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Archives for October 2023

DIARY: Weekend, October 14-15, 2023

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By Daniel Hathaway

HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND:

No Exit new music ensemble continues its season-long survey of surrealism with the third of three concerts on Saturday at 7 at SPACES. Read a preview article here.

And Apollo’s Fire repeats its “Splendour in London” program (Handel’s Water Music and Other Royal Festivities) on Saturday at 8 at Federated Church in Chagrin Falls, and on Sunday at 5 at Church of the Gesu in University Hts.

Two organizations will mark Hispanic Heritage Month on Saturday: Sammy DeLeon y su Orquesta at Severance at 7, and the Youngstown Symphony under Francisco Noya in “Latin Fire” at 7:30.

The first of two Cleveland Philharmonic concerts led by Victor Liva with violin soloist Andrew Sords will take place at West Shore Unitarian Universalist on Saturday at 7:30, repeated on Sunday at 3 at Cleveland State University.

And on Saturday at 8 at Disciples Church, Cleveland Chamber Collective plays two performances of the fourth program in its Music of America series, including music by Claude Bolling, Jeff Scott, Ty Alan Emerson, and traditional Brazilian chorinho, repeated Sunday at 8 at the Pivot Center. [Read more…]

DIARY: Friday, October 13, 2023

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By Daniel Hathaway

HAPPENING TODAY:

The second installments of three repeating programs are on the agenda tonight: No Exit’s “Surrealist Games” at Heights Arts at 7, Apollo’s Fire’s “Splendour in London” at Lakewood Methodist at 7:30, and The Cleveland Orchestra’s all-Mahler program featuring baritone Simon Keenlyside at Severance at 7:30.

Also at 7, The Singers Club of Cleveland will present “The Music We Sing” at First Baptist in Shaker Heights, and CityMusic Chamber Series will feature British music at Praxis Fiber Gallery.

And at 7:30, the Oberlin Artist Recital Series will present the all-female Seraph Brass (pictured) in Finney Chapel, featuring a premiere by Jeff Scott.

For details, visit our Concert Listings.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Three recent press releases from The Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Museum of Art: [Read more…]

Renée Fleming and friends join in special Severance concert

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by Mike Telin

On Sunday, October 15 at 7:00 pm, the celebrated soprano Renée Fleming will host a gathering of friends in a Severance Music Center concert featuring the late André Previn’s unfinished — but now completed — final work. Penelope celebrates Homer’s heroine in The Odyssey, who faithfully waited 20 years for her husband, Odysseus, to return from the Trojan War while fending off more than a hundred suitors.

She’ll be joined by actress Merle Dandridge (The Last of Us), the Emerson String Quartet — Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer (violins), Lawrence Dutton (viola), and Paul Watkins (cello) —  and pianist Simone Dinnerstein. In addition to Penelope, musical selections include Philip Glass’s Etude No. 6 and Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 14. Tickets are available online.

Although the score was left unfinished at the time of Previn’s death on February 28, 2019, it was completed by David Fetherolf, Previn’s longtime editor. The monodrama received its world premiere at Tanglewood on July 24, 2019.

Fleming graciously agreed to answer questions by email.

Mike Telin: Who originally had the idea for this project?

Renée Fleming: The Emerson Quartet and I shared a friendship with André Previn. (André had composed the opera of A Streetcar Named Desire, which I premiered, as well as some concert works and song cycles.) We decided to try to commission him to compose something for us. I knew that one of André’s good friends was playwright Tom Stoppard, of whom I am also a great fan. I thought, ‘Well you never know, why not ask them?’ It turned out that they both liked the idea, and they had already discussed writing something for my voice. I believe it was Tom who suggested Penelope, the classical heroine, as a subject.

[Read more…]

Arts @ Holy Trinity:
Miguel Espinoza Fusion
(Oct. 8)

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by Kevin McLaughlin

Imagine a small band of musicians, each skilled but of dissimilar traditions, combining their talents for a banquet of world styles — Celtic, flamenco, Brazilian, and French — and you have an idea of the artistry of Miguel Espinoza Fusion. Presented at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Akron on Sunday, October 8, this was the inaugural concert of Arts @ Holy Trinity’s 40th season.

[Read more…]

DIARY: Thursday, October 12, 2023

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By Daniel Hathaway

HAPPENING TODAY:

The first installments of three repeating programs drop today at 7:30: No Exit’s “Surrealist Games” at Kent State, Apollo’s Fire’s “Splendour in London” (in Akron), and The Cleveland Orchestra’s all-Mahler program featuring baritone Simon Keenlyside (pictured).

Also at 7:30, Gregory Ristow leads the Oberlin College Choir & Chamber Singers in a varied program in Warner Concert Hall, and at 8, Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project presents the trombone trio of Jeb Bishop, Matthias M. and Matthias M. as well as sound and visual artist Sandy Ewen at Convivium 33 Gallery.

For details, visit our Concert Listings.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The Center for Arts Inspired Learning is sponsoring an Instrument Drive on  Saturday, October 14 from 10 am to 3 pm to benefit the Play It Forward! ® Cleveland free music program for 3rd to 12th grade youth. [Read more…]

Cleveland Chamber Music Society: solving an annual programming puzzle

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by Daniel Hathaway

The Cleveland Chamber Music Society’s concert brochure presents information about its seven-concert season, neatly organized to include one concert each month, and all of them scheduled for Tuesday evenings.

This season, the Society has invited the Belcea Quartet, the Danish String Quartet, the Takács Quartet with pianist Marc-André Hamelin, cellist Steven Isserlis with pianist Connie Shih, the Pavel Haas Quartet, tenor Matthew Polenzani with pianist Julius Drake, and solo pianist Garrick Ohlsson to perform at Disciples Church in Cleveland Heights.

How did this series of concerts come together? We went right to the source, programming committee chair Steve Somach, for insights into the selection process. We spoke this week by phone.

Daniel Hathaway: I thought it would be interesting to write an article about how CCMS puts a season together, especially since you’ve got over twenty people on your board. 

Steve Somach: That’s for sure.

DH: It’s always like solving a jigsaw puzzle, but I think in your case, it’s kind of a special one.  [Read more…]

DIARY: Wednesday, October 11, 2023

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by Jarrett Hoffman

IN THIS EDITION:

•Today’s concerts: Bombino (“the Sultan of Shred”) visits CMA, and the CIM Orchestra plays music by Coleridge-Taylor, Still & Stravinsky

•Other events today: “Drumming with Dylan” and “Listen @ the Library”

•News briefs: Michael Sachs resigns from CIM

•Almanac: choral works by Dett & Bruckner

CONCERTS HAPPENING TODAY:

Bombino (above), who has been described as “the Sultan of Shred” (New York Times) and the “World’s Greatest Guitarist” (Noisey), will visit Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art at 7:30 pm. Read Max Newman’s interview with him here. Tickets are available online. 

And at that same hour, Jake Taniguchi will lead the CIM Orchestra in Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Four Novelletten, William Grant Still’s Mother and Child, and Igor Stravinsky’s Apollon Musagète (rev. 1947) at Kulas Hall. It’s free, but reservations are required.

[Read more…]

Les Délices & Kaleidoscope: Purcell plus at Lakewood Presbyterian (Sept. 29)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Debra Nagy, director of Cleveland’s period instrument ensemble Les Délices, invited Arianne Abela and her geographically widespread vocal ensemble Kaleidoscope to the first installment of its 15th anniversary season on September 29 at Lakewood Presbyterian Church.

After extensive opening remarks, the two organizations collaborated in “The Pow’r of Musick,” a two-hour concert intermingling works by English Baroque composer Henry Purcell with four contemporary choral pieces, two of them by members of Kaleidoscope. [Read more…]

Apollo’s Fire begins new season: a conversation with Jeannette Sorrell

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by Mike Telin

Apollo’s Fire is moving full steam ahead into their 2023-24 season, which opens this week with four Northeast Ohio performances of their program “Splendour in London.” The concerts also mark the beginning of a busy fall for the musicians and for the ensemble’s founder and artistic director, Jeannette Sorrell. In fact, with all the forward motion that Apollo’s Fire has experienced over the past couple of years, Sorrell can certainly be described as a person on the go.

I caught up with her via Zoom in Chicago while she was literally in transit and began our wide-ranging conversation by asking her to reflect on Apollo’s Fire’s recent European tour.

Jeannette Sorrell: It was a wonderful experience. That was our Exile program, which we first took to Chicago, New York City, and San Francisco. The New York concert was especially fun — it was at the Met Museum and we were sold out two weeks in advance. When you have an audience that really wants to be there, there’s always a special energy.

[Read more…]

DIARY: Tuesday, October 10, 2023

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by Daniel Hathaway

HAPPENING TODAY:

There are no concerts scheduled for today, but the tempo picks up dramatically later this week — so it’s a good time to check calendars and plan ahead. Visit our Concert Listings for details of forthcoming  events.

NEWS BRIEFS:

This morning, The Cleveland Orchestra issued the following statement:

“The Cleveland Orchestra has made the decision to cancel its upcoming tour in Israel. The safety of our musicians and staff is a top priority, and this decision was based on State Department guidelines in consultation with security advisors. The Orchestra will still travel to Austria to perform concerts in Vienna on October 18 and Linz on October 20. Our thoughts are with friends and family in Israel right now, and we hope for their continued safety.” [Read more…]

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