by Daniel Hathaway
On Sunday, May 23, The Cleveland Orchestra announced its return to live concerts at Severance Hall in October, as “a more flexible, innovative, versatile, and empathetic institution, strengthened by the lessons of the past 14 months.”
Music Director Franz Welser-Möst, who begins his 20th season with the Orchestra this fall, commented on the planning process for the new season. “We are in a constant state of exploration, there’s an infinite number of options and combinations of how you put together a season, which is fun and exciting.”
Chief Artistic Officer Mark Williams wrote, “It’s been empowering to embrace meaningful conversations about incorporating voices especially from people of color and women. Going forward, I’m encouraged that the strides we’ve made in realizing this season will become a template for the future.”
Among the highlights of the season, Welser-Möst will conduct first performances of four co-commissioned works: a cello concerto by Joan Tower (October 14 & 17) featuring Alisia Weilerstein, a new work by Hans Abrahamsen (January 6-8), Bernd Richard Deutsch’s Intensity für Orchester (January 13-15), and the U.S. premiere of Thomas Adès’s The Exterminating Angel Symphony (March 10 & 12).
The season will also feature performances of music by George Walker, who graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory in 1941 at the age of 18. The Orchestra had previously given the first performance of his commissioned work, Dialogues for Cello and Orchestra in 1976, and programmed his Antifonys on the debut episode of The Cleveland Orchestra: In Focus on its Adella streaming platform last season. In 20021-2022, the Orchestra will perform his Sinfonias No. 4 (“Strands”) and No. 5 (“Visions”), in addition to his 1996 Pulitzer Prize-winning Lilacs for Orchestra, which will feature soprano Latonia Moore in her Severance Hall debut.
Choral singing also returns to Severance Hall. The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus will perform Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem in the version for two pianos (October 28), appear in the annual Christmas Concerts with vocalist Capathia Jenkins in December, and join the Orchestra for two Psalms by Alexander Zemlinski (March 3, 4 & 5), and concert performances of Verdi’s Otello (May 21, 26 & 29).
The Verdi concerts, postponed from May of 2021, will feature tenor Michael König as Otello, soprano Tamara Wilson as his wife Desdemona, and baritone Christopher Maltman as Otello’s conniving and disloyal friend Iago. Welser-Möst has expanded the Otello performances into a festival, with evening performances on May 27 & 28 that explore music’s power to inspire and engage audiences, “whether written by a person of color or different religious beliefs, by someone challenging modern or historical expectations of gender or sexual identity, or across differing views of artistic beauty.”
The Orchestra will also resume its initiatives to attract younger patrons to its performances. By the time the novel coronavirus upset everyone’s plans in March of 2020, more than 20% of the Orchestra’s classical concert audience was made up of people 25 years old or younger. Before the establishment of the Center for Future Audiences, the figure was only 8%. The Center’s programs include Under 18s Free, Members Club, The Circle, Student Advantage Program, and Frequent Fan Cards, and more information is available on the Orchestra’s website.
The Cleveland Orchestra 2021-22 Severance Hall Season Calendar
Thursday, October 14, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 17, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor, Alisa Weilerstein, cello
RICHARD STRAUSS Macbeth, Symphonic Poem after Shakespeare’s Drama*
JOAN TOWER Cello Concerto ** *
SERGEI PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 5
Thursday, October 21, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 23, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
GEORGE WALKER Sinfonia No. 5: Visions*
ERICH KORNGOLD Symphony in F-sharp major*
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA CHORUS PROGRAM (not on subscription)
Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
Lisa Wong, conductor, Andrea Carroll, soprano*, Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
JOHANNES BRAHMS Ein deutsches Requiem (Two Piano Arrangement)
Thursday, November 4, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, November 5, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 6, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 7, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Jakub Hrůša, conductor, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello*
SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Ballade in A minor*
EDWARD ELGAR Cello Concerto
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 6
Thursday, November 11, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 13, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 14, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Semyon Bychkov, conductor, Tom Borrow, piano*
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK In Nature’s Realm
MAURICE RAVEL Piano Concerto in G major
PYOTR TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 1 (“Winter Dreams”)
Friday, November 26, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 27 at 8:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra, Gustavo Gimeno, conductor
Katia Labèque & Marielle Labèque, piano
MAURICE RAVEL Suite from Ma Mère l’Oye (“Mother Goose”)
BRYCE DESSNER Concerto for Two Pianos*
CÉSAR FRANCK Symphony in D minor
HOLIDAY Programs
Thursday, December 9, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, December 10, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra & Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
Brett Mitchell, conductor, Capathia Jenkins, vocalist*
Program to be announced
HOLIDAY Programs
Thursday, December 16, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, December 17, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 18, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 18, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra & Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
Brett Mitchell, conductor, Capathia Jenkins, vocalist
Program to be announced
Thursday, January 6, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, January 7, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor, Igor Levit, piano
ALFRED SCHNITTKE (K)ein Sommernachtstraum [(Not) a Midsummer Night’s Dream]
HANS ABRAHAMSEN New Work** *
JOHANNES BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 2
Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, January 14, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 15, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
WOLFGANG AMADÉ MOZART Symphony No. 36 (“Linz”)
OTTO ERICH DEUTSCH Intensity (for orchestra)**
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8
Thursday, February 3, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 6, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.
John Adams, conductor, Yuja Wang, piano
Steven Banks, saxophone*
GABRIELLA SMITH Tumblebird Contrails*
JOHN ADAMS Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?*
CARLOS SIMON Fate Now Conquers (Cleveland Orchestra premiere)
PHILIP GLASS Façades, from Glassworks (Cleveland Orchestra premiere)
STEVE REICH Three Movements for Orchestra
Thursday, February 10, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 11, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 12, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Herbert Blomstedt, conductor
CARL NIELSEN Symphony No. 4 (“The Inextinguishable”)
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5
Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 18, 2022 at 11:05 a.m.*
Saturday, February 19, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Stéphane Denève, conductor, Fatma Said, soprano (Cleveland Orchestra debut)
GUILLAUME CONNESSON Flammenschrift (“Writing with Fire”)**
MAURICE RAVEL Shéhérazade* (not on February 18)
GUSTAV MAHLER Symphony No. 1 (“Titan”)
Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 25, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 26, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor, Mitsuko Uchida, piano
ARNOLD SCHOENBERG Piano Concerto
ANTON BRUCKNER Symphony No. 9
Thursday, March 3, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 4, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 5, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
with Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
JOSEPH HAYDN Symphony No. 70*
ALEXANDER VON ZEMLINSKY Psalms 13 & 23*
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 5 (“Reformation”)
Reinberger Chamber Hall
Sunday, March 6, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.
Mark Padmore, tenor, Mitsuko Uchida, piano
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN An die Hoffnung, Resignation, Abendlied unterm gestirnten Himmel & An die ferne Geliebte
FRANZ SCHUBERT Schwanengesang
Thursday, March 10, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 11, 2022 at 11:05 a.m.*
Saturday, March 12, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor, Peter Otto, violin
THOMAS ADÈS The Exterminating Angel Symphony** (not on March 11)
WILLIAM WALTON Violin Concerto
JEAN SIBELIUS Symphony No. 5
Thursday, March 24, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 25, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.
Dame Jane Glover, conductor, Imogen Cooper, piano
BENJAMIN BRITTEN Suite on English Folk Tunes*
WOLFGANG AMADÉ MOZART Piano Concerto No. 22 & Symphony No. 38 (“Prague”)
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 8, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 10, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.
Alan Gilbert, conductor, Emanuel Ax, piano
LILI BOULANGER D’un matin de printemps (“On a Spring Morning”)*
FREDERIC CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2
UNSUK CHIN Rocaná for Orchestra*
CLAUDE DEBUSSY La Mer [The Sea]
Thursday, April 14, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 15, 2022 at 11:05 a.m.
Saturday, April 16, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
François-Xavier Roth, conductor, Christian Tetzlaff, violin
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto
BÉLA BARTÓK Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta
Thursday, April 21, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 22, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 23, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Klaus Mäkelä, conductor, Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, violin
JEAN SIBELIUS Violin Concerto
DIMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 10
Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor, Gautier Capuçon, cello
PYTOR TCHAIKOVSKY Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture & Variations on a Rococo Theme (for cello and orchestra)
GABRIEL FAURÉ Elegy (for cello and orchestra)
BENJAMIN BRITTEN Suite from The Prince of the Pagodas*
Thursday, May 12, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 14, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Friday, May 20 at 11:05 a.m.*
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
WOLFGANG RIHM Verwandlung II & III* (not on May 20)
FRANZ SCHUBERT Symphony No. 9 (“The Great”)
Opera Festival
Saturday, May 21, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 26, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 29, 2022 at 3:00 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Michael König, tenor (Otello) (Cleveland Orchestra debut), Tamara Wilson, soprano (Desdemona), Christopher Maltman, baritone (Iago), Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano (Emilia), Pene Pati, tenor (Cassio) (Cleveland Orchestra debut)
Cleveland Orchestra Chorus & Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus
GIUSEPPI VERDI Otello (complete opera)
Acts I & II
Acts III & IV
Festival Program I
Friday, May 27, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor, Latonia Moore, soprano*
JÜRI REINVERE Norilsk, the Daffodils*
GEORGE WALKER Lilacs for Voice and Orchestra*
SOFIA GUBAIDULINA Light of the End*
Festival Program II
Saturday, May 28, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor, Iveta Apkalna, organ*
Brass and Bells:
CHARLES IVES From the Steeples and the Mountains
Organ solo:
DIMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Passacaglia from Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District*
SOFIA GUBAIDULINA Light and Dark*
PHILIP GLASS Finale from Act III of Satyagraha*
Orchestra:
GEORGE WALKER Sinfonia No. 4: Strands*
SAMUEL BARBER Toccata Festiva (Organ & Orchestra)
Photo by Roger Mastroianni courtesy of The Cleveland Orchestra.
Published on ClevelandClassical.com May 18, 2021.
Click here for a printable copy of this article
