Filjak & Youn

August 8, 2009 by Special to ClevelandClassical.com

Finalists Martina Filjak and William Youn - photo Sam Hubish

You’ll find Dan Hathaway’s interview with tonight’s finalists, Martina Filjak and William Youn on Cleveland Classical.com.

About Special to ClevelandClassical.com

Oberlin Opera stages its second La finta giardiniera in a decade (Mar. 9)

by Daniel Hathaway

The COVID pandemic has played with our concept of the passage of time so greatly that when Oberlin Opera announced it was staging Wolfgang Amadé Mozart’s La finta giardiniera in March, many of us said to ourselves: Didn’t they just perform that piece recently?

No, it’s been ten years since Jonathan Field’s outsized rabbits lock-stepped across the Hall Auditorium stage, adding another layer of absurdity to an already harebrained plot.

The opera centers on the pretend garden-girl of the title, Violante. Having been stabbed and left for dead by her jealous lover, Count Belfiore, Violante is still in love with him and seeks him out. She and her servant Roberto take up fake identities (under the names Sandrina and Nardo, respectively) as gardeners at the estate of the Podestà (a type of mayor). A love heptagon ensues, involving those mentioned plus the Podestà’s housekeeper (Serpetta), niece (Arminda), and niece’s ex-lover (Don Ramiro). [Read on…]

Cleveland Women’s Orchestra celebrates 90 years at Severance (Mar. 30)

by Stephanie Manning

Of the many orchestra performances held at Severance Music Center in a given year, only one of them features a musician roster made up entirely of women. This brief break from the status quo comes courtesy of the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra, which has been performing in the space now known as Mandel Concert Hall for 90 years.

Closing out the final weekend of Women’s History Month, the longest-running women’s orchestra in the country marked its 90th anniversary with its annual celebration concert. Music director Eric Benjamin led the program on March 30, which leaned traditional with plenty of orchestral standards.

The group’s strengths showed brightest in the peppy music that bookended the program. Shostakovich’s Festive Overture opened the concert on a strong note with even tempos, a healthy group sound, and satisfying bass drum hits. Benjamin’s conducting was attentive, but not micromanaging. [Read on…]

See all reviews

About Special to ClevelandClassical.com

Follow ClevelandClassical.com

Contact us