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Q&A with French organist
Michel Bouvard before his
Trinity Cathedral Recital October 24

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by Daniel Hathaway

Bouvard-MichelTrinity Cathedral will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its Dutch pipe organ with a recital by French organist Michel Bouvard on Tuesday, October 24 at 7:30 pm. The mechanical action instrument, made by Flentrop Orgelbouw in Zaandam, the Netherlands, was dedicated in December of 1977 and inspired Trinity’s lunchtime series, the Brownbag Concerts, launched in January of 1978.

Bouvard is currently on a U.S. tour that began at Meyerson Symphony Hall in Dallas, continued with recitals and masterclasses at the University of Kansas, and after Cleveland, will end with a recital at the Maison Symphonique in Montréal. Due to language issues, in lieu of an interview, we sent M. Bouvard some questions by email to which he has graciously responded. [Read more…]

Cleveland Classical Guitar Society: Celil Refik Kaya at Plymouth (Oct. 14)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Cecil-Rafik-kayaTurkish guitarist Celil Refik Kaya opened the new Cleveland Classical Guitar Society Series with elegant performances of music by Giuliani, J.S. Bach, Granados, Morel and Rodrigo, including a piece by the guitarist himself, on Saturday evening, October 14 at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights. Kaya warmed up his audience with a fluent reading of Mauro Giuliani’s Sonata Eroica. [Read more…]

Cleveland Chamber Music Society: Danish String Quartet at Plymouth (Oct. 10)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Danish-SQWhat’s a string quartet to do when their cellist is running late for a concert? Vamp until ready, of course. Before their October 10 debut on the Cleveland Chamber Music Society Series, Danish String Quartet violist Asbjørn Nørgaard and violinist Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen entertained the audience at Plymouth Church with an informative little off-the-cuff pre-concert lecture, charmingly laced with dry Danish humor and musical examples. [Read more…]

CityMusic celebrates John Corigliano’s 80th: a conversation with Avner Dorman, Tessa Lark, and the composer himself

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by Daniel Hathaway, Jarrett Hoffman, and Mike Telin

Corigliano-J-Henry-Fair“I knew this was John Corigliano’s 80th birthday season and I really wanted to do something special to celebrate that,” CityMusic Cleveland Artistic Director Avner Dorman said during a telephone conversation. “We thought about showing the film The Red Violin and playing the score. Then we realized that performing the concerto would be more artistically satisfying.”

CityMusic opens its 14th season when Avner Dorman leads a program that celebrates the 80th birthday of composer John Corigliano. The program will include his “The Red Violin” Concerto, featuring Tessa Lark, as well as Robert Schumann’s Overture to Genoveva and Symphony No. 3, “Rhenish.” The first of five area performances will take place on Wednesday, October 18 at 7:30 pm at St. Jerome Church in Cleveland. Click here for additional time, days, and locations.

“I’m excited about this program, and the fact that we managed to put it all together is extraordinary,” Dorman said. “I’m sure this is going to be a huge hit with our audiences. [Read more…]

Apollo’s Fire: Handel’s Israel in Egypt at First Baptist, Shaker Heights (Oct. 13)

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by Daniel Hathaway

AF-Closeup-Orch-ChorusAt its premiere in 1739, Handel’s Biblical oratorio Israel in Egypt was almost entirely made up of choruses. Even in the composer’s revision, minus the opening lament and with Italian arias added, the work is probably more rewarding to sing than to listen to. Enter Jeannette Sorrell, who decided to restore part of the introduction that Handel lopped off, and to bring the rest of the piece down to under two hours in length. Her version made a fine impression on Friday evening, when Sorrell led Apollo’s Fire, Apollo’s Singers, and five extraordinary soloists in a leaner Israel in Egypt at First Baptist Church in Shaker Heights. [Read more…]

Quire Cleveland in “Hear My Voyce” at St. John’s Cathedral (October 6)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Quire2017BethSegalQuire Cleveland began its tenth anniversary season with concerts in Painesville and Cleveland devoted to liturgical music by the 17th-century British composer Henry Purcell. On Friday, October 6 at St. John’s Cathedral in downtown Cleveland, Quire was in fine “voyce” as its 21 singers under the direction of founder Ross W. Duffin sang repertoire Purcell composed for the choir of the Chapel Royal between his appointment in 1682 and his untimely death at the age of 35 in 1695. [Read more…]

Apollo’s Fire: a chat with Jeannette Sorrell about the Baroque orchestra’s 26th Season

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by Daniel Hathaway

SORRELL-JeannetteApollo’s Fire crowned its 25th anniversary season over the summer with sold-out performances at Tanglewood, Ravinia, and Cain Park. I reached Artistic Director Jeannette Sorrell to ask what’s ahead for Cleveland’s Baroque Orchestra in 2017-2018.

Daniel Hathaway: You’ve planned some big works to begin and end your new season — Handel’s Israel in Egypt in the fall, and Monteverdi’s Orfeo in the Spring. I understand that you’ve created a special version of Handel’s famous, double-chorus oratorio for the October 12-15 performances in Northeast Ohio.

Jeannette Sorrell: I’ve always felt that Israel in Egypt is a great work, but performances I’ve heard didn’t always work for me. The original piece was in three parts, beginning with the “Lamentation on the Death of Jeremiah” and continuing with “Exodus” and “The Song of Moses.” Audiences today usually only hear the second and third parts, but the “Lamentation” contains some beautiful, poignant funeral music.

[Read more…]

Cleveland Orchestra in Mahler’s Sixth (October 5)

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by Daniel Hathaway

TCO-FWM-Strav-092817Gustav Mahler’s Sixth Symphony is the perfect candidate for a 75-minute, straight-through concert. Bursting at the seams with musical content of astonishing variety and emotional range, it bombards the listener with almost as much sonic stimulation as a human ear and brain can process in one sitting. Franz Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra put the work across with total conviction and arresting effect on Thursday evening, October 5 in Severance Hall, a few days before departing on a European tour. [Read more…]

Roberto Plano to open Tri-C Classical Piano Series October 15

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by Daniel Hathaway

Plano-RobertoAfter Roberto Plano won the Cleveland International Piano Competition in 2001, he returned to his native Italy to teach and concertize. On Sunday, October 15 at 2:00 pm, Plano will revisit Cleveland to open this year’s Tri-C Classical Piano Series in Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art with a free concert of music by Liszt, Villa-Lobos, Ginastera, and Gershwin.

A year ago, Plano accepted a position at Boston University, and he and his wife and three daughters moved to the United States. In a telephone interview from Boston, Plano noted that the transition has been both difficult and rewarding. “I knew the United States very well, but I never lived here for more than a couple of weeks at a time,” he said.

[Read more…]

No Exit at SPACES Gallery (Sept. 30)

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by Mike Telin

NoExitMontageThe inventive new music ensemble No Exit launched their ninth concert season with three identical concerts featuring world premieres by Ohio composers. I attended the September 30 performance at the acoustically pleasing SPACES Gallery. The evening was defined by works that creatively explored the use of layered rhythms, ranging from the violent to the enchanting, that were deftly performed by the seven-member ensemble. [Read more…]

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