DIARY: Wednesday, December 14, 2022

December 14, 2022 by Daniel Hathaway

by Daniel Hathaway

IN THIS EDITION:

. No auditions or rehearsals for this Messiah

. Rindfleisch’s music featured by ENCORE & Oberlin Opera Scenes, Act II

. Anniversaries of Il Trittico, Wozzeck & Barber’s Op. 11

TODAYS EVENTS:

Trinity Cathedral’s Messiah Sing is back for the first time since 2019. Today at Noon, bring, borrow, or rent a score and sing the Christmas portion of Handel’s celebrated oratorio with Todd Wilson, Trinity Chamber Orchestra, Cathedral soloists, and fellow chorus members.

Tonight at 7:30 the ENCORE Chamber Music Institute String Faculty, Jinjoo Cho, artistic director, with special guests Pat O’Keefe, clarinet and Shuai Wang, piano, celebrate the music of Andrew Rindfleisch, including the Phantasmagoria for string octet (commissioned by ENCORE), Quiet Music for solo cello, Two Pieces for violin and piano, Hallucinations for solo viola, and The Lunatic for bass clarinet. Free in Drinko Hall, Cleveland State University, 2100 Euclid Ave.

7:30 pm – Oberlin Opera Scenes II, an evening of opera scenes presented by the opera singers of the conservatory, goes live from The Birenbaum in The Hotel at Oberlin. Program to be announced. Free. Click here for live stream.

ALMANAC — DECEMBER 14 IN MUSIC HISTORY:

Let’s remember some first performance anniversaries today: Puccini’s Il Trittico (comprising Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi) at New York’s Metropolitan Opera on this date in 1918, Alban Berg’s Wozzeck in Berlin in 1925 after a whopping 137 rehearsals, and Samuel Barber’s String Quartet, Op. 11 in Rome by the Pro Arte Quartet in 1936.

Click here to enjoy a 2011 Royal Opera House production of Puccini’s madcap comedy, Gianni Schicchi, with Antonio Pappano in the pit and the family from hell onstage.

The quality isn’t terrific, but click here to hear what may be the only surviving recording of Wozzeck led by Eric Kleiber, who conducted its premiere. It dates from Covent Garden in 1953.

And it’s interesting to hear a much-appropriated piece in its original form and context. Click here to listen to the Barber Quartet performed by the Curtis Quartet in 1938. The slow movement has become the famous Adagio for Strings, but some think it’s more intense played by a quartet. Do you agree?

About Daniel Hathaway

Daniel Hathaway founded ClevelandClassical.com in September, 2008, after a thirty-one year tenure as music director of Cleveland’s Trinity Cathedral, where he founded the Wednesday Noon Brownbag Concert Series and Trinity Chamber Orchestra. A graduate of Harvard College and the Episcopal Divinity School, he also studied historical musicology at Princeton and Harvard Universities. Before coming to Cleveland in 1977, he served as head of humanities at the Sunset Hill School in Kansas City and as head of arts at Groton School in Massachusetts. In Cleveland, he has served on the music staff of Cleveland Opera, Great Lakes Theater Festival, and the faculty of Laurel School. As an organist, Hathaway has played recitals in the U.S., England, France, Germany, and Austria. He team-teaches Music Journalism at Oberlin College and Conservatory and is a member of the Music Critics Association of North America.

Apollo’s Fire delights in second decade of Praetorius’ Christmas Vespers (Dec. 18)

by Peter Feher

The German composer Michael Praetorius never had a Christmas hit on the level of, say, O Tannenbaum — an early version of which, circa 1600, is attributed to his contemporary Melchior Franck.

But in the 21st century, Praetorius has found seasonal success thanks to a team of savvy producers. Apollo’s Fire and artistic director Jeannette Sorrell have championed the composer for two decades now, fashioning his music into an enduring, historically informed holiday program. Christmas Vespers isn’t a single piece from the Praetorius catalog but rather a unique “best of” compilation that Cleveland’s Baroque orchestra unveiled in 2005 and last presented in 2015.

Who says a liturgical service can’t be popular? Apollo’s Fire once again drew sold-out crowds to church venues across Northeast Ohio with these concerts, including a packed Trinity Cathedral on Thursday evening, December 18. And for anyone who still can’t get enough Praetorius, the ensemble plans to release a video recording of the 2025 Trinity performances — not instead of, but in addition to, the group’s 2007 CD. [Read on…]

Burning River Brass opens Arts Renaissance Tremont season (Dec. 19)

by Kevin McLaughlin

Presented by Arts Renaissance Tremont, Burning River Brass’s annual Holiday Spectacular filled Pilgrim Congregational Church on Friday evening, December 19.

The handsome late 19th-century sanctuary rang with brass, and the season arrived. Many in the audience were regulars, a familiarity that showed in the musicians’ ease onstage — the kind of exchange that gives these concerts an enduring appeal.

Trumpeter Heather Zweifel helped set the tone with spoken introductions that were relaxed, conversational, and disarming. More than an emcee, she shaped the evening’s pace and sense of welcome, guiding listeners through the program with an ease that mirrored the ensemble’s assured playing.

Introductions revealed the players’ far-flung origins — New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Michigan, anchored by a strong Cleveland core — but the playing suggested long acquaintance. [Read on…]

Christmas with Cantus at Tuesday Musical (Nov. 30)

by Peter Feher

Tuesday Musical gave Akron audiences a generous Christmas gift this year. The presenter tied three holiday classics together in one sumptuous concert on Sunday afternoon, November 30, at E.J. Thomas Hall. First up was the story of The Velveteen Rabbit, followed by a quick waltz through The Nutcracker and a ride on The Polar Express.

Delightfully, this trio of tales was recounted with drama and poise — not by any actors or dancers but by the eight members of the all-male a cappella ensemble Cantus. The group, based in Minnesota and now in its fourth decade, is once again touring the country with a polished, compact production of carols, pop tunes, and of course Tchaikovsky.

[Read on…]

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