by Daniel Hathaway
On the Ides of February, when the mercury is hovering low, and your vehicle is encrusted in road salt, there’s no more pleasant pastime than thinking ahead to the lazy, hazy days of summer. The Cleveland Orchestra is thinking ahead too: details of their Blossom Festival concerts, their third season of Summers@Severance performances, their collaboration with the Cleveland International Piano Competition, and their August European Festival Tour have recently been released. Here’s what’s going to happen.
BLOSSOM FESTIVAL
As always, The Cleveland Orchestra will be the main attraction in July and August, but guest artists will include The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma, a performance of the symphonic version of The Who’s rock opera Quadrophenia by the Blossom Festival Orchestra, and the conductorless Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in a performance of four of J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. The 2016 festival will also mark the centennial of the National Park Service, which Cuyahoga Valley National Park officially joined in 2000. Program details follow.
* Denotes fireworks following the concert, weather permitting.
**Cleveland Orchestra debut
***Blossom Festival Debut
Saturday, July 2, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.*
Sunday, July 3, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.*
The Cleveland Orchestra
Johannes Debus, conductor
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Scheherazade
SHOSTAKOVICH Suite for Variety Orchestra, No. 1
TCHAIKOVSKY “1812” Overture
Monday, July 4, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.*
Blossom Festival Band
Loras John Schissel, conductor
A Salute to America featuring a mix of patriotic Sousa marches, Broadway favorites, and an Armed Forces Salute, ending with Tchaikovsky’s “1812” Overture and fireworks.
Saturday, July 9, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.*
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
THOMAS ADÈS Overture, Waltz, and Finale from Powder Her Face
RICHARD STRAUSS Death and Transfiguration
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”)
Saturday, July 16, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Michael Francis, conductor**
David Fung, piano**
EDWARD ELGAR Introduction and Allegro for String Quartet and Orchestra
WOLFGANG AMADÈ MOZART Piano Concerto No. 21
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Symphony No. 2 (“A London Symphony”)
Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Bramwell Tovey, conductor
Javier Perianes, piano**
MAURICE RAVEL Rapsodie espagnole
AARON COPLAND Suite from Appalachian Spring
MAURICE RAVEL Piano Concerto in G major
GEORGE GERSHWIN An American in Paris
Celebrating the National Park Service Centennial
Saturday, July 23, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Jahja Ling, conductor
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
IGOR STRAVINSKY Four Norwegian Moods
EDVARD GRIEG Piano Concerto
JAN SIBELIUS Symphony No. 1
Sunday, July 24, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Michael Krajewski, conductor
Capathia Jenkins, soprano
A tribute to the most memorable music of the movies, including Titanic, Back to the Future, Goldfinger, & Star Wars.
Saturday, July 30, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.*
The Cleveland Orchestra
Hans Graf, conductor
Pinchas Zukerman, violin
with the Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra
PAUL HINDEMITH Overture to Cupid and Psyche
WOLFGANG AMADÉ MOZART Violin Concerto No. 5 (“Turkish”)
PYOTR TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 6 (“Pathétique”)
Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Brett Mitchell performs at 7:00 p.m. The Cleveland Orchestra’s concert (program listed above) begins at 8:00 p.m.
The Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra will join The Cleveland Orchestra for a side-by-side performance of the Tchaikovsky Symphony.
Sunday, July 31, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Jack Everly, conductor
Michael Feinstein, vocalist
Michael Feinstein’s Broadway: hits and classic songs by Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and others.
Sunday, August 7, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Nicholas McGegan, conductor
Jeffrey Rathbun, oboe
JOSEPH HAYDN Symphony No. 99
ARTHUR BENJAMIN Divertimento on Themes by Gluck
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 3 (“Scottish”)
Saturday, August 13, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.
Silk Road Ensemble
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
This eclectic group brings together distinguished musicians, composers, and performing artists from more than 20 countries around the world to celebrate, explore, and experiment with a wide variety of cultural approaches to musical performances.
Saturday, August 20, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.
Blossom Festival Orchestra
Robert Ziegler, conductor***
Alfie Boe, tenor***
Blossom Festival Chorus
Pete Townshend’s “classical” 17-song version of The Who’s second rock opera, Classic Quadrophennia.
Saturday, August 27, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra***
J.S. BACH Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 2, 3, 5 & 6
Saturday, September 3, 2016 at 8:30 p.m.*
Sunday, September 4, 2016 at 8:30 p.m.*
The Cleveland Orchestra
Brett Mitchell, conductor
Movie Night: Raiders of the Lost Ark (35th Anniversary Celebration) shown on the big screen with John Williams’s score performed live by The Cleveland Orchestra.
SUMMERS@SEVERANCE
This popular trio of in-town Friday evenings will again offer drinks and refreshments on the patio before and after 7:00 pm performances by The Cleveland Orchestra. There’s a new wrinkle this summer: the series will incorporate the final round of the Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition, presented by the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and The Cleveland Orchestra. This year is devoted to pianists. Three young artists, ages 13-18, will play full concertos with Jahja Ling and the Orchestra. The schedule follows.
Friday, July 8, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Lauren Snouffer, soprano
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
BÉLA BARTÓK Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta
Johannes BRAHMS A German Requiem
Friday, July 22, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
Cooper International Piano Competition
The Cleveland Orchestra
Jahja Ling, conductor
Live Finals of the 2016 Thomas and Evon Cooper International Piano Competition. Program will be announced the evening of the concert. The three finalists of the 2016 Thomas and Evon Cooper International Piano Competition will compete for a total of $40,000 in cash prizes. The winner will be announced at the conclusion of the evening.
Presented in partnership with Oberlin Conservatory of Music, this competition will be broadcast live on WCLV 104.9 FM.
Friday, August 12, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Bernard Labadie, conductor
Karina Gauvin, soprano
Michael Sachs, trumpet
WOLFGANG AMADÉ MOZART Chaconne from Idomeneo
J.S. BACH Cantata No. 51
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL “Let the Bright Seraphim” from Samson
MOZART Symphony No. 29
CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
Now held every three years, the final rounds of the 2016 edition of CIPC will feature four pianists, ages 18-30, in complete performances of concertos over two evenings. The Cleveland Orchestra will be led by Bramwell Tovey, and the concerts will be carried live over WCLV, 104.9 FM, and wclv.com. Winners will be announced following the second concert.
Friday, August 5, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 6, 2016 at 8:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Bramwell Tovey, conductor
Performers will be announced following the first phase of the finals, a chamber music round with the Escher Quartet at the Cleveland Museum of Art on August 2 & 3 at 7:00 p.m.
EUROPEAN FESTIVALS TOUR
In mid-August, The Cleveland Orchestra will pack its bags and head to Austria and Switzerland for a five-concert tour of European festivals in Salzburg, Grafenegg, and Lucerne. Fans of the ensemble who are planning their own European excursions in August should consider planning their itineraries to include hearing the Orchestra abroad.
SALZBURG. AUSTRIA
Thursday, August 18, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.
Grosses Festspielhaus
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Leila Josefowicz, violin
THOMAS ADÈS Overture, Waltz, and Finale from Powder Her Face
THOMAS ADÈS Concentric Paths (for violin and orchestra)
RICHARD STRAUSS Symphonia domestica
Friday, August 19, 2016 at 9:00 p.m.
Grosses Festspielhaus
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Anja Harteros, soprano
BÉLA BARTÓK Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta
RICHARD STRAUSS Death and Transfiguration
RICHARD STRAUSS Four Last Songs
GRAFENEGG. AUSTRIA
Saturday, August 20, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
Wolkenturm
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Leila Josefowicz, violin
THOMAS ADÈS Overture, Waltz, and Finale from Powder Her Face
THOMAS ADÈS Concentric Paths (for violin and orchestra)
RICHARD STRAUSS Symphonia domestica
Sunday, August 21, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
Wolkenturm
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Luba Orgonášová, soprano
BÉLA BARTÓK Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta
RICHARD STRAUSS Death and Transfiguration
RICHARD STRAUSS Four Last Songs
LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND
Wednesday, August 24, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.
Kultur und Kongresszentrum Luzern
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
BÉLA BARTÓK Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”)
Severance Hall and Blossom photos by Roger Mastroianni.
Published on ClevelandClassical.com February 16, 2016.
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