few weeks before the scheduled performance to play something different for no other reason than he felt like playing something else. If he really wanted to do the Brahms, then why not schedule that up front? Obviously, Bell is a violinist of such stature that he can apparently do what wants without regard to previous commitments. More power to him. I wish I were able to have that kind of clout in my life. However, as a ticket buyer and subscriber, I don’t have to be happy about it.