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CD Review: Some Measures for Living — George Pope, flute, and Eric Charnofsky, piano

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by Daniel Hathaway

pope-cd-coverFlutist George Pope, who played principal with the Akron Symphony from 1978-2002 while teaching at the University of Akron, has released a CD on the Crystal Records label featuring seven works he either commissioned, or were written for or first performed by him. In the liner notes, he reveals the musical preferences that informed his choice of repertoire: “beautiful melodies and colors, intricate passagework, energetic rhythms, and a strong current of jazz and popular music.” [Read more…]

Cleveland Chamber Music Society brings some favorites back for its 2016-2017 season at Plymouth Church

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by Daniel Hathaway

juilliard-quartet-2016-2For its 67th season, the Cleveland Chamber Music Society will present its customary lineup of seven world-class chamber music groups — plus a young artists showcase and a young artists competition. You won’t see the names of any new ensembles on the roster for 2016-2017, but there’s a major personnel change and an interesting realignment of musicians that will be of primary interest to chamber music lovers.

“I’m looking forward to the new configuration of the Juilliard String Quartet (pictured left),” said CCMS president Barbara Green in a telephone conversation last weekend. “It’s the first time the Juilliard have included a woman [cellist Astrid Schween, who replaces Joel Krosnick], and I’ve heard every permutation since the very beginning. And then there’s the Cleveland debut of the Montrose Piano Trio, which includes violinist Martin Beaver and cellist Clive Greensmith — the two remaining members of the Tokyo Quartet — plus pianist Jon Kimura Parker, who played for CCMS some years ago with the Berlin Philharmonic Woodwind Quintet.” [Read more…]

Northeast Ohio gears up for a busy classical season during September

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by Daniel Hathaway

Daniels-EddieAs summer fades after the Labor Day weekend, the Northeast Ohio concert season begins a gradual crescendo. By the middle of September, concertgoers will once again have to make difficult choices among several attractive events.

Take Saturday evening, September 17 for example, when Burning River Baroque, a Bascom Little Fund anniversary concert, and season openers of BlueWater Chamber Orchestra and the Oberlin Artist Recital Series will be competing for your attention.

Burning River Baroque’s 7:00 pm program, “Twisted Fate: Famed and Forgotten Female Composers,” will take place at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights. Sopranos Malina Rauschenfels and Josefien Stoppelenburg, viola da gambist Phillip W. Serna, and harpsichordist Paula Maust will perform music by Hildegard von Bingen, Jacquet de la Guerre, Princess Anna Amalia, Chiara Margarita Cozzolani, Barbara Strozzi, Isabella Leonarda, and Martha Bishop.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland-based chamber music ensemble Panorámicos and friends will mark the 50th year of the Bascom Little Fund’s service to composers and new music. [Read more…]

McCalmont’s List 13: Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring (1913)

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by Neil McCalmont
Part of McCalmont’s List Series

StravinskyGenre: Ballet — a dance work accompanied by music, usually with costumes and scenery
Instrumentation: Large orchestra
Era: Early 20th century
Length: c. 35 minutes
Will you recognize it? From Disney’s Fantasia (1940)
Recommended Recordings: Pierre Monteux and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, or Pierre Boulez and The Cleveland Orchestra (1969 recording)

Composer: Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971). Stravinsky was one of the most versatile and influential composers of the 20th century, and many compare his impact on music to Picasso’s on art. Having lived with and studied composition under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov until the latter’s death in 1908, Stravinsky rose to fame with his innovative ballets, The Firebird and Petrushka, culminating in the groundbreaking Rite of Spring. [Read more…]

All Piano Competition Prizes announced

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2016CIPCLaureatesAt the Awards Ceremony on Sunday, August 6, the 2016 Cleveland International Piano Competition bestowed the following awards.

Mixon First Prize
Nikita Mndoyants wins a cash award of $75,000 donated by Mr. and Mrs. A. Malachi Mixon; management services for the next three years; a New York Recital Debut at Weill Hall in Carnegie Hall to take place on June 7, 2017; and a compact disc recording on the Steinway & Sons label.

Second Prize
Knowlton Second Prize of $25,000 to Leonardo Colafelice, Italy
Presented by Karen Knowlton, with major support from Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Manuel and Mrs. Marvin A. Evenchik, additional support from Clara T. Rankin. [Read more…]

Cleveland International Piano Competition: final rounds with The Cleveland Orchestra (August 5-6)

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by Daniel Hathaway

WesthuizenThree-quarters of their final score had already been totted up when the four finalists in the 2016 Cleveland International Piano Competition made their last lap around the track at Severance Hall on Friday and Saturday evenings, August 5 and 6. Handsome cash prizes were waiting at the end, but appearing with Bramwell Tovey and The Cleveland Orchestra was its own distinguished reward. (Photo: CEO Pierre van der Westhuizen welcomes the audience.) [Read more…]

Cleveland International Piano Competition Finals: Colafelice & Klinton with the Escher Quartet (August 3)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Colafelice1How do you tell a great chamber music performance from an ordinary one? That’s what the jury and audience are asking themselves this week as the Cleveland International Piano Competition puts its four finalists through a chamber music round with the Escher String Quartet. [Read more…]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY, AUGUST 4

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10:00 am — Master Class, Session 1
Mixon Hall, Cleveland Institute of Music.

Members of the competition jury present master classes for gifted local piano students.  Free event; reservation required.

1:00 pm — Master Class, Session 2
Mixon Hall, Cleveland Institute of Music.

Members of the competition jury present master classes for gifted local piano students.  Free event; reservation required.
Mixon Hall, Cleveland Institute of Music.

8:00 pm — CIPC Young Artists Showcase
Mixon Hall, Cleveland Institute of Music

Two finalists from the 2015 CIPC Young Artists Competition return for a showcase event:  Leonid Nediak, second prize (junior division) and audience prize winner; and Chaeyoung Park, third prize (senior division). Special Ticket Offers $5 Student Tickets: Students may purchase $5 tickets at the box office on the day of the performance.

Cleveland International Piano Competition Finals: Tchaidze & Mndoyants with the Escher Quartet (August 2)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Tchaidze1In a new twist this time around, the Cleveland International Piano Competition is requiring each of its finalists to play a chamber music round with the Escher String Quartet. Aside from the welcome change in musical timbre after many hours of solo piano music, this new round is designed to show how well pianists play with others — a direct look at their musicianship in collaboration with a world-class ensemble before moving on to play concertos with The Cleveland Orchestra. [Read more…]

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3

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3:00 pm — Film, Daniil Trifonov
This new film by Christopher Nupen provides an intimate portrait of pianist and composer Daniil Trifonov, who has taken the concert world by storm since winning the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 2011. Lecture Hall, Cleveland Museum of Art

7:00 pm Final Round: Phase 2
Chamber Music with the Escher String Quartet. Gartner Auditorium, Cleveland Museum of Art

Leonardo Colafelice
Robert Schumann
Piano Quintet in E-flat, Op. 44

Dinara Klinton
Johannes Brahms
Piano Quintet in f, Op. 34

Follow the live stream from Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art here. WCLV will broadcast the session live at 104.9 FM and on Ideastream.

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