We invited our readers to submit outstanding performances of the 2009-2010 season (September through June). Here are the submissions we received.
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I’d like to nominate Akron Baroque for Cleveland Classical’s Best of the Season highlights. I’m so proud of the growth of this little orchestra in such a short period of time. Not only has our audience quadrupled since Akron Baroque’s birth in 2006, but this May’s concert introduced our new Akron Baroque Chamber Chorus to an overwhelmingly warm community response. It’s truly the realization of a dream.
Amy Barlowe – June 2
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Akron Symphony: Mahler 9 at Severance Hall.
Akron Symphony: Opera Exerpts November 2009 at E.J. Thomas Hall
Richard A. Dee – June 2
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I would like to vote for The Akron Baroque as best of the season. They are an awesome relatively new group of extremely talented musicians who provide a musical experience of Baroque music that excels musically and, at the same time, is both entertaining and educational. Founded by Amy Barlow and lead by conductor Guy Victor Bordo, this ensemble brings exciting music to the Akron area and continues to attract an audience from the greater Cleveland area as well.
Julie Brandy – June 3
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In no particular order:
- Mahler Symphony No. 9 (Zander, Akron Symphony at Severance Hall)
- Sergei Babayan’s recital of Mozart and Haydn sonatas and variations at CIM
- Rzewski’s performance of his “The People United” at Cleveland Museum of Art
- Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1 (Haimovitz, Rachev, CityMusic Cleveland)
- (I don’t know if this counts for the 2009-2010 season–it was from last summer’s Blossom season) Beethoven Violin Concerto (Znaider),
- Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 (Welser-Möst, Cleveland Orchestra).
Peter Barach – June 4
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It would be a bit uncouth of me to prattle on about museum concerts, many of which I confess were among my very favorites of the year, so here’s a Top 10 list of non-CMA performances, in no particular order:
- Cyro Baptista’s Beat the Donkey @ Severance Hall (TCO’s first Fri@7 foray) 10/9/2009
- Jennifer Koh @ Oberlin Finney Chapel (Bach, Ysaye, Carter, Saariaho, Salonen) 10/29/2009
- Sean Jones’ first concert at the helm of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra @ Hannah Theater 12/5/2009
- Leila Josefowicz performs Thomas Adès’ Violin Concerto: Concentric Paths, with TCO @ Severance 1/14/2010
- Pierre-Laurent Aimard & Pierre Boulez with TCO @ Severance (Messiaen, Ravel, Debussy) 2/4/2010
- Panorámicos performs Luciano Berio’s Folk Songs @ Fairmount Presbyterian 3/14/2010
- Third Coast Percussion Ensemble @ West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church, Rocky River (Nico Muhly, Alejandro Vinao, Tobias Brostrom, John Cage, Toru Takemitsu, David Skidmore, Owen Clayton Condon) 3/15/2010
- Smt. Radha Viswanathan with Kum. S. Aishwarya @ Thyagaraja Festival, CSU 4/10/2010
- Semyon Bychkov conducts TCO @ Severance (Ravel, Dutilleux, Schumann) 4/10/201
- Tony Bennett sings at CIM commencement 5/15/2010
Another good year for music!
Tom Welsh (Associate Director of Music, Cleveland Museum of Art) – June 8
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We heard more sublime performances (Josh Bell at Oberlin and von Dohnányi & Brahms’ first in May, etc.) but Friday November 20 in Severance was electrifying, especcially from the first row of the orchestra section!! Strauss’s Zarathustra followed by Weilerstein and Dvořák Cello Concerto.
David Egloff – June 8
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Yefim Bronfman’s recital at CIM.
Mark J. Andreini – June 11
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See the following blog entries for the personal favorites of our staff writers.
