Cleveland Pops Orchestra: New Year's Eve (Wicked Divas)[Updated]

"So raise your glass if you are wrong in all the right ways...Just come on and come on and raise your glass" -- Pink, Raise Your Glass.



[The program can be found at the end of this post]
Update: Aparently I forgot the program the frst time around. It now really is at the end of the post.

Ok. So there wasn't any Pink on tonight's program -- and I'm going to say that that's probably a good thing [though I would love to hear it] -- but that anthem seems like as good a way as any to ring in 2011.

I was seriously on the fence about attending the tonight's concert...neither my last Cleveland Pops concert nor my last orchestra concert at Severance Hall were anything to write home about (and I've had mixed feelings about past Pops New Years eve concerts) -- and I was a little worried about the whole two Sopranos thing. Combined with the fact that I'm in my end-of-the-year financial meltdown mode (writing my check for property taxes always depresses me). Especially with how ill I was feeling yesterday, spending a quiet night at home was a serious contender. This afternoon I decided moping was a bad way to start a new year and picked up a ticket.

I think this, The Cleveland Pops Orchestra's 15th annual New Years Eve concert is my favorite of the four I've attended. The program was tight; there was a good variety of music, and Mr. Topilow kept himself under control quite well. While the Pops usually draws a slightly more diverse crowd than Cleveland Orchestra concerts, tonight's audience seemed particularly eclectic, ranging from late teens to possibly great-grandparents (one of whom, during the "light rock" post-concert in the lower lobby could be seen rocking out to Earth Wind and Fire's Let's Groove (Make Love Tonight).

Featuring Erin Mackey and Stephanie J. Block, both known for having appeared in the various productions of Wicked (though never the same production at the same time) there was a mix of relatively straight classical, Broadway show tunes and a little bit in between.

The bad was quickly dispensed with: Opening with the overused introduction to Also Sprach Zarathustra which sounded fine save for what I can best describe as rounded edges or in other words lacking the sharp delineations that I normally associate with that piece. A near seamless and slightly confusing transition into Chicago's And All That Jazz came next. The first of several links to musicals I saw in 2010, Chicago at PlayhouseSquare has the distinction of being the only musical I've walked out on -- and this rendition didn't do anything to encourage me to give the show a second try.

I Could Have Danced All Night (from My Fair Lady) and Don't Rain on my Parade (from Funny Girl) were both delightful, and followed by the stunning performance of Zigeunerweisen (Gipsy Airs) featuring high school junior and grand prize winner of the Petit Memorial Musical Scholarship Competition, violinist James Thompson: A stunning performance including some whimsical touches.

That great performance was, rather unfortunately, followed by a rendition of Strauss's Feuerfest Polka with horn accompaniment by the audience. If I return next year, I shall need to remember to drink more. Far more. before this piece.

With the incessant honking of horns fresh in my mind, Think of Me from Phantom Of the Opera -- another musical I saw in 2010 (Broadway and PlayhouseSquare) -- was beautiful cleansing of the palette. Like the other songs on the program, the balance between the unamplified orchestra and amplified singers was quite good, my one and only technical complaint was the use of electronic reverb on the singers: Probably not noticeable to most audience members and only really noticeable when lyrics trailed off, I'm not convinced it was necessary for the hall.
Ring Them Bells featured some interesting interplay between Ms. Block and the orchestra.

Closing out the first half, What's Up At The Symphony, a great medley of classical that has been used in Looney Tunes cartoons, and I hate to say it but I thin my favorite from the concert: a very high spirited and high energy Conga -- complete with the name sake lines forming in Severance Hall's aisles.

The second half was as enjoyable as the first, with the less significantly less tiresome staples of Anderson's Syncopated Clock with an unfortunate audience member with good rhythm filling in for a member of the percussion section, and Ohio's official rock song Hang On Sloopy (O-H-I-O) -- the latter was rather fun. Erin Mackey made for a more than suitable replacement for Celine Dion in My Heart Will Go On (from Titanic).

Closing out the published program, were three selections from Wicked (yet another 2010 musical) -- Popular, Defying Gravity, and For Good. All three were fantastic, and of the various versions I've heard on, and particularly with the somewhat overused Popular, off the theatrical stage arguably the best to date. For Good and Defying Gravity were wonderfully spellbinding and uplifting.

Best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2011! Though I haven't made any resolutions...I wouldn't mind not ending the year single. If you know anyone...feel free to put her in touch.

Lincoln

The Program
Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra (Introduction)
Kander and Ebb: Introduction and All That Jazz (from Chicago)*/**
Lerner and Loewe: I Could Have Danced All Night (from My Fair Lady)*
Styne: Don't Rain on My Parade (from Funny Girl)**
Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen (Gipsy Airs)***
Strauss: Feuerfest Polka
Webber: Think of Me (from Phantom of the Opera)*
Kander and Ebb: Ring Them Bells (from Liza with a "Z")**
Various arr. Barber: What's Up at the Symphony (Bugs Bunny's Greatest Hits)
Garcia arr. Reineke: Conga
Strauss: Radetsky March
Roberts and Jabara: No More Tears (from Enough is Enough) */**
Horner and Jennings: My Heart Will Go On (from Titanic)*
Anderson: Syncopated Clock
Kander and Ebb: Cabaret (from Cabaret)**
Russell and Farrell arr. Cerulli: Hang on Sloopy
Schwartz: Selections From Wicked (Popular*, Defying Gravity**, For Good*/**)
Carl Topilow, Conductor; *-Erin Mackey, soprano; **-Stephanie J. Block, soprano; ***-James Thompson, violin.

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: Meetup: Vladimir Ashkenazy/Pictures at an Exhibition

Prokofiev: Suite from Romeo and Juliet
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 1, in D-flat major, Op. 10
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (Orch. Ashkenazy)

Tonight's concert was to orchestral music like last night's recital was to chamber music: An evening of fantastic music, well played, in a great atmosphere, leaving me buzzing with a good vibe.

I attended the concert as part of the Cleveland Orchestra Meetup Group, and have tickets for Saturday Evening's concert so I will limit more detailed commentary on the concert until then, but IF YOU CAN STILL GET A TICKET FOR SATURDAY EVENINGS PERFORMANCE I WOULD SUGGEST ATTENDING. Seriously. It's Good. (And, from what I understand, darn close to sold out... Unless I can get something better I'll be in Box 15, Seat F)

Despite seats being off to house right on the floor -- while there are few "bad" seats in Severance and everyone has their own preferences, I disfavor the floor -- the concert sounded fantastic and the first two pieces, under Vladimir Ashkenazy's sharp baton were fantastic (the piano concerto with Jean-Efflam Bavouzet) and Askenazy's orchestration of Pictures at an Exhibition was amazingly full bodied and compares very favorably to the more well-known Ravel orchestration, heard at Blossom last year. I'm still humming the Promenade.

The Meetup group was also a wonderfully social event hosted and orchestrated by Orchestra staff member Jennifer S. including friendly conversation before the concert and at intermission followed a meeting at L'Albatros where I had a fantastic glass of Chateau LaMothe and much sampling of cheeses took place under the guidance of a sommelier de fromage. Near the end of the evening members of the meetup were heard comparing the odor and at one point taste of a cheese to that of gym socks or a petting zoo. I can honestly say I had not expected the evening to end so casually, or find myself laughing so hard.

So both the concert and the Meetup group are well worth it -- it was a great way to share the evening with people of similar interests.

Lincoln