by Daniel Hathaway
Although the rest of The Cleveland Orchestra’s 2019-2020 season has been cancelled due to the pandemic, hope springs eternal. The Orchestra has now released details of its plans for Season 103 at Severance Hall, scheduled to begin in September. Here’s what patrons can look forward to.
The Cleveland Orchestra
2020-21 Season at Severance Hall
Thursday, September 17, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 19, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor, Yefim Bronfman, piano
STRAVINSKY Concerto in D (for strings)
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 2
SCRIABIN Symphony No. 2
Thursday, September 24, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.^
Sunday, September 27, 2020 at 3:00 p.m.^
Wednesday, September 30, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.*
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Wesley Collins, viola
Lauren Snouffer, soprano
Daryl Freedman, mezzo-soprano
Julian Prégardien, tenor^
Matthew Plenk, tenor*
Peter Kellner, bass – Cleveland Orchestra debut
Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
Cleveland Orchestra Chamber Chorus
FELDMAN Rothko Chapel – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
MOZART Requiem
MOZART Ave verum corpus
Thursday, October 1, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, October 2, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
ADÈS Angel Symphony – U.S. Premiere
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 9
Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, November 6, 2020 at 11:00 a.m.
Saturday, November 7, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.
Edward Gardner, conductor – Cleveland Orchestra debut
Cédric Tiberghien, piano
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 7
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 21 (not on Friday)
BARTÓK Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin
Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, November 13, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 15, 2020 at 3:00 p.m.
Alan Gilbert, conductor
Kiera Duffy, soprano
Elizabeth DeShong, mezzo-soprano
Matthew Plenk, tenor
Raymond Aceto, bass
Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
UNSUK CHIN Puzzles and Games from Alice in Wonderland –
Cleveland Orchestra premiere
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9 (“Choral”)
Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, November 20, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. (Fridays@7)
Saturday, November 21, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.
Jakub Hrůša, conductor
Frank Peter Zimmermann, violin
DEUTSCH New Work – U.S. Premiere (not on Friday)
MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto
STRAUSS Also sprach Zarathustra
Friday, November 27, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 28, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 29, 2020 at 3:00 p.m.
Bernard Labadie, conductor
Jan Lisiecki, piano
HAYDN Overture to L’isola disabitata
MENDELSSOHN Piano Concerto No. 1
KRAUS Overture to Olympie – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 1
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, December 4, 2020 at 11:00 a.m.
Saturday, December 5, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.
John Adams, conductor
Jung-Min Amy Lee, violin
Víkingur Ólafsson, piano – Cleveland Orchestra debut
GABRIELLA SMITH Tumblebird Contrails – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
ADAMS Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes? (piano concerto) – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
PÄRT Fratres for Violin Solo, Strings, and Percussion (not on Friday)
REICH Three Movements for Orchestra (not on Friday)
Thursday, January 7, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 9, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 10, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Mark Kosower, cello
TCHAIKOVSKY Suite No. 3
PROKOFIEV Sinfonia Concertante for Cello and Orchestra
MAGNARD Hymne à Vénus – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, January 15, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Yuja Wang, piano
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 6
RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 1
DVOŘÁK A Hero’s Song [Heldenlied] – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Reinberger Chamber Hall
Alisa Weilerstein, cello
J.S. BACH Complete Solo Cello Suites
Thursday, February 4, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 5, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 6, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Mikhail Jurowski, conductor
Alisa Weilerstein, cello
SHOSTAKOVICH Cello Concerto No. 2
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4
Thursday, February 11, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 13, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Fabio Luisi, conductor
Peter Otto, violin
WALTON Violin Concerto
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2
Thursday, February 18, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 20, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Thomas Adès, conductor – Cleveland Orchestra debut
Igor Levit, piano
JANÁČEK Taras Bulba
PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 1
JANÁČEK The Fiddler’s Child [Dorfgeigers Kind] – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
ADÈS Asyla
Thursday, February 25, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 26, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. (Fridays@7, no Deutsch)
Saturday, February 27, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
DEUTSCH Intensity (for orchestra) [World premiere]
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 7
GRIEG Piano Concerto
Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Martin Grubinger, percussion – Cleveland Orchestra debut
CORIGLIANO Conjurer (concerto for percussion and string orchestra) – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
KORNGOLD Symphony in F sharp – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 12, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. (no Britten)
Saturday, March 13, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Julia Fischer, violin
BRITTEN Violin Concerto No. 1
PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 5
Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 19, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 20, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Daniel Harding, conductor – Cleveland Orchestra debut
Antoine Tamestit, viola – Cleveland Orchestra debut
WIDMANN Viola Concerto – U.S. premiere
STRAUSS Eine Alpensinfonie [An Alpine Symphony]
Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 3, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, violin
CONNESSON Flammenschrift – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 1
MAHLER Symphony No. 1 (“Titan”)
Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 10, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 11, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Semyon Bychkov, conductor
Tamara Wilson, soprano
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano
Stuart Skelton, tenor
Jan Martiník, bass – Cleveland Orchestra debut
Paul Jacobs, organ
Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
ANDERSON New Work – U.S. Premiere (Co-commission with BBC Proms and Munich Philharmonic)
JANÁČEK Glagolitic Mass
Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 16, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. (no organ concerto)
Friday, April 16, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.=
Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Ton Koopman, conductor and organ
BACH Suite No. 4
HAYDN Organ Concerto in C major – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
HAYDN Symphony No. 98
Thursday, April 22, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 23, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. (Fridays@7, no Beethoven)
Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Garrick Ohlsson, piano
Joela Jones, piano and organ
Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
BEETHOVEN Overture to King Stephen
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 4
OLIVER “Special Seasons and Services” – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
HATTON “O God, Beneath Thy Guiding Hand” – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
ROOT “Shining Shore” – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
ANON. “Good Night, Ladies” – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
BISHOP “Home, Sweet Home” – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
IVES A Symphony: New England Holidays
Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 30, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. (no Medtner)
Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Vasily Petrenko, conductor – Cleveland Orchestra subscription concerts debut
Nikolai Lugansky, piano – Cleveland Orchestra debut
MEDTNER Piano Concerto No. 3 – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 8
Thursday, May 6, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 7, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 8, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Lahav Shani, conductor – Cleveland Orchestra debut
Lisa Batiashvili, violin – Severance Hall debut
BLOCH Winter-Spring: Two Poems for Orchestra
SZYMANOWSKI Violin Concerto No. 1
STRAVINSKY Le sacre du printemps [The Rite of Spring]
Thursday, May 13, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 21, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. (no Ligeti)
Saturday, May 15, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Leila Josefowicz, violin
STRAUSS Don Juan
LIGETI Violin Concerto
STRAUSS Macbeth – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks
Saturday, May 22, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 27, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 30, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Fabio Sartori, tenor (Otello) – Cleveland Orchestra debut
Krassimira Stoyanova, soprano (Desdemona) – Cleveland Orchestra debut
Simon Keenlyside, baritone (Iago) – Role debut
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano (Emilia)
Pene Pati, tenor (Cassio) – Cleveland Orchestra debut
Jonas Hacker, tenor (Roderigo)
Anthony Schneider, bass (Lodovico)
Jeffrey Mattsey, bass (Montano) – Cleveland Orchestra debut
Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus
VERDI Otello
Opera in-concert presentation sung in Italian with projected supertitles.
Outsiders Festival 1 • Friday, May 28, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Iveta Apkalna, organ – Cleveland Orchestra debut
IVES From the Steeples and the Mountains
SHOSTAKOVICH Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District: Passacaglia (solo organ) – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
GUBAIDULINA Light and Dark (solo organ) – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
GLASS (arr. M. Riesman) Satyagraha, Act III: Finale (solo organ) – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
SCHWERTSIK Herr K. entdeckt Amerika – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
BARBER Toccata Festiva (for organ and orchestra)
Outsiders Festival 2 • Saturday, May 29, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Latonia Moore, soprano – Cleveland Orchestra Debut
ADAMS Common Tones in Simple Time – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
WALKER Lilacs – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
GUBAIDULINA Light of the End – Cleveland Orchestra premiere
All programs, artists, and prices are subject to change.
