by Robert Rollin
On Sunday evening, August 19 at Blossom, Randall Craig Fleischer led The Cleveland Orchestra in “Frank & Ella: The Music of Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra,” featuring soprano Capathia Jenkins and singer/pianist Tony DeSare in songs that Ella and Frank made famous. Jenkins has a gorgeous, well-controlled voice. DeSare’s talented rhythm section supported his wonderful piano playing. [Read more…]
by Robert Rollin
Last Saturday night at the Bop Stop saxophonist Javier Oviedo and pianist Ron Palka presented a lively concert of modern works as part of the Classical Saxophone Project. The highlight of the first half was Steven Cohen’s eclectic Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano. The cyclical 3-movement piece used modal elements with lowered second steps including a Hebrew scale. Oviedo displayed excellent dynamic control throughout. [Read more…]
by Robert Rollin
Last Friday evening, June 15, ENCORE presented an enchanting program of chamber music featuring the Cavani String Quartet, soprano Chantal Mathias, and pianist Hyun Soo Kim. The concert, in the Tudor House at Gilmour Academy, was a delightful mélange of short, intimate pieces with neo-Romantic, folk-song, and nostalgic connections. [Read more…]
by Robert Rollin
Last Saturday evening, May 5, the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra presented its final concert of the season at Severance Hall under conductor Vinay Parameswaran. The evening’s highlight was 20th-century Polish composer Witold Lutosławski’s Concerto for Orchestra, a massive, three-movement piece that filled the stage with young musicians. [Read more…]
by Robert Rollin
Last Sunday afternoon the Youngstown State University Opera Department presented a workmanlike rendition of Jules Massenet’s fairytale opera Cendrillon (“Cinderella”) in Bliss Hall’s Ford Theater. An outstanding cast of singers under production director Misook Yun, an excellent orchestra conducted by Hae-Jong Lee, solid stage direction by Gary Lehman, and Wendy Akers’ fine costumes all contributed to an entertaining performance. [Read more…]
by Robert Rollin
Last Friday evening, March 9, Opera Western Reserve joined The Warren Philharmonic for an outstanding performance of George & Ira Gershwin’s iconic Porgy and Bess at Stambaugh Auditorium. Karen Clark Green and David Vosburgh, collaborating as stage directors, successfully propelled the action along. [Read more…]
by Robert Rollin
Last Saturday’s matinee performance of Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel by the Cleveland Institute of Music Opera Theater at Kulas Hall sparkled. An excellent cast, David Bamberger’s fine direction and blocking, David Brooks’ beautiful sets and effective scene changes, Harry Davidson’s expeditious control of the full orchestra and balance with the singers, and Inda Blatch-Geib’s imaginative costumes, all combined to create a beautifully flowing production whose energy never flagged.
by Robert Rollin
Last Saturday night February 24, Les Frères Méduses (The Jellyfish Brothers) completed their Cleveland residency with a concert at Shaker Heights’ Plymouth Church focusing on 21st Century music for two guitars. The Duo, Frenchman Benoit Albert and Ohio native Randall Avers, featured their own improvisations, which were tossed off with flair and impeccable ensemble. [Read more…]
by Robert Rollin
Last Saturday evening February 10, conductor Randall Craig Fleischer and the Youngstown Symphony hosted three talented vocalists for an Ella Fitzgerald hundredth birthday tribute concert. The gifted vocalists, Carpathia Jenkins, Harolyn Blackwell, and Aisha de Haas were exceptional. [Read more…]
by Robert Rollin
Last Tuesday evening the Cleveland Orchestra under new Assistant Conductor Vinay Parameswaran performed Danny Elfman’s imaginative score to Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas live with visuals and sound track. Paramesaran’s coordination was impeccable and the orchestra sparkled with beautiful timbres and ensemble. Burton wrote the original poem that inspired the movie in 1982. Disney began considering its development as a horror short or 30-minute television special, and ultimately released the full-length movie in 1993. [Read more…]