Archives for February 2021

by Daniel Hathaway

NEW CANTON SYMPHONY PODCAST:

Episode 6 of “Orchestrating Change” features Marie-Hélène Bernard, president and CEO of the St. Louis Symphony since July, 2017, in conversation with the CSO’s Rachel Hagemeier and Matthew Jenkins Jaroszewicz [38:39]. Watch here.

Bernard talks about what it means to be a leader in the field of orchestral music, and about “her experience as both a female and an immigrant [from Canada] and how that has affected her leadership style and her view on the future of this field. She is dedicated to equity, diversity and inclusion in her organizations and strives to create an inclusive environment in her organizations so the future of orchestral music is more diverse and representative of the communities we serve.”

TODAY ON THE WEB:

COVID-19 has taken its toll on local in-person events, but the pandemic has also opened wide avenues to concerts around the globe.

Just today, at 1:00 pm you can teleport to the Krannert Center at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and catch the Jupiter quartet in works by Beethoven and Kati Agócs, at 2:00 pm you can zip over to Amsterdam to hear Mozart’s Gran Partita in the main hall of the Concertgebouw or — at the same hour — show up at Saanen Church in Switzerland to enjoy Argentine pianists Martha Argerich and Nelson Goerner play music by Debussy and Rachmaninoff.

Then at 7:30 pm, in a musical handshake between the North and the East Coasts, No Exit new music ensemble hosts Transient Canvas from Boston performing music of emerging composers from Cleveland State, Kent State, and Baldwin Wallace Universities.

That’s globalism at its best. More details in our Concert Listings.

TODAY’S ALMANAC:

On today’s date in classical music history, we gained two composers and lost one.

Norwegian composer and violinist Ole Bull entered the scene in Bergen in 1810.

The other two were born in France — Jacques Ibert in Paris in 1890, and Ivan Tcherepnin near Paris on this date in 1943. Ibert makes today’s honors list having written fine to his career in the French capital on February 5, 1962.

Bull figures importantly in the establishment of Norwegian independence from Sweden, including the co-founding of Det Norske Theater in Bergen, where Norwegian was established as the house language instead of Danish.

He also encouraged the talent of Edvard Grieg, whom he met in 1858 when Norway’s most famous composer-to-be was only 15, and leveraged his admission to the Leipzig Conservatory.

As one of the leading touring virtuosi of his era, Bull collected important violins, performed with Liszt, and made several tours to the United States, where he bought land and established Norwegian communities. As a result, today you can visit Ole Bull State Park in the Susquehannock State Forest, enter Ole Bull’s concert hall at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, and check out Ole Bull Cottage in Eliot, Maine, originally meant to be a music school.

For a taste of Bull’s music, listen to his Grand Concerto, Op. 4, performed by Annar Follesø with Ole Kristian Ruud and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, or his somewhat shorter Concerto Fantastico with the same artists.

And/or watch a documentary where two sisters, Ragnhild Hemsing and Eldbjørg Hemsing, go on a quest to discover the secrets behind the virtuoso’s tone.

Ivan Tcherepnin, who came from a family of Russian composers, studied with Leon Kirchner, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Pierre Boulez, and taught at the San Francisco Conservatory and Stanford before becoming director of Harvard’s Electronic Music School from 1972 until his death in 1998.

Alas, I haven’t been able to locate recordings of what are said to be two of his defining works: the Double Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra that won the 1996 Grawemeyer Award, or his Samur Opera, which earned the Grand Prize at Austria’s 1982 Ars Electronica Festival. Any clues from our readers?

Jacques Ibert shared the predilection of 20th century French composers to write for wind instruments. Who could ask for a more alluring performance of his Trois Pièces Brèves than that played (and choreographed!) by Carion? Begin here and click here for the last two movements.

But for sheer cuteness, here’s a video posted by pianist Conrad Tao of his performance of Ibert’s Le petit âne blanc (“The Little White Donkey”), captured at the tender age of 6.

by Mike Telin

EVENTS CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH:

Tonight at 7:30 pm Oberlin Conservatory debuts their series To Be Young, Gifted, and Black with an overview hosted by Chris Jenkins (left), the Conservatory’s associate dean for academic support and liaison to the Office of Equity, Diversity, on Oberlin Stage Left. Read  our preview of the series here.

[Editors’ note: the concert from Castle of Our Skins has been postponed to February 18 at 7:00 pm.] At 7:30 pm The Celebrity Series of Boston’s Castle Of Our Skins, a collective of artists dedicated to advancing Black artistry through music, remembers Dr. King’s legacy and his complicated life. The program includes music by Daniel Bernard Roumain and George Walker. Click here at start time.

And conductor Carl Topilow caught up with Cleveland Pops favorite, vocalist Capathia Jenkins. Their discussion touches on the early stages of her career, the many influences of African American vocalists, such as Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, and stories of some memorable performances. Click here to watch.

TODAY’S ALMANAC:

On this day in 1912 celebrated conductor Erich Leinsdorf entered the world in Vienna. His long association with The Cleveland Orchestra included a brief tenure as Music Director from 1943 to 1946. Click here to listen to a January 12, 1984 Severance Hall performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.

February 4, 2001 saw the death of Romanian born, Greek-French composer and architect Iannis Xenakis in Paris. A musical experimentalist, his 1953-54  Metastaseis for orchestra, includes an independent part for every musician. As an author, his theoretical writings include  Formalized Music: Thought and Mathematics in Composition, and as an architect, he designed the  Philips Pavilion at Expo 58 in Brussels.

Xenakis was responsible for significant works for percussion including Psappha (1975), Persephassa (1969), and Pléïades (1979), the later two having been premiered by the venerable ensemble Les Percussions de Strasbourg. Click here to listen to a recording of Pléïades performed by that ensemble and here to listen to an interview with the composer. In 2011, as part of their North American tour, (I happened to have been the tour manager) Les Percussions de Strasbourg performed Persephassa and Pléïades at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. Read the New York Times review here. 

On personal note, I remember when Xenakis came to Oberlin for a residency in November of 1981. As a member of the Contemporary Music Ensemble, I had the privilege of working with the composer, who introduced me to the concept of “playing ugly.” I cannot remember the title of the piece, but I do remember it having a wicked bassoon part that spent a good deal of time in the instrument’s highest register. I was frustrated — and so was he.

Finally during a rehearsal break Xenakis came to me and asked “Why are you trying to make it sound beautiful? It’s supposed to be ugly.” That advice pretty much solved the problem. It was during that same residency that the Oberlin Percussion Group gave the U.S. premiere of Pléïades — and my fascination with music for percussion ensemble and my love for contemporary music was born.

by Jarrett Hoffman

BREAKING NEWS FROM THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA:

The Cleveland Orchestra has canceled its plans to invite audiences into Severance Hall from March to June. Performances without audiences will continue, to be filmed and presented on the In Focus series on the Adella platform.

“Until recently, we had been optimistic that we could welcome audiences back to live performances at the beginning of March,” President and CEO André Gremillet said in a press release. “However, with uncertainty around case numbers, the introduction of new virus variants, and extended vaccination schedules, we have concluded that we must make different plans for the months ahead.”

Next month’s In Focus programming now consists of “Carmen-Suite,” premiering on Thursday, March 11, and “Lyrical Cello,” premiering on Thursday, March 25, both at 7:00 pm. More details — including options for ticket donation, rollover, and refunds, as well as plans to announce a concert season at Blossom Music Center this summer — can be found in the press release.

STRING QUARTETS OF THE TIMES:

Readers of the arts section in The New York Times have probably come across the “5 Minutes That Will Make You Love ______” series, where writers and artists recommend short selections to get you hooked on various kinds of music. It started with classical in general, and has gone on to cover the piano, violin, cello, flute, sopranos, opera, Baroque music, Mozart, Beethoven, and 21st-century composers.

The latest iteration, here, is all about string quartets. The list includes Haydn, Beethoven (appearing three times), Schubert, Fanny Mendelssohn, Smetana, Debussy, Ravel (twice), Bartók, Shostakovich, Leroy Jenkins, Terry Riley, Tony Conrad, Reza Vali, Sabrina Schroeder, and Paul Wiancko.

As with so much in the world, a summary like that one I just wrote is handy, but there’s no substitute for engaging with the thing itself. On that note, two of my favorite discoveries this morning: Wiancko’s Lift (“The first three minutes here squeeze life into slow, gliding harmonies that are interrupted by a straight-out party,” writes cellist Andrew Yee) and Schroeder’s UNDERROOM for amplified quartet and live electronics (“It transports me to a place of primal intensity and beauty,” writes violinist Christopher Otto).

One beautiful selection on the more traditional side of that list is the third movement from Fanny Mendelssohn’s E-flat-major Quartet (a “gem of a musical fairy tale” that shows “how versatile the string quartet can be in the hands of a skilled poet,” writes Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim of the Times.)

TODAY’S ALMANAC:

Pivoting from Fanny, let’s touch on the Sixth Quartet by her brother Felix Mendelssohn, who was born on this date in 1809, and who dedicated that work to her after her passing at age 42 of complications following a stroke. (He would die of the same cause six months later.)

One takeaway from the piece is the frantic and distressed feeling that can be heard through much of it. Here’s one memorable performance of it to watch again, from the hands of violinists Alexi Kenney and Nathan Meltzer, violist Hsin-Yun Huang, and cellist Nicholas Canellakis on a program by ChamberFest Cleveland in June of 2019.

Two other important composers who were born on February 3 in history did not gravitate towards the string quartet — very inconveniently for my attempt at a neat summary of this day in history. Luigi Dallapiccola, the first Italian composer to adopt twelve-tone technique, brought his emotionally expressive approach to that style largely to the realm of vocal music. His best-known work is probably the one-act opera Il prigioniero (“The Prisoner”), a chilling piece of music written in response to Fascism. Watch here from the Teatro Colón.

And Jehan Alain is most famous for his organ music. Last June, on the 80th anniversary of the composer’s passing, Daniel Hathaway honored Alain by offering two recommendations: his Trois Danses (played by recent Cleveland Museum of Art recitalist Vincent Dubois) and a selection of his unjustly neglected choral music (here performed by the Camerata Saint-Louis and the Ensemble Vocal Sequenza 9.3).

by Jarrett Hoffman

EVENTS DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH:

Here’s one upside to the fact that so much is still happening online these days: this year’s Black History Month offers an easy opportunity for you to experience a wide range of programs, and to continue enriching your appreciation of Black artists and your understanding of race.

Below, we’ve selected a handful of such events in classical music happening throughout February — and as early as today. We’ve also gathered a sampling of events in other artistic fields and outside the arts. Most are explicitly tied to Black History Month, while others could easily fall under that category. And Northeast Ohio is the focus, but we also include a few offerings of interest from outside the region.

First up, tonight at 7:30 pm brings the latest episode of the SalonEra series from Les Délices. “Afro-Caribbean Roots” explores the first iterations of Haiti in the Classical music tradition, as well as modinhas by Joaquin Manoel da Câmara and rarely-performed songs and arrangements by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. It’s free, but a donation of $10 is suggested. See the full program, watch a trailer, and get tickets here.

Both the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame are examining the role of music in the fight for social justice and racial equality. On Wednesday, February 3 at noon, as part of the Desktop Dialogues series, CMA presents “The Politics of Sound” (register here). And throughout this month, Rock Hall offers an exhibit titled “It’s Been Said All Along: Voices of Rage, Hope & Empowerment,” available either in person or virtually.

Oberlin Conservatory is putting on several programs around the theme of Celebrating Black Artistry. An introductory event is scheduled on Thursday, February 4 at 7:30 pm, followed by a symposium titled “Decentering the Canon in the Conservatory” on Saturday, February 6 at 1:30 pm and faculty concerts on February 11, 18, 25, and 28. More information is available here, where those events can also be streamed.

And on Friday, February 5 at 8:00 pm, the Oberlin College Black Musicians’ Guild will present a guest recital and Q&A featuring flutist, composer, and vocalist Nathalie Joachim (pictured above). That program takes place on Zoom — details here.

Moving into other sides of the arts, throughout the month of February, Karamu House is offering a virtual, on-demand musical documentary detailing the story behind Shuffle Along, the historic musical which celebrates its centennial this year. That and a series of live, virtual events from the theater on Fridays this month can be found here.

Playhouse Square has two free streaming performances cued up in honor of Black History Month: Stono by Step Afrika! (February 1-14) and Rhapsody in Black by LeLand Gantt (February 22-28) — click those links to register.

Maybe experiencing art out in the world is more the way you’d like to celebrate Black History Month. If so, here are a few murals to check out: “Black Lives Matter” (E. 93rd St. in Cleveland), “Storytime (BLM)” (Moodie Building at 410 E. 156th St. in Cleveland), the Underground Railroad Mural (Willis Street in Bedford), and four of the #VoicesofCLE murals that are still on view at North Coast Harbor. Art installations of interest include “Protest” at the Cleveland Public Library Langston Hughes Branch and the African American Garden in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.

And moving further afield, the Metropolitan Opera begins this week’s theme of “Black History Month, Part I” with Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess tonight at 7:30 pm (click here at start time and view the upcoming schedule here). On Thursday, February 4 at 7:30 pm, the Celebrity Series of Boston presents Castle Of Our Skins in a program titled “Remember King” focusing on the legacy and the complicated life of Martin Luther King Jr. (View here). [Editors’ note: the concert from Castle of Our Skins has been postponed to February 18 at 7:00 pm.] And later on Thursday evening, February 4 at 8:00 pm Eastern Time, the Houston-based River Oaks Chamber Orchestra presents a “Celebration of Margaret Bonds.” (Watch here.)

Finally, click these links to explore local events outside the realm of the arts from Oberlin College, the Western Reserve Historical Society/Cleveland History Center, curator Shelli Reeves (“The Rise of Black Glenville”), and Kent State University.