Cleveland Orchestra: Fridays@7 - Bolero

Stravinsky: Agon (complete ballet score)
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 35 (Nikolaj Znaider, violin)
Ravel: Bolero
Franz Welser-Most, conductor
(Post-concert entertainment by PolkaFest with the Eddie Rodick Orchestra and Hoedown with Back Porch Swing Band and square dance caller Larry Ward)

Last season my work (i.e. the thing that pays for my concert habit) travel schedule prevented me from taking advantage of the Fridays@7 series; I was interested to attend again this season, and brought Rachel to the hall with me this evening.

The Cleveland Orchestra's portion of the program tonight was varied in tone, texture, era, and reception. Unfortunately, the tone-setting piece for the concert was one of the most disappointing pieces I've heard the orchestra play. While Stravinsky's Agon, the score for a ballet with original choreography by Balanchine  was interesting -- and it was certainly easy to visualize the physical dance related to each movement (as described in the program note), but without dance there wasn't really anything musically compelling, let alone captivating about the piece. The program introduction refers to the piece as a "masterful work of modern angles" -- if that is the case, there were too few lines. From the unusually light and overly polite applause meeting the piece it was clear that I was not alone.

(As an aside, given the post concert entertainment, it seems Copland's Appalachian Spring would have been a better fit...and a composer much less known to the orchestra)

It took much of the first movement of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto to wash away Agnon. One critic early in the concerto's life declared that it "stank to the ear" - but that was not the case as Mr. Znaider's impassioned playing sparkled from the first notes. Rachel mentioned that it frequently seems to her that soloists are trying too hard, where tonight Mr. Znaider felt at ease... I can't say I've noticed the trend, but it is undeniable that he was at ease. His playing was so well received that he was accorded not one but two standing ovations: The first after the first movement nearly as enthusiastic at that at the conclusion. I enjoyed the echos and variations on echos that occurred between orchestra and soloist; I don't recall them being so clear the last time I heard this piece)

Rounding out the program and my uncontroverted favorite from the evening, although it was the least complex musically, was Ravel's Bolero. The steady rat of the snare drum began so quietly that it was barely noticeable -- I think the first few notes (along with a light pizzicato from the cellists) were lost among the subdued rustling of concertgoers -- it grew in intensity throughout the piece, as the 13 variations bounced around the orchestra's instruments and likewise grew in intensity and, it seemed persistence.

Following the concert, it was odd to step out from the box level it was a little odd and surreal to hear the sounds of a square dance caller in the Severance foyer, and it was fun to watch in the beginning, but unlike previous concerts where the post-entertainment was largely organic, this felt forced: Much of the lobby floor was occupied by professional dancers with attendees crammed around the edges; and then it took on more of the flavor of dance than fun causing the audience to think quite quickly. More fun and a bit more relaxed -- though with similar space issues, PolkaFest with the Eddie Rodick Orchestra offered lively polka to which Rachel and I closed out the evening watching.

Lincoln

Cleveland Orchestra: Fridays@7: Heroic Strauss

Wagner: Overture to Tannhauser

Strauss: Ein Heldenleben ("A Hero's Life") (William Preucil, solo violin)

Franz Welser-Most, conductor

Post concert entertainment by Mango Blue

Tonight, it seems, was an evening of small-world connections: Before the concert I bumped into a friend of a friend whom I had met just a week ago (and her boyfriend); after the concert I met several people whom I've crossed paths with before and one whom I had not met before but with whom I share a common professional vocabulary ("Technical Theater", "DMX", "Extron", "Crestron", and the name of one of my clients). Such is the Fridays@7 program: A mix of the old and new, the familiar and unfamiliar converging for a delightful evening.

(Side note: the way-unconfirmed rumor mill has it that the neighbor/renter who's home was hit by last weekend's Over the Parking Lot and Through The Woods incident is a new member of the Cleveland Orchestra staff-- if you read this, stop by and say hi sometime!)

This weekend also forms a portion of the Orchestra's Subscriber Appreciation month; while my status as a subscriber is debatable (though I attend every concert weekend--more than is actually included in a subscription--for financial and scheduling reasons I purchase single tickets, but I am a Celebrity Series subscriber) I donned the "The Cleveland Orchestra Subscriber" blue ribbon next to my standard violin lapel pin -- I will seldom turn down the chance to show support for a Cleveland institution, particularly one so great as the Orchestra.*

For the tradional part of the evening both peices -- 0ne an overture, the other consisting of six movements played without pause -- semeed good choices for an audience that was a clear mix of first timers and seasoned veterens. First-timers often applaud between movements, a practice flooked upon with derision by many veterens and with this presentation the possibility for faux pas was completely avoided.

The Orchestra, though, did not pull any punches: Both pieces were played with the typical quality and enthusiasam, leaving a thoroughly enjoyable product. In the overture to Tannhauser, the opening seemed melencholy, yet the triumpent ending in the brass played over a still melancholy bed of strings seemed to signal a victory of confidence.

Likewise, in Strauss's A Hero's Life, it was not so much music that was pasively listened to but muisic that stuck and resonated within the body. I was particularly oved by the firt, second, and fourth movmenets (The Hero, The Hero's Adversaries, and The Hero's Battlefield, respectively), but William Pruecill's solo violin was stunning in its beauty, as was the play between the solo first and second violins. The remainder of the strings were solid, and received quite a workout. The coment by one menber that ot was the most notes that they've had to play in recent memory was not hard to fathom.

Following the formal concert, Mango Blue provided entertainment with a bit of spanish flair in the foyer that was toe-tappingly fun, and I stayed through the end -- with a growing number of couples dancing in Severance Hall's grand foyer.

Several hundred Groupons were sold for tonight's concert; with an experience like tonight it's not hard to imagine that there will be many repeat customers out of that group.

Lincoln

*- Speaking of which, does anyone know where I can get one of the "TCO" bumper stickers? I've looked for them in the Orchestra gift shop but haven't found them so far.

Cleveland Orchestra: Fridays@7: Heroic Mahler

Nicolai: Overture to the Merry Wives of Windsor
Mahler: Symphony No. 1
Pinchas Steinberg, conductor
Followed by music by New York Gypsy All-Stars in the Grand Foyer

(It's not often I mention something not at a concert, but as a fan of Mr. Cohen I'm a bit disappointed that his solo in Neilsen's Clarinet Concerto, Op. 57 was omitted from the Friday@7 program...This concert was good, nay, fantastic enough that I'm having a debate with my credit card about retuning for a second helping tomorrow evening. Anyone have an extra ticket you'd care to liberate?)

There's something special about being amongst the first to sneak into the Severance Hall's beautiful main hall before a concert... While there are still fairly few musicians on stage and even fewer bodies in the hall the notes of a lone violinist warming up drift out over the empty seats to be mixed with a harp tuning. The harp fades away and then the violinist is joined by a clarinet and oboe...other musicians and their instruments begin to fill the stage and the sounds form this deliciously uncomposed, unconducted sound. As the hall opens and patrons filter in, the din of happy conversation slowly overtakes the bouquet of sounds coming from the stage, but in that brief period it is meditative, it is but a small reminder of the immense work put into the concert, and it is one of those simple joys. It is a reminder that the music we are about to hear is crafted by a hundred human hands and cannot be replaced by machine and this performance will be like no other.

Both pieces on tonight's program were stunning. The overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor was perhaps my favorite overture thus far and started with an hauntingly sustained quiet note from the first violins and was spellbinding -- the program notes that it runs about 10 minutes in performance; I was emeried, time stood still, and it seemed to end only seconds after beginning.

Mahler's Symphony 1 was likewise stunning -- more than one musician was overheard to say that it may be the best the orchestra has ever played it and I have no basis to disagree -- the first two movements were so captivating as to buoy the soul; my heart was pounding and there were moments I was afraid to breathe for fear of missing a note of wonderment. In the first movement, with the programmatic notation slow, dragging, as if spoken by nature, I could hear the birds chirping and envision a slow walk by a meandering brook; the second movement, carrying the notation, With powerful movement but not too fast, held true to that notation but was notable for an eerie burst from an instrument (I want to say bassoon) that sounded like a child crying "Pappa" (I actually had to scan the stage to see if a child had broken free!).

The third movement gently returned the soul to the body fourth movement both began and and ended with a bit of a funeral march theme. I was a bit apathetic about the first half of the fourth movement abut by the second half -- ending with the horns belting impressively while standing was nearly too much to restrain myself from erupting in applause during the movement.

Mr. Steinberg was one of those wonderful conductors who's hands left no doubt -- even to a relative neophyte such as myself in the audience -- what was expected at any given moment in the concert, and the Cleveland Orchestra once again proved its caliber and responsiveness -- not unlike a luxury sports car -- to turn and respond on a dime.

Following the fantastic concert in the main hall, the audience was treated to New York Gypsy All-Stars in the grand foyer -- a find choice -- where conversation, dancing, and general merriment mixed across patrons of all ages; from barely a teen to well into the gray hairs. A democracy of music I bumped into quite a few familiar faces, and the music was not just toe tapping but entire-body-bouncing.

I don't know what else to say... it was an amazing concert, and one of the most amazing concerts I've yet attended from the Fridays@7 series.

Lincoln

CIM: The Art of Engagement: Connecting with Audiences of All Ages

I had seen the title on CIM's website and was intrigued, but thanks to a violin lesson it didn't seem that I'd be able to attend. Late in the afternoon, my instructor called to reschedule--something I didn't mind since being fresh off a week in Columbus I wasn't feeling particularly well prepared for the lesson.

Arriving at CIM I wasn't entirely sure what to expect; Annie Fullard, a member of the Cavani String Quartet and program director for Art of Engagement promised the small audience assembled in Mixon hall a "Rocking Good Time", and that it was. Throughout the program, donning a backwards baseball cap and a "We (heart) Peter Salaff" T-shirt. To give you an idea of the temperament: A video of the Concerto For Faces kicked things off.

Through CIM's Art of Engagement seminar, students develop an educational program presented to young audiences to both hone the CIM student's public speaking and audience engagement skills as well as provide a beneficial and educational experience for young audiences.

I know I've said it before but as student of California public schools, where it seemed arts were a convenient line to sacrifice when budgets didn't quite work--and a latecomer to classical music--who has occasionally wondered how things would have been different if I had been exposed more deeply at an earlier age* and it's one of the reasons I'm passionate about hearing it now...and encouraging others to hear it.

Likewise, the timing of this presentation couldn't be more opportune on the heals of The Cleveland Orchestra's recent announcement about the founding of the Center for Future Audiences with a $20-million grant from the Maltz Family Foundation (As an aside, albeit a boldfaced one: I can't write a big check, but if any of the organizations I've written about can use me in any way to help with audience development...drop me a line. I'd love to get involved.).

Taking things slightly out of order, I was quite interested to hear Cleveland orchestra Director of Educational and Community Programs Joan Katz discuss things from the perspective of the orchestra, including fleeting statistics on ticket prices and the success of the Fridays@7 and Musically Speaking series, both of which I've been quite impressed by, as well as some of the challenges faced by the orchestra. Though I'm sure it may not have appealed to everyone, this context nearly made the event worth attending on its own.

Between the concerto and Ms. Katz's presentation the members of the Cavani String Quartet (Mari Sato, Kirsten Docter, Merry Peckham, Annie Fullard) along with legendary violinist and CIM's Director of Chamber Music Peter Salaff, and Director of Performance and Outreach, Ms. Chris Haff Paluck introduced themselves and had shared some profound thoughts on what it means to engage an audience -- so free flowing that I couldn't write them down quickly enough to scribble down an accurate quote.

Ms. Peckham--after initially declaring that she couldn't say it more eloquently than her colleagues--particularly resonated with me**: That the experience is that much more extraordinary when playing for people who aren't expecting the magic of music. Mr. Saloff followed that with a touching story about playing for his grandfather and the observation that music is joy, magic, and touches the heart.

It seems an unwritten and nearly universal rule that classical musicians must have a stuffy reverence when performing so it was great to see the members of the Cavani quartet letting their literal hair down: Ms. Fullard came onto the stage flashing a peace sign and, after none of the audience members volunteered a blond joke, quipped that fellow quartet member Mari Sato had one: The rest of her quartet.

After the introductions came four performances by students in the seminar, representing the hard work that they're taking into classrooms around the region.

Bassooner Than Later from Bassoon 4 (Julie Ann Link, Laura McIntyre, Susanna Whitney, bassoons; Kian Andersen, contra-bassoon) a program intended for the Pre Kindergarten-Kindergarten age range, I'm not sure how the members of the quartet were able to muster the level of energy required for their age-appropriate program at 8pm on a Friday night. Though the difference between me and the target group is of drinking age (boy, do I feel old), I learned that the bassoons are the lowest member of the woodwinds family. Beyond that, a series of variations on "Polly put the kettle on" demonstrated the different feelings the same music can evoke.

V.E.R.A. from the Vera String Quartet (Michelle Abraham, Anne-Sophie Lacharite Roberge, violins; Caitlin Lynch, viola; Katie Tertell, cello) took us on a tour of the string family intended for grades 3 and 4. The ascending scale, starting deep in the cello rising through the viola, and carrying through to the edge of the fingerboard on the 2nd violin was a great demonstration of the family's range, as was the demonstration of how simply altering a note can dramatically change the mood of the music.

Also included was a concise introduction of each player's role in the music (Harmony, Rhythm, Viola...yeah, I'm a little foggy about that one, too) and the need for teamwork by way of example of individual precision but intentionally spectacularly bad ensemble playing. Bonus points for the well-timed and on point Miami Heat "great individual players who can't play like a team" dig.

A Night at the Movies from The Kyodai Brass (Conrad Jones, Hayto Tanaka, trumpets; someone not Valerie Sly, horn; Gary Jones, trombone; Douglas Jones, tuba) opened their program intended for grades 6-12 with an arrangement of John Williams's best known pieces: Here again, entertainment meets education... did you know that the horn gets its shape from the original 1600s use as a hunting horn: If you saw something that the hunting party behind you might be interested in you would play over your shoulder.

I'm sure I'm leaving out quite a bit... my program is so covered by the sometimes overlapping scribbles I made in the heat of the moment... all I can say if you weren't there is you missed a rocking good--informative and entertaining--time, and it seems the audiences of tomorrow are in good hands.

Lincoln
*- It's not your fault, mom. But I won't rule out trying to leverage it.
**-I'm trying to make out the hieroglyphs that constitute my handwriting in the program's margins; if I've horribly misconstrued the comment, I'd be glad to correct it.

Cleveland Orchestra: Fridays@7: Royal Trumpets

Neurda: Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major (Michael Sachs, trumpet)
Handel: Water Music (Suite in F major, Suite in G major, Suite in D major)
After-concert interlude by Samba Joia and concert with flamenco musicians and dancers.

Anyone who has read this blog -- and a few who haven't -- knows that the past few weeks of Orchestra concerts have not been my favorite, however, as I told someone before the concert: I come to discover new music; whether I love or hate a piece of music I know the Cleveland Orchestra has given the music the best performance it deserves.

Searching my recent memories, the Orchestra's portion of tonight's concert was one of the more enjoyable of recent memory. I had never heard of Jan Krtitel Jiri Neurada prior to tonight's concert, much less hear his music. With beautiful participation from the strings, Michael Sachs's trumpet resonated clearly, crisply, and naturally throughout Severance Hall.

Handel's Water Music--consisting of three suites of ten, four, and five movements respectively--was a bit eh for my tastes. Each section of the orchestra was featured throughout the various movements, including the first appearance of a Recorder on the Severance Hall stage, at least from the collective memories of the occupants of Box 1. I would certainly enjoy listening to this, perhaps, as ambiance music for a party but doing nothing but listening for 45 minutes struggled to hold my attention, and I often found mind wandering to the image of the Cleveland Orchestra playing the piece while floating on a barge down the Cuyahoga River to approximate the piece's debut.

When I found out that the after-concert concert, featuring flamenco music and dance would be in the Hall, I was disappointed but kept an open mind. The interlude (my word, not theirs) by Brazilian drum group Samba Joia in the Grand Foyer briefly buoyed my hopes, with a great energy, a resonating percussive and fun sound, but when the action returned to the Hall, that quickly sunk: After about 20 minutes and struggling to stay awake (literally; had a neighbor not bumped me I may still be napping) the siren's song of my bed--after two days on the road--was too enticing.

I think had the flamenco portion of the event taken place in the Grand Foyer, it could have had a much better energy but by doing it in the hall, with the formality of fixed seating that prevents easy circulation and a formal stage the "informal" event takes on a a "formal" air that doesn't lend itself to casual enjoyment.

Lincoln

Cleveland Orchestra: Fridays@7: Musical Obsession

Wagner: Overture to Renzi
Wagner: Prelude and Love-Death from Tristan and Solode
Wagner: Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin
Wagner: Prelude to Act I of Lohengrin
Wagner: Prelude to Die Meistersinger
Wagner: The Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walkure
Post-concert music with Simon Shaheen, Joel Smiroff, Jamey Haddad

Based on the last iteration I was a bit concerned that the Fridays @ 7 format may have jumped the shark after only three installments. I am happy to report that that concern was premature.

While I'm becoming used to hearing great music, it's rare that music is so engaging as to be hypnotizing, even more rare to have that event happen twice in one month, let alone the same evening. Such was the case tonight, with the Orchestra's opening Overture to Rienzi and the first piece played by the band and Joel Smirnoff (of which I missed the title) in the Grand Foyer after the orchestra's concert.

The remainder of the orchestra's program was quite enjoyable-- the Overture to Renzi and Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin being my new discoveries of the evening, and Ride of The Valkyries being quite possibly the first classical piece I heard specifically as classical (and setting up my bad habit of referring to the composer as wag-ner instead of vog-ner).

The music of Simon Shaheen didn't quite rise to the level of Beat the Donkey but was nonetheless enjoyable, especially the highly energetic violin playing of Joel Smirnoff, CIM's President--considering that institution's staid reputation I was impressed to see him jamming and toe-tapping away. Returning the after concert music to the foyer was an excellent decision and you could feel the energy -- both music and conversation -- pulsating through the room.

The only negative was that I already have the sensation that Prelude and Love-Death from Tristan and Isolde is over-preformed, disheartening considering I've only heard the piece once before -- four months ago.

The next Fridays @ Concert promises flamenco Friday, April 30th, 2010.
At this point I think I'm giving Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutti a pass, but if you're interested act quickly--it looks like there are relatively few seats remaining.

Lincoln

Cleveland Orchestra: Fridays@7: January 8th

Jaap van Zweden, Conductor
Wagenaar: Overture: Cyrano de Bergerac, Op. 23
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
Post-Concert music by Polygraph Lounge

This weekend is a little unusual in that the Orchestra is performing more or less the same program with three different formats: The traditional concert format, the Fridays@7 format, Musically Speaking. Being a fan of both "alternate" formats, I attended tonight for Fridays@7 and will be back Sunday Afternoon for Musically Speaking/Beyond the Score.

People speak of "brightness" when it refers to music and I've honestly never really understood the usage; I probably couldn't express it in words, listening to the orchestra play tonight the first thought that popped into my head was "wow, they sound brighter than I remember" -- especially the strings. I liked it. I was seated a little more to the right than usual -- Box 12 -- so I'm not sure if the playing was different or if it was an acoustical phenomena.

This weekends concerts are believed to be the Orchestra's first performances of Wagenaar's Overture from Cyrano de Bergerac. Based on the age of the composition that surprises me, but it was a wonderful beginning to the evening by a work and composer that I was unaware of.

I'll have a more in-depth understanding of (and post on) Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 after Sunday's performances, but the Pizzicato 3rd movement scherzo was fascinating and probably the longest example of pizzicato I've heard to date.

One of the beauties of the Fridays @ 7 format is the combination of a known quantity [The Cleveland Orchestra and great classical music] with the completely unknown.

In tonight's case the "completely unknown" was Polygraph Lounge. To attempt to describe Polygraph Lounge would be an exercise in futility; an interesting mix of new music, parody, and reinterpertatons of classical pieces strung together. I most enjoyed the pieces where the were joined by six members of the Orchestra and by a female soloist with a fantastic voice (who's name I missed); and the fishsticks gag made me more than a touch uncomfortable.

This time instead of utilizing the foyer the post-concert music remained in the hall. While this changed the feel for the evening, based on the style of music it was probably the best choice.

Particularly interesting to me was the use of a Theramin. I'm pretty sure I've never heard one live before, and in fact am only aware of the instrument as a result of my unhealthy relationship with my TiVo (I swear it knows what I like to watch on TV better than I do) -- an episode of "CIA Secrets" on Investigation: Discovery sometime in the past few months discussed the invention, the inventor, and the principles behind espionage. According to that program at least, Léon Theremin took advantage of his time in the US Patent Office).

Lincoln

Cleveland Orchestra: Fridays@7 - Cello and Space [Revised]

Dvorak: Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104
Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30

Before I begin, I have to say that the Orchestra's box office is, by far, my favorite Cleveland box office--competence, professionalism, and speed are constant features. But the truly special thing is the wonderfully personal service -- at least one employee knows my order before I've even opened my mouth, and has even remembered my name. You can't buy customer service like that, especially considering I'm neither a donor nor a subscriber.

It wasn't until I was in my seat fingering through the program that I figured out what the "Cello and Space" title for the concert meant. I hate to say it, but this evening didn't posses the same magic as the last Fridays @ 7. It was still a fine evening of entertainment, but I didn't get the euphoric high-energy vibe I got from the previous event...

The playing in the hall was up to the orchestra's usual standards, and as the gentleman in front of me told his wife between movements, "No one plays Dvorak like the Cleveland Orchestra". Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra is probably best known as the theme for 2001: A Space Odyssey and was my favorite of the two pieces. The bass line at the beginning of that piece happened to hit the harmonic of "something" in one of the adjoining boxes causing an interesting, though unintentional, buzzing and demonstrating the power of the orchestra.

The after-entertainment started out interesting but once other instruments started getting added it just became noise, due almost entirely to a sound reinforcement system that seemed inadequate for the size of the crowd it was serving. After the third song, the week of sleeping in hotel rooms, sofas, and the 3 hours of sleep I got last night in seat 4A of a Boeing 757 caught up with me and the siren's song of my own bed was too loud to ignore.

The orchestra is in the unenviable position of needing to grow a younger audience while not alienating their existing patrons. I think the Fridays@7 concept is a good bridge between the two, I just hope that the excitement and energy of the first one can be recaptured going forward.

Cleveland Orchestra: Fridays@7

In one word: "Mindblowing"

I was very much on the fence about doing the whole Fridays@7 thing based on the abbreviated program-- I go to Severance to "discover" new-to-me classical, and the pieces that were omitted from tonight's program really sounded interesting; but I also wanted to give the new format a spin.

The program certainly attracted a different mix than I'm used to seeing in the hall -- though I will say that I don't think I've done a Friday night concert before -- and for the first time I didn't feel like the youngest person on the Box level; typically I feel like I could pass as a grandchild of 75%+ of the boxholders.

On stage in the hall the Beethoven pieces met my expectations; honestly nothing remarkable comes to mind, though the I'm still perplexed by why the pianist was wearing a rain poncho... is there a leak in the roof at Severance?

Post-concert festivities in the lobby were amazing there was energy that I don't think I've ever felt before pulsing through the building. The place was packed -- it was a challenge just to move between floors, let alone navigate the floor of the lobby. But it was well worth it.

My reservations about missing music are preserved, but I am nearly certain I shall do the next Fridays@7 concert provided I'm in Cleveland when it happens... I would recommend it to anyone from 10-110.