by Daniel Hathaway
HAPPENING TODAY:
Four events begin tonight at 7:30. Violinist James Thompson (pictured) solos in Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending with BlueWater Chamber Orchestra in Rocky River, Les Délices presents 14th century avant-garde music in Hudson, Santtu-Matias Rouvali conducts The Cleveland Orchestra with violin soloist Stefan Jackiw, and Opera Western Reserve stages Verdi’s La Traviata in Youngstown.
And tonight at 8, Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project hosts Drew Wesely and Uno Lady at Calicchia Gallery Studio.
For details of these and other upcoming events, visit our Concert Listings.
TODAY’S ALMANAC:
by Jarrett Hoffman
On her designated feast day, pour one out for St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music and musicians. Among those musicians born on this date in history is Benjamin Britten (1913 in Lowestoft, Suffolk, England), who wrote his 1942 Hymn to St. Cecilia in her honor (sung here by the ensemble VOCES8) on a text by W. H. Auden, who was for a time a frequent collaborator and important influence — artistically, intellectually, and as a fellow gay man.
Several pieces written in honor of that patron saint have been premiered on this date in history. From the pen of Henry Purcell, we have Hail! bright Cecilia, performed here by the Belgian Vox Luminis ensemble and the B’Rock Orchestra led by Lionel Meunier at the Concertgebouw Brugge in 2019. And from Charles Gounod, there’s the 1855 St. Cecilia Mass (follow the score here along with a performance by Barbara Hendricks, Jean-Philippe Lafont, and Laurence Dale with the Choeurs de Radio-France and Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique, led by Georges Pretre).
Moving into different territory, some have wondered whether the famous Simon & Garfunkel song Cecilia is a reference to the saint — the lyrics a metaphor for the fleeting nature of inspiration in songwriting. The more obvious take is that Cecilia is an unreliable lover. Then again, others claim that it’s merely about Paul Simon’s dog Cecilia.
And when you get that deep into parsing out the meaning of a song, you know it’s time to move on.
