ClevelandClassical.com Header
Ad
Ad

Re•Views

Closing Ars Organi concert features reprise of Frank Wiley’s Labyrinths (Oct. 1)

by

by Robert Rollin

Karel_ATORGAN-225x300On Sunday afternoon, October 1, Karel Paukert was featured in the final concert of the Ars Organi series at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights. He was joined by the St. Paul’s Choir and guest artists from Kent State University for a program that included Baroque, Romantic, and modern repertoire. The afternoon’s highlight was the reprise of Frank Wiley’s Labyrinths (2017) for clarinet, viola, percussion, three organs, five solo women’s voices, and supporting vocal ensemble, written for Paukert and premiered last January. [Read more…]

No Exit at SPACES Gallery (Sept. 30)

by

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…]

Arts Renaissance Tremont: violinist Jinjoo Cho with pianist Hyun Soo Kim (October 1)

by

by Daniel Hathaway

Cho-&-KimArts Renaissance Tremont welcomed back an old friend, violinist Jinjoo Cho, to open its 27th season at Pilgrim United Church of Christ on Sunday, October 1. Pianist Hyun Soo Kim joined her in a well-chosen and varied two-hour program of sonatas and character pieces by Beethoven, Fauré, Chausson, Tchaikovsky, and Saint-Saëns. [Read more…]

Cleveland Orchestra opens Centennial Season with Vixen redux and stunning Rite of Spring (September 26 & 28)

by

by Daniel Hathaway

Vixen-Perf-FarmyardWhat a week at Severance Hall! On Tuesday, September 26, The Cleveland Orchestra’s revival of Leoš Janáček’s opera The Cunning Little Vixen received its third and final performance, and two days later, Franz Welser-Möst returned to the podium to lead the Orchestra in a spellbinding performance of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. [Read more…]

Akron Symphony opens season with “The Slavic Soul” (September 23)

by

by Daniel Hathaway

Rymer-TonyMusic by Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, and Dvořák gave the Akron Symphony audience a window into “The Slavic Soul” in both its Russian and Czech manifestations on Saturday evening, September 23 in E.J. Thomas Hall. At the center of the program was a brilliant performance of Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto led by Music Director Christopher Wilkins and featuring the young Boston cellist Tony Rymer — although the composer might well have named the work “Concerto for Cello, Horn, and Orchestra,” so prominent a role that brass instrument plays in the piece. [Read more…]

Simultaneous organ recitals by Isabelle Demers & James Higdon on opposite sides of Fairmount (Sep. 24)

by

by Daniel Hathaway

DemersConflicts abound in Northeast Ohio’s concert schedule, but not so often do two enticing organ recitals take place at the same hour right across the street from one another. Given the choice of Isabelle Demers’ recital at Fairmount Presbyterian and James Higdon’s all-Alain program at St. Paul’s on September 24, what to do? I decided to catch part of both programs. [Read more…]

Ars Organi at St. Paul’s, Cleveland Heights: Christie reveals secrets of the Italian organ (Sep. 19)

by

by Daniel Hathaway

Christie-James-DavidFor his contribution to the Ars Organi Festival at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights on September 19, Oberlin professor James David Christie was charged with demonstrating the eloquent musical possibilities of the North Italian-style Baroque organ built by Gerhard Hradetzky in 1986 for the rear gallery of the nave. Not only did he place the instrument in its historical-liturgical context — with the help of Steven Plank and a group of women’s voices from the Oberlin Collegium Musicum — but he went far beyond a history lesson to show how delightful music by nine composers of the period can be when matched up with the right instrument. [Read more…]

Tuesday Music Celebrates 130 years (Sept. 16)

by

by Mike Telin

Mndoyants1Founded in Akron in 1887 by a group of young women who wanted to share their love of music, what was then known as the Tuesday Musical Club quickly evolved into an organization that presented public recitals and held afternoon study groups for club members. Early on, events were held in private homes as well as in churches and other public spaces. On Saturday, September 16 at E.J. Thomas Hall, Tuesday Musical Association celebrated its 130 years as an anchor arts institution in Northeast Ohio in style. An engaging lineup of performances showcased the venerable organization’s many programs and collaborations. [Read more…]

BlueWater Chamber Orchestra at the Breen with Mark Kosower & Ken Johnston (Sep. 17)

by

by Daniel Hathaway

BluewaterBreenStageAfter BlueWater Chamber Orchestra founder Carlton Woods’ untimely death in February, the Orchestra decided to continue with his plans for 2017-2018, calling on guest conductors and its own concertmaster to lead the new season’s programs. On Sunday afternoon, September 17 at the Breen Center in Ohio City, Octavio Más-Arocas led the ensemble in “The Captivating Cello,” and the captivating cellist was Cleveland Orchestra principal Mark Kosower. [Read more…]

Ars Organi at St. Paul’s, Cleveland Heights: two recitals by Jaroslav Tůma (Sep. 15 & 16)

by

by Daniel Hathaway

Tuma-JaroslavKarel Paukert invited his longtime friend and fellow Czech organist Jaroslav Tůma to open his ambitious Ars Organi series at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights with two recitals last weekend. The purpose of the seven-event festival is to celebrate the church’s music program and its distinguished collection of keyboard instruments. On Friday evening, September 15, Tůma took each of those four instruments out for a spin, and on Saturday afternoon, September 16, demonstrated his command of the art of improvisation in an hour-long program of symphonic scope. [Read more…]

Follow ClevelandClassical.com

Contact us