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Re•Views

Nicole Keller & friends inaugurate restored organ at Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus (Oct. 22)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Keller-SchulkeTwo days after welcoming CityMusic Cleveland and John Corigliano for a concert in its nave, the Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus inaugurated its recently-restored William Schuelke Organ with a concert by organist Nicole Keller, assisted by two of her Baldwin Wallace Conservatory colleagues — flutist Sean Gabriel and violinist Julian Ross. Keller’s well-planned, beautifully executed program put the 1910 organ through an engaging shakedown cruise that showed its basic character and its range of capabilities. [Read more…]

Les Délices goes Italian (Oct. 22)

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by Mike Telin

Andrijeski-JulieTry as he did, even Louis XIV’s edicts on style and taste could not suppress the cross-pollination of the “refined” music of late-17th and early-18th century French musicians with that of the more “flashy” Italians. This past weekend, Les Délices, the always-creative and musically polished French Baroque ensemble, opened their season with two performances of a program titled “Inspired by Italy.” I heard Sunday afternoon’s concert in the Herr Chapel at Plymouth Church. [Read more…]

CityMusic Cleveland with Tessa Lark at Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus (Oct. 20)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Corigliano-Lark-StIn an unusual example of regifting, Avner Dorman and CityMusic Cleveland bestowed an early 80th-birthday present on John Corigliano on Friday evening, October 20 at the Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus: a performance of his own ‘Red Violin’ Concerto, the solo part commandingly played by Tessa Lark. The composer flew in from New York for the occasion and gave some introductory notes from the church’s ornate pulpit. [Read more…]

Lou Harrison Centennial at the Cleveland Museum of Art (Oct. 20)

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by Timothy Robson

Harrison-MITAmerican composer Lou Harrison (1917-2003) studied with Arnold Schoenberg and Henry Cowell, but followed his own creative path, strongly influenced by Asian music, especially the gamelan music of Java (now a part of Indonesia). In celebration of Harrison’s 100th anniversary, the Cleveland Museum of Art presented a concert of his music on Friday, October 20 in Gartner Auditorium. The evening featured radiant performances by the MIT-based Gamelan Galak Tika, founded and directed by composer Evan Ziporyn. [Read more…]

Tuesday Musical: Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble (Oct. 19)

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by Nicholas Stevens

AcademyStMartinChamberEnsIn the ten seconds that conclude the first movement of Antonín Dvořák’s Sextet in A, the world outside falls away. The players must sing out the first theme at full volume, slowing as though crossing a finish line—then, a moment of gut-wrenching tension gives way to a fading sunset of a chord. A merely excellent ensemble might pull out all the stops here. Yet the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble, being the first-rate group of musicians they long have been, keep this moment incandescent while maintaining a sense of larger-scale trajectory. [Read more…]

Cleveland Classical Guitar Society: Celil Refik Kaya at Plymouth (Oct. 14)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Cecil-Rafik-kayaTurkish guitarist Celil Refik Kaya opened the new Cleveland Classical Guitar Society Series with elegant performances of music by Giuliani, J.S. Bach, Granados, Morel and Rodrigo, including a piece by the guitarist himself, on Saturday evening, October 14 at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights. Kaya warmed up his audience with a fluent reading of Mauro Giuliani’s Sonata Eroica. [Read more…]

Cleveland Chamber Music Society: Danish String Quartet at Plymouth (Oct. 10)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Danish-SQWhat’s a string quartet to do when their cellist is running late for a concert? Vamp until ready, of course. Before their October 10 debut on the Cleveland Chamber Music Society Series, Danish String Quartet violist Asbjørn Nørgaard and violinist Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen entertained the audience at Plymouth Church with an informative little off-the-cuff pre-concert lecture, charmingly laced with dry Danish humor and musical examples. [Read more…]

Brahms, Schubert & Schumann on Chagrin Series opener (October 15)

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by Robert Rollin

ChagrinPianoQuartetLast Sunday afternoon, October 15, the Chagrin Concert Series presented an exceptional concert of romantic music at Valley Lutheran Church in Chagrin Falls. The highlight was a magnificent performance of Johannes Brahms’s f-minor Piano Quintet, Op. 34. The Allegro non troppo begins with a powerful unison statement. Soon pianist Sungeun Kim’s energetic playing commanded the foreground, as the strings periodically emerged to double her. [Read more…]

Canton Symphony opens 80th Season with ravishing virtuosity & power (Oct. 14)

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by Tom Wachunas

Roth-LaurenIn his program comments celebrating the 80th season of the Canton Symphony Orchestra, Music Director Gerhardt Zimmermann wrote, “Why do I love conducting this wonderful orchestra?…The CSO is that rare gem of orchestras that conductors seek to make music with. Their playing is committed, heartfelt, powerful, and above all, exciting.” For the season-opening concert on October 14, that rare gem dazzled with exceptional brilliance, beginning with Samuel Barber’s Essay For Orchestra No. 2, composed in 1942. [Read more…]

Apollo’s Fire: Handel’s Israel in Egypt at First Baptist, Shaker Heights (Oct. 13)

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by Daniel Hathaway

AF-Closeup-Orch-ChorusAt its premiere in 1739, Handel’s Biblical oratorio Israel in Egypt was almost entirely made up of choruses. Even in the composer’s revision, minus the opening lament and with Italian arias added, the work is probably more rewarding to sing than to listen to. Enter Jeannette Sorrell, who decided to restore part of the introduction that Handel lopped off, and to bring the rest of the piece down to under two hours in length. Her version made a fine impression on Friday evening, when Sorrell led Apollo’s Fire, Apollo’s Singers, and five extraordinary soloists in a leaner Israel in Egypt at First Baptist Church in Shaker Heights. [Read more…]

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