5 Comments

5 Comments

• Keith Peters says:

  May 9, 2008 at 1:42 pm

  Dohnanyi’s history is somewhat interesting. I did an interview with him a few years back when he was with Cleveland. Both his father and his uncle, the noted theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer were executed by the Nazis. If you look inside Bonhoeffer’s book “Letters and Papers from Prison” you will find a young 14 year old Christoph writing to his uncle. He still finds it somewhat difficult to talk about that part of his life.
• Patricia says:

  May 9, 2008 at 1:56 pm

  “The kids might have been disappointed, the oldsters could have no complaint.”

  Don’t be so sure. The spiky-haired young man three rows in front of us leaped to his feet at the end of the Fifth and bowed down.
• tmangan says:

  May 9, 2008 at 2:02 pm

  A young member of my family also thought the Beethoven 5 was da bomb. But I did say “might.”
• Opera Chic says:

  May 9, 2008 at 4:44 pm

  His father is one of Israel’s Righteous Among the Nations, and is honored at Yad Vashem. There are no words to describe Hans von Dohnanyi’s greatness. I’ve always been deeply touched by the fact that as soon as the Nazis had taken power HvD, a great jurist, was gathering evidence against them to be used in a court of law once the regime had been deposed. That faith in the Law is even more heartbreaking when you consider that Hans von Dohnanyi was eventually murdered after being “convicted” by a kangaroo court. Whose members were eventually cleared of murder charges after the war.

  Christoph von Dohnanyi is usually very underrated. He has forgotten more music than most conductors — even many of those who work in first-rate venues — will ever know. And for someone who among other things is accused of musically conservative tastes, in his time has conducted a lot of premiere of new works. Hans Werner Henze’s wonderful Die Bassariden, for example back in the 1960s.
• David S. says:

  May 14, 2008 at 3:15 pm

  Very nice review, Tim.

  There’s been a spate of Schumann symphonies lately. The LA Phil did “The Rhenish” earlier this year, and I think we heard #2 recently. I am finding Schumann to be quite wonderful. It would be nice to hear more.

  However, by the way, (segue) I didn’t realize that both the Beethoven and Schumann symphonies were scored for “ushers’ brass buttons dragged long metal railing”.

  There are 4 ushers stationed in the back of the hall, leaning against the metal railing. For some reason, they feel at liberty to drag the sleeves of their coats along the metal railing DURING the CONCERT. I hate to complain (I really do), but this creates a VERY LOUD noise that they seem OBLIVIOUS to. This happens THROUGHOUT the concert ALL night long. And, as live as the hall is, it’s quite distracting for the listener. I wonder if anyone in management will take notice, hmmm? HELLO?