by Stephanie Manning

IN THE NEWS:

Jaap van Zweden, the New York Philharmonic’s music director, has announced that he will leave his post at the end of the 2023-24 season. The Dutch conductor and violinist started with the Philharmonic just three years ago, but the pandemic derailed his second season. His agreement to stay on an extra year than his contract required gives the ensemble ample time to search for a successor.

Van Zweden said the experiences of the past year and a half led him to rethink his priorities. “So much has changed because of COVID, including thoughts about my own future, my life, and my family,” he wrote in a letter to the musicians. “In life, I think timing is critical: it’s important to know when to say yes and when to move on.”

TODAY’S ALMANAC:

As any music fan who still listens to music in a physical format might tell you: vinyl is making a comeback, and in a big way. In 2020, vinyl records trumped the annual revenue of CDs for the first time in 34 years.

On this day in 1931, record company RCA Victor introduced a new product to the consumer market: the long-playing 33 1/3 rpm vinyl. These discs were called Project Transcription, and they represent one of the earliest efforts to bring the long-playing (or LP) record to market.

With the capacity to hold fifteen minutes of music per side, these discs were a prime opportunity for classical music content like symphonies. The first record in this format to be released was Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of Leopold Stokowski.

Despite the economic pressures for hiring large orchestras caused by the Great Depression, RCA Victor continued to record the Philadelphia Orchestra during the 1930s. To save money, many of these sessions were moved to the Victor Camden Church Studio and involved less musicians than normal  — the Beethoven, however, was recorded in the Academy of Music in Philadelphia (pictured below) with the full orchestra. Though the audio quality was limited by the current technology, this performance is impressive for how it was recorded in extended first takes. Listen to that recording here.

[Read more…]

by Stephanie Manning

LOCAL NEWS:

Public radio in Northeast Ohio is about to undergo a dramatic change. Ideastream Public Radio and WKSU have announced they will enter an operating agreement, which will go into effect on October 1. This collaboration will create one of Northeast Ohio’s largest news organizations, and in 2022, WKSU will become the area’s sole NPR and local news station.

As a result, 104.9 FM (WCLV), Ideastream’s classical service, will move to 90.3 FM. In addition to WCLV’s usual coverage of The Cleveland Orchestra and other local ensembles, “90.3 FM programming will spotlight more performances by musicians in Akron and Kent as well.” For now, however, the two stations will continue to operate separately. Learn more here.

CONCERT UPDATE:

The Canton Symphony String Quartet concert, originally scheduled for tonight at 7:30 at The Auricle, has been postponed. No news yet on when and where a potential rescheduled concert will be, but we will keep you updated.

TODAY’S ALMANAC:

Composing, conducting, and pedagogy — Nadia Boulanger did all three, and she did them incredibly well.

Born on this date in 1887 in her home country of France, Boulanger (pictured left with her sister Lili) is well-known for influencing an entire generation of composers, with her list of students including Aaron Copland, Philip Glass, and Astor Piazzolla. Her conducting career was equally impressive, as she was the first woman to conduct the Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, and other major ensembles.

Though she was also a composer, Boulanger stepped back from writing music after the untimely death of her younger sister Lili. However, Nadia Boulanger would go on to program and share both her and her sister’s music in concert throughout her life. Enjoy this performance of her Fantaisie pour piano et orchestre on YouTube, and check out the Boulanger Initiative for more resources about women in music.

On this day in 1966, the Metropolitan Opera opened its doors at the company’s new opera house at Lincoln Center. Fitting for the occasion, the Met kicked off the season with a world premiere — Samuel Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra, starring soprano Leontyne Price. Librettist, designer, and director Franco Zefferelli staged an extravagant production, but technical issues, “gaudy” costuming, and an overall clash between Zeffirelli and Barber’s artistic visions resulted in a rocky start for the Met’s new era.

[Read more…]

by Stephanie Manning

LOCAL NEWS:

Youngstown State University has announced the fourth season of the Pipino Performing Arts Series, hosted by the University’s Cliffe College of Creative Arts. The six performances, one per month starting this month, will kick off on September 22 with a virtual presentation by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang. Learn more here.

THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION:

As a companion to yesterday’s diary, which included a New York Times piece exploring the careers of women conductors in the country’s top orchestras, this article in the Los Angeles Times explores a particular program where many of these up-and-coming conductors have received training. That is Gustavo Dudamel’s Fellowship Program, established in 2009.

“A striking aspect of the former fellows, however, is how little they are like Dudamel — or each other,” writes Mark Swed. He goes on to note that out of the five conductors from the program that made their Hollywood Bowl debuts this summer, four were women — including Marta Gardolinska (pictured). “The glass ceiling doesn’t stand a chance.”

TODAY’S ALMANAC:

Artists, it looks like September 14 could be a good day to finish that project you’ve been working on — just ask George Frideric Handel or Francis Scott Key.

On this day in 1741, Handel (pictured) put the finishing touches on his Messiah, a composition he had been working on non-stop for the last 23 days. This great oratorio, now a fixture of the Christmas season, was first proposed to him by librettist Charles Jennens in July of that year.

Jennens, who had previously worked with Handel on the oratorio Saul, wrote to a friend that “I hope [Handel] will lay out his whole Genius & Skill upon it, that the Composition may excel all his former Compositions, as the Subject excels every other Subject.” Surely the librettist would have been pleased to know that the composer worked on it morning and night until its completion, and that it would eventually become Handel’s best-known work.

The well-known recordings of Messiah are almost too many to list, so let’s focus on a specific type of performance that’s uniquely connected to this piece — the “sing-along Messiah.” Open to singers of all skill levels, these performances prioritize the joy of singing over musical perfection.

In Northeast Ohio, Credo Music has made a Messiah sing-along an annual tradition. Hosted at Oberlin Conservatory, this year’s event is on December 12. Learn more, and take a listen to the “Hallelujah” chorus from the 2017 performance, here.

[Read more…]

by Stephanie Manning

HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND:

There are plenty of concerts to enjoy over the weekend — let’s break it down day by day.

Saturday, September 11

The Cleveland Orchestra concludes its 2021 Blossom season tonight at 7:30 with drummer Stewart Copeland (pictured). The founder of legendary rock band The Police will perform his work Police Deranged for Orchestra, which features some of the group’s biggest hits. Tickets available online.

The Tri-C Jazz Fest begins today at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights. The Mainstage, Colonnade Stage, and Talk Tent will feature a variety of performances throughout the day, including the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, A Moment in Cleveland, and The Funky 8. Read more details in our concert listings and buy tickets here.

Trinity Cathedral will host its 9/11 Twentieth Anniversary Commemoration Concert tonight at 7:30 pm. The program includes poetry, prose, and music by American composers Copland, Barber, Hampton, Hancock, and Paulus. Reserve your free ticket for in-person attendance or click here for the live stream.

In the afternoon, enjoy a free concert from Music at Main at the Cleveland Public Library at 2:00 pm. Pianist Roman Rudnytsky will play a program featuring pieces by Herrarte, Brahms, Prokofiev, Holst, and Bach.

Sunday, September 12

The Tri-C Jazz Fest continues today with a full slate of programming across all stages. Highlights include Harp vs Harp (Edmar Castaneda and Grégoire Maret), Upside of Medium, and Catherine Russell. Read more details in our concert listings and buy tickets here.

The front lawn of the Historic Barder House in Akron will host Tuesday Musical’s Music al Fresco Passport Series at 1:00 and 3:00 pm. Brazilian guitarist, vocalist and storyteller Moises Borges and his quartet will interpret classic samba and bossa nova songs as well as Moises’s own work. Tickets available online.

At 3:00 pm, check out the latest concert from the Cleveland Composers Guild. “Creativity: Learning Through Experience” will feature area music students performing original compositions by Guild members. Click here to watch the free live stream.

For those interested in an in-person offering at the same time, The University of Akron will host the opening concert for the Seventh Annual Northeast Ohio Keyboard Festival. Guest pianist Henry Kelder teams up with faculty from Youngstown State University and UA in works for solo piano, duets, and eight hands on two pianos.

REMEMBERING 9/11:

Today, as we honor the twentieth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks that changed our world, take a moment to read about and listen to the classical music works which were shaped by that tragedy. An article published by WQXR ten years ago today details the way that composers were affected and how it shaped the musical responses they would create.

[Read more…]

by Stephanie Manning

IN THE NEWS:

This fall’s classical music season is hard to predict — pandemic precautions, combined with questions about diversity and inclusion, will no doubt make a difference in programming and the audience experience. “The status quo will no longer suffice,” writes Anthony Tomassini in The New York Times. Read more here.

Amidst all these challenges, composer Jessie Montgomery (pictured) and her “personal yet widely resonant music” are set to make an impact in concert seasons around the country. A recent article in The New York Times reports the violinist’s compositions are expected to be programmed nearly 400 times this year, including with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra. One thing’s for sure — Montgomery’s work “will be difficult to miss in the coming season.”

TODAY’S ALMANAC:

Up until 1995, the Cleveland International Piano Competition — which awarded its 2021 prizes one month ago today — was known by a different name. When pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet arrived in Cleveland in 1979, it was to participate in the Casadesus Competition. The French musician (pictured), born on this day in 1961, won Second Prize that year, and has since gone on to international success.

Thibaudet’s visit to Cleveland marked his first time in the United States — and the city left a lasting impression on him. In our 2018 interview, the pianist recounted a memory of telling a local taxi driver that he was a musician. “He almost stopped his cab and he turned around and said, ‘Sir, do you know that in Cleveland we have the best orchestra in the world?’ I said yes, I know.

“It was amazing to have that pride from a taxi driver,” he added. “Usually they talk about the baseball team, but he was so proud of his orchestra. And I’ve never seen that anywhere else.”

Thibaudet is a long-time collaborator with the Cleveland Orchestra — his most recent appearance was in December 2019, when he performed Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Egyptian”) with conductor Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider.

In addition to concert appearances, he also recorded multiple albums with the Orchestra in the 1990s, primarily of works by Rachmaninov. Listen to his performance of the composer’s Piano Concerto No. 2 under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy here.

It was also in the 1990s when the pianist began to branch out into recording film scores. Over the years, he has contributed to movies like Pride and Prejudice (2005), Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011), and Atonement (2007).

The soundtrack to the latter, composed by Dario Marinelli, went on to win an Academy Award for Best Original Score. Listen to the album (pictured), which also features cellist Caroline Dale, on YouTube.

“The good composers of soundtracks, I admire them as much as I do classical composers. I don’t make a difference between them — a composer is a composer,” Thibaudet told the Los Angeles Times in 2012. “The movies are the opera of modern times. Had there been movies back when, Puccini and Wagner would have certainly written film scores.”

 

Jessie Montgomery photo by Jiyang Chen

by Stephanie Manning

IN THE NEWS:

Violinist Jennifer Koh’s new album, Alone Together, is “a snapshot not just of the pandemic, but of the musical community right now,” friend and collaborator Missy Mazzoli said in a recent interview with NPR. Koh (pictured), who graduated from Oberlin, developed the project as a way to bring the musical community together after falling on hard times during the pandemic.

The violinist called the collaborative effort, which has been more than a year in the making, “one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve had.” The album includes 39 pieces from both renowned and emerging composers, all under five minutes long. Listen to the album here, and read the full article from NPR.

TODAY’S ALMANAC:

As we celebrate the recent return of the Met Orchestra and Chorus to Lincoln Center, today we look back on the life of Rudolf Bing (pictured below), who died on this day in 1997. The famed general manager of the Metropolitan Opera oversaw the company’s move to Lincoln Center in 1963.

The “dapper and acerbic” Bing never shied away from conflict, even with international opera stars. In 1958, he canceled the contract of soprano Maria Callas over a disagreement, but spent years convincing her to come back. She eventually returned to the Met seven years later in the title role of Tosca, which would mark the end of the 42-year-old soprano’s stage career.

In a review for the performance, New York Times journalist Harold Schonberg described New York City’s excitement over the return of Callas (pictured below):

Hours before the curtain went up, the street outside the opera house looked like one of the circles of Dante’s Inferno. […] The picketers were being jostled by citizens pleading for tickets, at any price. Some bore plaintive signs: ‘A single ticket, please.’

Another person Bing clashed with was Cleveland Orchestra conductor George Szell, who left the Met in 1954 after an argument over his contract. Someone commented afterwards that Szell was his own worst enemy, to which Bing famously replied: “Not while I’m alive.”

Despite Bing’s tenuous relationships with some well-known figures, he was also renowned for integrating the Met’s artist roster and nurturing the careers of singers such as Leontyne Price, who became one of the first African American singers to perform for the company in a leading role. In 1950, while facing some backlash over announcing he would hire singers regardless of race, Bing wrote to a disgruntled subscriber: “I am afraid I cannot agree with you that as a matter of principle, Negro singers should be excluded. This is not what America and her allies have been fighting for.”

 

Jennifer Koh photo by Juergen Frank