by Daniel Hathaway
NEWS BRIEFS:
Friends of the McGaffin Carillon in University Circle have announced that carillonneur George Leggiero will take its newly-restored and expanded fleet of bells on a test drive on Friday, June 13 at 12:15 Noon in a program of Baroque favorites (view the program here).
“The clavier (pictured) is connected mechanically to the clappers of each of the fifty-one bells, a hand lever for each of the bells, and foot levers for the lowest twenty-five. The bells have been hung on new framing that brings the smaller bells closer to the clavier. All of this makes for a quieter and more responsive action. The musicians will have an easier time bringing more subtle nuance to their performances.” The announcement notes that live streaming of carillon concerts will resume “at a future date.”
The Cleveland Orchestra has announced that, for the first time since 1957 and only the fourth time in its history, the ensemble will play a special summer concert at Cain Park. To be conducted by Anthony Parnther, the 2 pm performance on Wednesday, July 2nd, will celebrate the rich tapestry of American music” with works by Leonard Bernstein, Duke Ellington, Margaret Bonds, Florence Price, William Grant Still, and German-American composer Bernard Herrmann.
Free tickets can be ordered at the Cain Park Box Office beginning June 11, either by phone (216-371-3000) or by visiting the box office in person at 14591 Superior Rd. in Cleveland Heights. The box office is open Wednesday through Saturday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. There is a limit of eight tickets per patron.
TODAY’S ALMANAC:
On this date in 1813, Sir Arthur Wellesley, who later became the Duke of Wellington, drove the French army out of Spain near the Basque city of Vitoria, inspiring Ludwig van Beethoven to write his controversial “Battle Symphony,” Wellington’s Victory.
San Francisco commentator Robert Greenberg considers the status of Beethoven’s Op. 91 in his engagingly opinionated series, Music As a Mirror of History. Watch his talk here, and click here to watch a performance by Switzerland’s Argovia Philharmonic in the Old Riding School in Aarau.
And on June 12 in 1952, composer Scottish composer Oliver Knussen was born in Glasgow. Leila Josefowicz, who played his violin concerto with Susanna Mälkki and The Cleveland Orchestra a few seasons back, performed his Reflection during “Celebrating Olly,” an evening at London’s Royal Academy of Music that memorialized the late composer’s too-brief life in December, 2018.
As a conductor, Knussen made two recordings with The Cleveland Orchestra for Deutsche Grammophon. One of them features orchestral arrangements by Leopold Stokowski, including Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Click here to listen to the album on Spotify.
