by Robert Rollin
On Saturday evening, August 5, The Cleveland Orchestra played an excellent, all-Tchaikovsky concert at Blossom under guest conductor Robert Trevino. The evening’s high point was a magnificent performance by the young Uzbekistani pianist Behzod Abduraimov of the First Concerto. [Read more…]
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 Samantha Spaccasi
The lawn and pavilion of Blossom Music Center hosted an immense crowd on the evening of July 29 for The Cleveland Orchestra’s performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 with pianist David Fray, and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, skillfully conducted by Vasily Petrenko. [Read more…]
by Daniel Hathaway
Proving that concerts don’t need to be two hours long to be completely satisfying, Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki, French pianist Bertrand Chamayou, and The Cleveland Orchestra delighted a large crowd at the second Summers@Severance concert on Friday, July 28 with one concerto and one symphony. [Read more…]
by Samantha Spaccasi
The strong connections on Soulmates — the newest recording from clarinetist Amitai Vardi, cellist Uri Vardi, and pianist Arnon Erez — are evidenced by the group’s communication and cohesiveness. Featuring Beethoven’s Trio in B-flat, Jan Radzynski’s Concert Duos, and Brahms’s Trio in A, the CD is a multifaceted exploration of engaging chamber works, played with vivacity, elegance, and poise. [Read more…]
by Daniel Hathaway
The fifth and final faculty concert of the 2017 Kent/Blossom Music Festival in Kent’s Ludwig Concert Hall on Wednesday evening, July 26, contrasted bracing 20th century music for wind duo with a heartwarming Romantic cello sonata. Oboist Frank Rosenwein, bassoonist Barrick Stees, and cellist Richard Weiss stepped out of their normal roles in The Cleveland Orchestra for the occasion, joined by KSU professor Jerry Wong, who contributed refreshingly varied mini-sonatas for solo piano. [Read more…]
by Kelly Ferjutz
Special to ClevelandClassical.com
George Gershwin wrote the music for the English premiere of Primrose, catering to the British type of lyric theater —very different from the American. It’s a charming work, but has been hampered by being thought of as ‘too British’ for American sensitivities. Humbug!
by Timothy Robson
Gian Carlo Menotti’s 1950 cold-war era opera The Consul received a strong performance on July 21 by the Nightingale Opera Theatre at the intimate Barlow Community Center theater in Hudson. [Read more…]
by Daniel Hathaway
On Friday evening, July 21, Severance Hall was the final destination for Christina Jihee Nam, Qing Yu Chen, and Johan Dalene, the three young violinists left standing in Oberlin’s Thomas and Evon Cooper International Violin Competition. Their efforts over the last week won them the signal honor of playing concertos with Jahja Ling and The Cleveland Orchestra. [Read more…]
by Samantha Spaccasi
It was hot and humid on the evening of July 22, but that didn’t stop concertgoers from flocking to Blossom Music Center to hear the Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra and The Cleveland Orchestra. [Read more…]