Cleveland Orchestra: Marin Alsop Conducts Barber Schumann, and Copland

Barber: Essay No. 2, Op. 17
Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 (David Fray, piano)
Copland: Symphony No. 3
Marin Aslop, conductor.

Although it has been nearly a month since my last Cleveland orchestra concert, I can hardly think of a program I've so thoroughly enjoyed in recent memory, not to mention one of the more adventurous programs by Cleveland Orchestra standards... I can only home for more.

The program opened with Samuel Barber's Essay No. 2 from the early 1940s. A beautiful piece, of starts with the wide open planes before shifting to a very angular and somewhat punchy scene that clearly evokes images of the hustle and bustle of an active city in constant motion, while near  the end  tapping from and timpani bring premonitions of marching to war.

I wasn't quote as captivated by Schumann's Piano Concerto -- partially because the couple in front of me were both texting through most of the piece though the first movement was delightfully light and wispy like freshly baked bread and pianist David Fray matched the orchestra's passion. Upon taking his seat in the and adjacent box following the Schumann, Mr. Fray graciously posed for photos with a few box holders, and upon learning that they were donors to the orchestra encouraged "Keep supporting the orchestra - it is a gem; nothing like it in the world".

The third and final piece on the program was one I've been hoping for for quite a while and looking forward to for several months -- Aaron Copland's Symphony No. 3 including a reformulation of the prolific Fanfare for the Common Man. Before beginning the piece Ms. Aslop touched briefly but humorously on a few key aspects of the piece, including snippets played by the orchestra -- I sincerely hope that the orchestra considers incorporating these few minutes of wisdom into future classical concerts.

On to the music -- the first movement was played with and conveyed a sublime passionate energy. The second movement was no less passionate, but was more evocative of a buoyant small-town celebration. The third movement began with a high register -- Ms. Aslop referred to it in her opening remarks as one "only dogs can hear" -- and very reserved compared to the brash end of the second movement. I could be mistaken, but I could swear I also picked up hits of Appalachian Spring wafting around. The third movement seamlessly gave way to the third where the Fanfare emerges in brilliant beauty, and is passed around the orchestra tansformed and fades away while the music remains strong and festive with the strong image of soaring gulls.

Lincoln

Cleveland Classical Guitar Society: Carlos Perez

(Spanish and Latin American Music of the Romantic Era)
Jimenez Manjon: Dos Maxurkas
Jimenez Manjon: Arie Vasco
Pujol: Cubana
Pujol: Schottish Madrileno
Damas: Fandango Variado
Barros: Preludo opus 5
Barros: Maxixa
Sagreras: Estilo Criollo
Sagreras: La Ideal (Romanza sin palabras)
Sagreras: La Guella
Nazareth: Mariazinha sentada na pedra (tr. Perez)
Nazareth: Eponina (Valsa) (tr. Perez)
Nazareth: Vem ca branquinha (tr. Perez)
Carlos Perez, guitar
At the Plymouth Church UCC, Shaker Heights

On a blustery winter evening Rachel and I returned to the Plymouth Church, this weekend for the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society's presentation of Carlos Perez playing Spanish and Latin American Music of the Romantic Era. While the weather outside wasn't quite frightful, the music inside was quite delightful*

The first half of the program was given over to composers from Spain -- though Antonio Jimenez Manjon emigrated to South America early in his life -- his Dos Maxurkas was a warm and inviting beginning to the concert with a tranquil Una Flor and the slightly more lively and lyrical Lirica.

Pujol's Cubana had a more casual and "Cuban" flavor -- as may be implied by the title -- the Schottish Madrileno that Rachel and I had imputed as "Scottish" didn't really harken Scottish imagery. While rounding out the first half of the program, Tomas Damas's Fandango variado  featured interesting sounds including a using the body of the guitar for a drum beat.

The second half of the program moved Southwest to Latin America where the mood was generally lighter and the tempo seemingly faster; Augistin Barrios's Preludio opus 5 bringing a faster tempo and thae same composer's Maxixa bringing more festive color into the music. Julio Sagrearass's Estilo Criollo was the opposite with a deep and introspective feeling.

The program concluded with works by Ernesto Nazareth transcribed by guitar by Carlos Perez, where the bubbly Mariazinha sentada na pedra gave way to the more candle-lit-dinner romantic but sad Eponina (Valsa) [I'm not sure what it was about this piece, but I seemed spontaneously on the edge of tears], and finally a rousing Vem ca branquinha to end the warm music and return us to the reality of winter outside of the hall.

Cleveland Classical Guitar Society will be presenting a special event in conjunction with MOCA on Thursday, December 12th.

Lincoln

*(sorry, I really couldn't resist the first opportunity of the season to use that pun)

BlueWater Chamber Orchestra: Honoring Cleveland's Culture

Corigliano: Voyages for Strings
Weber: Concertino for Clarinet and Orchestra, Op. 26 (Amitai Vardi, clarinet)
Beethoven: Romance No 2 for Violin and Orchestra. Op. 50 (Jieming Tang, violin)
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 (Italian), Op. 90
Davies: An Orknet Wedding, with Sunrise, J. 264
Carlton R. Woods, conductor.
At the Plymouth Church UCC, Shaker Heights.

I'm finally home in Cleveland for a bit (no travel "on the books" until January, thankfully) and feeling a little lacking in the Music department. Tonight, Rachel and I took the short jaunt to the Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights for a fun program full of variety and quality musicianship from the BlueWater Chamber Orchestra.

This was our second time hearing the orchestra and the different "feelings" between the two venues was a bit striking -- while the Breen Center is more modern and a bit more comfortable, Plymouth Church has the advantage of a less formal feeling, specifically a less harsh division between orchestra and audience.

The program was a delightful "musical sampler" of sorts featuring works that span vast spaces both in time and structure, making it easy to like and hard to get bored.

Opening the program, Voyages for Strings presented a relaxed bit of travel -- no drama of a trip gone awry, but rather the serenity of an airplane in cruise or a train en route where everything is going as it should. Next up, the Concertino for Clarinet and Orchestra was restrained at introduction but broke free to a lively midsection with lively and engaging playing by soloist Anitai Vardi.

One beautifully flowing piece lead to another -- featuring a slightly younger but no less talented soloist in Jieming Tang, a currently sophomore. Mr. Tang and the orchestra gently embraced before taking each other on a slow dance.

Mendelssohn's Italian symphony was played with particular clarity, and the longest piece of the evening -- the first and fourth movements were the fastest -- the first being insistent with a hint of bickering, and the fourth with a sense of running after a burst of energy. While the second (more reserved) and the third movements were slower, the momentum of the piece was preserved avoiding the sense of "hitting the emergency brakes" that slower movements can sometimes give when following a faster movement.

The last piece of the evening was certainly the most fun and unique -- following a Scottish wedding with such movements as "Guests arriving out of violent weather", and "Increasingly inebriated dance" -- and also the first I can remember to feature bagpipes (with Mr. Jeff Sandlin filling that need quite well) -- it was toe tapping and cheery music. The only objection was the (intentionally) out of tune playing as the "drinking" progressed -- it was clear some of the musicians appeared to be physically pained by being forced out of tune -- but such is the necessity of the piece.

The next BlueWater Chamber Orchestra concert, "Lake Winds Bring Spring Strings" will be presented at the Plymouth Church on March 1st at 7pm.

Lincoln

Cleveland Orchestra: Fate and Freedom

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 76
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93
Franz Welser-Most, conductor.

This week has been disruptive to say the least -- while I spent the majority of the week in Palm Beach and am preparing to head to Richmond for a full week tomorrow, all amidst the emotional devastation brought upon many close to me by the news of David Franklin's--er..."recklessness" as one friend put it.

Though I arrive home lat last night, I'm heading to Ricnmond tomorrow afternoon and between valuing wwhat time I have at home and the relative disfavor with which I hold Mr. Welser-Most's conducting plus my lack of enthusiasm for Beethoven, had the program been presented Shostakovitch first I likely would have called it during intermission 

I'm glad that wasn't the case, however, as Mr. Welser-Most seemed particulally relaxed and avoided the overly-restrained, stiff, feeling that I get too often. Instead the.Beethoven was wonderful full-bodied and immersive, completely pulling me into the supple piece. While the first movement was vigerous and full of young life, the second had a mich more tender and loving feeling. The thord and fourth movementa meanwhile had a more timid, soft spoken feeling before erupting like a superhero tearing off his disguise.

The Shostakovich, was on the other hand, significantly less captivating primarily for the overwhelming bleakness -- like a Cleveland winter, mostly depressing with little spots of sunshine.  The intense strings brought a profound sense of foreboding and the militaristic feel if the secon movement. The third and fourth movements had a very tentative and cautions feeling to them.

Lincoln

The Cleveland Museum of Art: A mess is spilling over

Ok, so I don't know that I have much to add to the "discussion" on the topic but I do need to vent a bit, especially with the 'facts' as they seem to be unfolding.

From the rather abrupt resignation of the museum's former director for "personal" reasons it was clear something was up, and it was disingenuous of the museum board to even half-heartedly attempt to cover it up. In fact, knowing some of the players in the story something didn't really feel "right" starting near the end of March and certainly after the unfortunate demise of one of the key players in this unfolding saga.

I am more than a bit, erm, pissed at the moment. Of the three Directors of the Cleveland Museum of Art that I've known since moving to Cleveland, David Franklin was the first that I respected -- and the first that I sense respected all patrons more or less equally. Of course, that respect has evaporated.

Timothy Rub was, during the tenure that coincided with my living in Cleveland was uninspiring and not particularly charismatic in my experience -- at museum events I definitely got the sense that he wasn't interested in acknowledging, much less talking to a patron unless he or she brought a significant amount of money to the table. He seemed absolutely ambivalent about engagement, particularly engagement in "my" demographic. I was not sad to see him leave for Philadelphia.

Deborah Gribbon, as interim director following Tim Rub's departure likewise didn't really inspire -- but as an interim director, staying the course and not making any radical departures from the norm during their term is expected -- in effect, serving as a trustee for the next director.

David Franklin, however, was very approachable and engaging including helping to champion both research and writing among curatorial staff and a number of innovative projects like Gallery One and Column and Stripe -- an organization working on engagement for 'my' demographic and brought to fruition in no small part through the efforts of the other key player in this drama.

When the resignation was announced, thus, I was disappointed -- we finally had a director that I wanted to see stick around for a while, and while I had my suspicions that something was amiss, I couldn't imagine it was this significant.

So I hope that the next director will share many of the same positive qualities that I perceived of Mr. Franklin while having much better discretion. Though it seems many are eager to blame the underlying relationship issue entirely on the man, it takes two to tango. Enough said.

What has me even more pissed off is how incredibly poorly (and dare I say unethically) The Plain Dealer has handled this story -- failing to disclose the conflict of interest posed by having their publisher on the board in the original story, naming the (deceased) other party to the "scandal", and dragging her family into it without adding any value to the story, and just plain idiotic soundbytes from the museum's board. Add to that, the way some museum staff have been approached for comment strikes me as just a little creepy. It's like reading a mashup of the worst parts of Fox News and MSNBC combined.

Anyway... I hope that the museum's search for a new director yields an engaging, passionate, individual quickly who can see the museum through it's impending centennial and ensure the museum's reputation as a world-class center for art and research is restored and strengthened. I am eager to see the museum put this unfortunate episode (or rather mini-series) behind it.

Lincoln
(Revised October 25th to add clarity)

Cleveland Orchestra: Jakub Hrusa Conducts: Haydn, Dvorak, and Janacek

Haydn: Symphony No. 60 ("I'll distratto")
Dvorak: The Golden Spinning Wheel, Op. 109
Janacek: Taras Bulba, Rhapsody for Orchestra
Jakob Hrusa, conductor

Coming back from Richmond this afternoon I wasn't so sure I was going to make or to tonight's concert -- my bed was sounding mighty attractive and United Airlines operational reliability (Read: ability to get me where I expect go at roughly the time I expect to be there) has been particularly lousy of late [how an airline can "misplace" an entire airplane at an airport is beyond me, but I digress]

But here I am, or rather was in Severance Hall -- starting this post during intermission so that I can find sleep sooner when I return home. The first piece on the program, Hadyn's six-movement symphony with a title translating to "The Distracted" was an apt start for my return. Over the course of 25 moments, though I was occasionally distracted it generally held and recaptured my attention with a variety of emotional responses -- from noble to "festive with a bit of mystery". The fourth movement presto was impressive for the sheer control of bow speed and the number of precise notes coming forth rapid fire succession. The fifth movement adagio was particularly meditative and when I closed my eyes a note seemed to drift across the stage.

The second piece on the program my favorite by a narrow margin -- also about 25 minutes was Dvorak's The Golden Spinning Wheel. While calling a half-hour of music a "tone poem" seems like a bit of a stretch, those who know me, or who have been reading for any length of time know the Dvorak is among my favorite composers and this piece, including tinges of toe-tapping folk music was no exception.

The last piece on the program, Janacek's Taras Bulba, a "rhapsody for orchestra" was most surprising. While the first and third movements were captivating, the second movement with a repetitive four note stinger gripped me, both for it's crisp delivery across the string sections and sense of familiarity (I swear I've heard it in a television program theme) held me in suspense throughout the piece.

I'm down to Miami next week -- sadly not at the same time as the Cleveland Orchestra's residency -- then back to Richmond and New York. I need some time off the road.

Lincoln

Cleveland Orchestra: Franck's Symphony in D Minor

Faure: Suite from Pelleas and Melisande, Op. 80
Britten: Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings, Op. 31 (Richard King, horn; Matthew Polenzani, tenor)
Franck: Symphony in D minor
Marek Janowski, conductor.

After spending most of the past two weeks* on the road (first, not-West Palm Beach, Florida, then Wilmington, North Carolina) I was hoping for am awe-inspiring concert to bring me back home -- and get my mind off the
1-trip-a-week schedule for the next four weeks (Richmond, Palm Beach, Richmond, and New York).

Such a concert, unfortunately the Orchestra did not deliver tonight. While enjoyable it was mostly lacking in spice and came out tasting rather bland; not much different than a rote performance entombed in a CD recording.

For example, the opening Suite was plesant with its pastoral-but-occasionally-spritely sound bit it was rather lifeless. Britten's Serenade did not fare much better. Though Mr. Kings playing -- especially the solo opening a d closing movements played from off stage were delightful to listen to itndodnt really have the air of anything special.

Things turned a bit more engaging through the first two movements of the Franck -- much less rote and more passionately played, but the third movement was the most enjoyable of the evening with a bold and festive signature hat seemed more forceful and more enjoyable to listen to each time it was repeated.

Lincoln