We left at the interval...

Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris, Tuesday January 20 2015 Conductor: Rafael Payare. Wiener Philharmoniker. Schubert: Symphony n°8 , D. 759, "Unfinished" Tchaikovsky: Symphony n°4 (Encore) Eduard Strauss: Mit Chic (polka) Tchaikovsky For the 2014-2015 season I decided we'd have a change from quitting second-rate performances of second-rate scores at the interval by dropping one of our usual opera subscriptions and buying a series of visiting (i.e. non-French) orchestras at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées. On account of work (as anyone who goes to operas and concerts knows, these things have to be paid for), I missed the first of these wholly orchestral concerts: the St Petersburg Philharmonic in Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky (in this case, the 6th ), magnificent I was told by the friends who were able to attend. This VPO concert was thus, for me, the first, and it was largely a disappointment: I had hoped to be thoroughly wowed, and wasn't. Rafael Paya...

Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris. Philippe Jordan, conductor. Anton Bruckner: Symphony n°2 in C minor Franz Schubert: Symphony n°8 in C major ("Great"), D 944. From Wikipedia, re the Scuthbert : "There continues to be some controversy over the numbering of this symphony, with German-speaking scholars sometimes numbering it as symphony No. 7, the most recent version of the Deutsch catalog (the standard catalogue of Schubert's works, compiled by Otto Erich Deutsch) listing it as No. 8, and English-speaking scholars often listing it as No. 9". I had no idea. I thought the "8" on the Paris Opera's website was a mistake, and I wasn't the only ignoramus in town... Bruckner Over the past few years I've got out of the habit of booking orchestral concerts (that will change next season). But when I did, living in France my policy was to book for big-name visiting orchestras, preferably with a relatively modern programme....