by Stephanie Manning
After observing so many concerts from The Cleveland Orchestra — an ensemble that has long been lagging in its representation of women — it was refreshing to see their usual stage occupied by a group that reverses that gender discrepancy.
On April 24 at Severance Music Center, The Cleveland Women’s Orchestra and conductor John Thomas Dodson presented a program that gave a healthy challenge for its players without getting too far out of their comfort zone.
by Daniel Hathaway
IN THIS EDITION:
• An extensive list of concerts to choose from.
• Oberlin Conservatory alumni receive Guggenheim Fellowships
• Anatoly Liadov and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich celebrate birthdays.
THIS WEEKEND’S EVENTS:
Live music in Northeast Ohio is back in full swing. Here’s a rundown of this weekend’s concert calendar. Check our Concert Listings page for details. [Read more…]
by Jarrett Hoffman
IN THIS EDITION:
•Les Délices’ The White Cat on digital, Cleveland Orchestra with MTT and cellist Gautier Capuçon, and No Exit with cimbalom player Chester Englander
•Tim Cutler found safe, bonuses for young professionals from Nu Deco and TMA, and two Cleveland Orchestra staffing updates
•Almanac: Michael Daugherty and János Starker
by Jacob Strauss
On Tuesday, April 12th, and into the small hours of the morning, Kassa Overall and his ensemble played a set of jazz-infused rap — or rap-infused jazz — at the ’Sco on Oberlin College’s campus.
Kassa Overall, a drummer and a 2005 graduate of Oberlin Conservatory’s Jazz Department, makes records that are confident and imaginative, groovy and avant-garde. He unashamedly mixes underground and alternative rap production and attention to lyricism with an internalized comprehension of all forms of jazz.
No, he is not picking up where Kendrick Lamar left off with To Pimp A Butterfly — Overall has a distinctive ear and omnivorous taste which makes his music singular, a disciple following a revolutionary tradition. [Read more…]
by Peter Feher
A recital by Evgeny Kissin isn’t over when it ends. Anyone who’s kept up with the Russian pianist’s career — he was last in Cleveland 25 years ago — knew what to expect on Sunday, April 24 at Severance Music Center. After the final billed piece, Kissin returned to the stage four more times, playing a set of encores that made for a third act to the evening.
It’s his signature move for a reason. With these extra, off-the-cuff performances, Kissin shows remarkable command and pacing. He manages simultaneously to satisfy his own artistic standards and to respond to the demands of the crowd. When the mood is right, he can go on for hours, racking up a dozen encores that all but upstage the planned recital in breadth and artistry. [Read more…]
by Mike Telin
“Music is something that throughout time has developed different flavors around the world,” violinist Edwin Huizinga said during a Sunday morning telephone conversation.
“There are no borders in music. And it’s amazing to me that even centuries ago, music was being shared in houses and pubs. Even then there were people traveling around. I always think of O’Carolan, who was this itinerant Irish harpist.
“He was blind and there are stories of him meeting up with Baroque musicians and composers, and sharing tunes with each other. So one of my passions in life is to share the fact that all music is similar in the way that it’s created. It comes from a rhythmical background, and a community background.” [Read more…]
by Mike Telin
“For us cellists, Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations is a very important piece in our repertoire,” Gautier Capuçon said during a recent telephone conversation. “It’s very delicate and extremely difficult.”
On Thursday, April 28 at 7:30 pm at Severance Music Center, Capuçon will perform that virtuosic work with The Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of guest conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. The program also induces Tchaikovsky’s Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, Fauré’s Elegy, and Britten’s Suite from The Prince of the Pagodas. Additional performances take place on Friday at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 8:00 pm, and Sunday at 3:00 pm. Tickets are available online.
“I’m looking forward to being back in Cleveland,” Capuçon said. “It’s such a fantastic orchestra, and Michael Tilson Thomas is a dear friend. And with all he’s going through, music is so important to him — it gives him energy. So this week is going to be very special.” [Read more…]
by Stephanie Manning
No matter how many times certain symphonic staples are performed, the music always invites the opportunity to dig deeper — and on Friday, April 22 at Severance Music Center, The Cleveland Orchestra did just that. Under the baton of rising star Klaus Mäkelä, the ensemble took two masterworks in the classical canon to a new level with a performance that plumbed the emotional depths of both Sibelius and Shostakovich.
The young Finnish conductor seemed to relish his third appearance on the Severance podium, and both he and soloist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider approached Sibelius’ Violin Concerto with passion. Though the compositional process of Sibelius’s only concerto was hampered by uncertainty, there was nothing uncertain about Szeps-Znaider’s interpretation. His full, warm sound blended effortlessly with the Orchestra, whose lush, Romantic playing never obscured the soloist.
by Jarrett Hoffman
The program that Miami-based Nu Deco Ensemble will bring to E.J. Thomas Hall on Wednesday, May 4 at 7:30 pm — part of the Tuesday Musical series — can be divided into a few categories.
There’s pop music by Queen, Bill Withers, the Beach Boys, and Daft Punk that’s been adapted for orchestra. There’s traditional classical music by J.S. Bach and Bizet that’s been infused with Latin jazz and minimalism. And there’s contemporary music by Gabriella Smith and Valerie Coleman, two living composers with a clear interest in combining different styles.
In a recent conversation on Zoom, conductor, co-founder, and co-artistic director Jacomo Bairos said that Nu Deco’s interest in stylistic variety started simply “as a hook.”
by Daniel Hathaway
IN THIS EDITION:
. Piano Cleveland listening series, Quire on WCLV
. ChamberFest Cleveland season lineup, Ukrainian orchestra formed for touring
. Remembering Slonimsky and Scriabin
TODAY’S EVENTS:
Tonight at 7:30 pm in Tucker Hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, Piano Cleveland reunites two of its Cleveland International Piano Competition medalists from 2021 in the first of three Listening Series concerts. Byeol Kim and Lovre Marušić put their four hands together in a concert titled “Piano Duo Do’s and Don’ts.” In-person tickets and virtual passes are available online.
And tonight at 8, WCLV’s Cleveland Ovations broadcasts Quire Cleveland’s March 6 performance of Demantius’ St. John Passion at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church, including John Simna’s intermission interview with artistic director Jay White.