by Robert Rollin
Apollo’s Fire performed an outstanding early music concert at Cleveland Heights’ Cain Park Amphitheater last Saturday night, July 29. Outside the venue, wine tastings, accompanied vocals, and a lively barbershop quartet set a relaxed mood. The core of the program was the ensemble’s performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s complete The Four Seasons, with the four separate concerti spread throughout the evening. [Read more…]
by Robert Rollin
On Sunday afternoon, June 4, Fairlawn’s Faith Lutheran Church hosted Akron Baroque’s energetic “Vintage Vivaldi” program directed by violinist Alan Bodman, who began each piece with clear gestures, leading the ensemble of twelve talented string players from his concertmaster’s chair. Three of the five works featured solo performers, making for a lively and enjoyable afternoon. [Read more…]
by Robert Rollin
Last Saturday evening, May 27, Franz Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra presented an excellent and amazingly varied program at Severance Hall. Though combining Beethoven, Schoenberg, and Varèse might seem incongruous, the result made for a lively and fascinating evening. [Read more…]
by Robert Rollin
On Saturday night, April 8, The Cleveland Opera gave an outstanding performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni at First Baptist Church in Shaker Heights. Despite the venue’s awkward acoustics and lack of a pit for the sizeable orchestra, conductor Grzegorz Nowak led a well-balanced performance that allowed the singers to be heard clearly. The opera flowed beautifully through its many intricate arias, recitatives, and ensembles, and all eight leads were in fine voice. [Read more…]
by Robert Rollin
On Sunday, May 19 at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple, CityMusic Cleveland, under the direction of Avner Dorman, performed an excellent concert that brought insight into pop icon David Bowie’s many inspirations. Bowie’s own songs, juxtaposed with Richard Strauss’s “Im Abendrot” (In the Twilight) from his Four Last Songs, were the highlight of the concert. [Read more…]
by Robert Rollin
On Sunday afternoon, March 12 at Hudson’s Christ Episcopal Church, Music from the Western Reserve presented an exceptional concert of sextets by Kent State’s Black Squirrel Winds and guests. The group, named for the furry creatures inhabiting Kent’s grassy campus, consists of five talented wind players with genuine rapport. [Read more…]
by Robert Rollin
The Cleveland Orchestra Family Concert on Sunday afternoon, March 5 was a delight. The program, titled “The Magic Firebird,” was a collaboration between the Orchestra and the Enchantment Theatre Company. Guest conductor Ruth Reinhardt led Stravinsky’s The Firebird with precision, commenting briefly on each piece and drawing in the young audience. The concert was a terrific success despite limited space onstage. [Read more…]
by Robert Rollin
This past week Apollo’s Fire, Cleveland’s Baroque orchestra conducted by Jeannette Sorrell, presented five performances of its “Virtuoso Bach” program. Sunday afternoon’s performance at Rocky River Presbyterian Church benefitted visually from the church’s lovely setting, but the high ceiling and wide space created a rather muddy acoustic that at times affected the clarity of sound. [Read more…]
by Robert Rollin
Opera Western Reserve’s tradition of giving only one annual performance has always insured a substantial turnout. This year’s crowd was as large and enthusiastic as ever for Georges Bizet’s Carmen on Friday, November 11 at Youngstown’s Stambaugh Auditorium. [Read more…]
by Robert Rollin
The Youngstown Symphony, conducted by Randall Craig Fleischer, presented an interesting salute to the Mahoning Valley’s Italian pioneers in its second mainstage classical program of the season on Saturday, November 5. YSU Emeritus History Professor George Beelen introduced the concert and gave a brief synopsis of early Italian immigrants’ contributions to the region. [Read more…]