by Jarrett Hoffman
BLOSSOM 2021:
Following a year’s hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, The Cleveland Orchestra has announced the return of Blossom Music Festival for 2021. The lineup currently includes eleven concerts running from July 3 to September 5 at Blossom Music Center, presented in accordance with local, state, and federal health guidelines. Subscriptions are now on sale, and individual tickets will be available beginning on May 3.
Read the press release for details about health and safety protocols, subscription options, the Under 18s Free program, and the cancellation of two previously announced movie concerts. And find the festival calendar below — but note that additional repertoire and guest artists will be announced in May.
AN AMERICAN CELEBRATION
Saturday, July 3, 2021 at 8:00 p.m.*
*with fireworks
The Cleveland Orchestra
Brett Mitchell, conductor
Program to include:
Copland, Suite from Appalachian Spring
Tchaikovksy, 1812 Overture
Sousa, Stars and Stripes Forever
MOZART IN THE MEADOWS
Sunday, July 11, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Dame Jane Glover, conductor (Blossom Music Festival debut)
Program to include:
Mozart, Symphony No. 40
THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK: Gershwin and Ellington
Sunday, July 18, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Lucas Waldin, conductor
Capathia Jenkins, vocalist
Program to include:
Gershwin, Fascinating Rhythm
Ellington, Satin Doll
Kern, All the Things You Are
Gershwin, The Man I Love
Gershwin, Summertime
FROM THE NEW WORLD
Sunday, July 25, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Rafael Payare, conductor (Cleveland Orchestra debut)
Program to include:
Dvořák, Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”)
BEETHOVEN’S SEVENTH SYMPHONY
Sunday, August 1, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Herbert Blomstedt, conductor
Program to include:
Beethoven, Symphony No. 7
CLASSICAL MYSTERY TOUR: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES
Sunday, August 8, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Martin Herman, conductor (Cleveland Orchestra debut)
with Classical Mystery Tour
TCHAIKOVSKY’S FOURTH
Sunday, August 15, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Karina Canellakis, conductor (Cleveland Orchestra debut)
Program to include:
Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4
ROMANTIC BRAHMS
Sunday, August 22, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Jahja Ling, conductor
Program to include:
Brahms, Symphony No. 3
ENIGMA VARIATIONS
Saturday, August 28, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Elim Chan, conductor (Cleveland Orchestra debut)
Program to include:
Elgar, Enigma Variations
HOLLYWOOD UNDER THE STARS
Saturday, September 4, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 5, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Richard Kaufman, conductor
TODAY ON THE WEB:
Off to London and New York today. Wigmore Hall kicked off the morning — at least over here in Eastern Time — with a concert by Benjamin Appl and pianist James Baillieu, and will follow up this afternoon with pianist Imogen Cooper (both will be available on demand for 30 days). NYC brings us the Met Opera’s nightly stream (Massenet’s Cendrillon), CMS Lincoln Center’s exploration of Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, and a program focusing on “The Art of the 21st Century Trombone” from Cutting Edge Concerts. Details in Musical America’s streaming guide.
TODAY’S ALMANAC:
The Amati are one of the most important families of luthiers in the history of the violin, and on this date in 1684, the greatest instrument maker in that family, Nicola Amati, died in Cremona, Italy. Some say that his instruments, particularly the larger and wider “Grand Pattern” ones, were known for producing more power in their tone. On the other hand, the Smithsonian Institution describes the instruments as beautiful and penetrating in their sound, though not powerful. Have a look at one of the instruments in the possession of the National Museum of American History here, and watch a short demonstration of both an Amati and a copy on YouTube.
And Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé was born on this date in 1933. A beautiful summary of her life and career can be found in her 2018 obituary by Margalit Fox in The New York Times, in which Fox describes her as “among the last of the old-time prima donnas for the transcendent purity of her voice, the sweeping breadth of her repertory and the delirious adulation of her fans…” Here’s a pairing to show off her beautiful voice in two very different contexts: “O mio babbino caro” from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, and the single “Barcelona” from the album of the same name, a collaboration with Freddie Mercury.
Blossom photo by Roger Mastroianni