by Daniel Hathaway
This article was originally published on Cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Richard Strauss somehow got lost on his way to the 20th century, but his detour was a beautiful one. Still composing — though at a slower pace — into his eighties, he crafted some of the most expressive and memorable Romantic music in the repertory shortly before his death in 1949.
Among those works are the cycle that has come to be called “The Four Last Songs,” inspired by three Hermann Hesse poems in an anthology gifted to the composer, plus an earlier setting of words by Joseph von Eichendorff. All of the poetry is infused with the “autumnal” qualities also to be found in Johannes Brahms.
On Friday, September 17 in Mandel Concert Hall, Franz Welser-Möst began his 25th and final season as music director of The Cleveland Orchestra with a sublime performance of Strauss’s masterpiece.
As one of the century’s leading opera composers, Strauss treats the human voice much like an instrument, and soprano Golda Schultz blended superbly with her Orchestra colleagues, regarding them as equals.
The orchestra sounded terrific throughout. Their blend was unmatched. Frühling was sublime and as full of warmth as springtime ought to be. September featured long, perfectly phrased lines. In Beim Schlafengehen the sound was clear and luminous, and concertmaster Joel Link’s solo was captivating. And Im Abendrot, Schultz’s hallowed voice raised the essential question, “can this, perhaps, be death?”
Does music get any better? The audience reacted with a long, appreciative ovation, not wanting to let Schultz leave the stage.
Following as it does on the 7th, whose theme is the Siege of Leningrad, Dmitri Shostakovich’s sprawling, hour-long 8th Symphony remains something of an enigma. Its creation was enabled by the Soviet government’s invitation to the composer to a special artists’ retreat that provided conditions conducive to creation, but eventually suppressed some of their works. (In 1943, Shostakovich’s 8th was attacked by the authorities for its “unhealthy individualism’ and not recommended for performance.”)
The composer takes his time setting a bleak scene, writing long sections of colorless, intertwining lines that hint at but avoid declaring their destination. The symphony, like life itself, is emotionally complicated, mingling despair with jolly tunes, and getting interrupted several times by deafening volleys of military-sounding percussion.
During the magical Adagio – Allegro non troppo, an underlying pulse drove long, quiet lines that ventured in many different directions. The soulful English horn solo by Robert Walters was unforgettable. The Allegretto highlighted those percussion lines.
The last three movements are played without pause. The Allegro non troppo with its ticking clock beginning in the violas was hypnotic as the angular theme was passed from one section to another. The Largo and Allegretto showed the depth of the Orchestra’s winds and brass sections. Shout-outs all around for solos from trumpet, horn, piccolo, flute, clarinet, bassoon, bass clarinet, and cello. (Has anyone been left off?)
The Orchestra is packing both pieces for its forthcoming, six-week European tour. Judging from the quality of Thursday’s performances and the overwhelming audience response, Franz Welser-Möst and the Clevelanders are guaranteed to impress.
(Prior to the concert Welser-Möst received a special citation from Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s office in honor of his 25 years at the helm of The Cleveland Orchestra.)
Keeping with tradition at the opening of a new season, Franz Welser-Möst and Cleveland Orchestra President & CEO André Gremillet presented a pre-concert talk in Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance an hour before the September 17 concert.
In celebration of Welser-Möst’s 25th and final season as Music Director, the annual preview took on a new format: Instead of Gremillet asking the questions, he invited the audience to do so. Gremillet primed the pump by asking Welser-Möst why he chose the works he did to take on his European farewell tour.
Welser-Möst said that two years ago he asked the Orchestra if there was a piece they still hadn’t played with him and Shostakovitch was on that list. He added that Strauss’s Four Last Songs — especially the 4th — explores the idea that everything musical must come to an end. And he noted that Bohuslav Martinů’s music deserves more attention (The Cleveland Orchestra gave the world premiere of his Second Symphony in 1943.)
Over to the audience. Here Welser-Möst was relaxed, allowing his understated Austrian sense of humor to come through. As Gremillet would later point out, his responses were rarely about himself, but about the orchestra and guest musicians he has collaborated with during his tenure.
What are his three favorite things about Cleveland? The Farmer’s Market at Shaker Square, The West Side Market — the building is beautiful. And he lives on a lake in Austria so he enjoys having a lake here as well. He quickly added a fourth. The Cleveland Zoo. He said he had just added another visit to his schedule.
How do Cleveland audiences stack-up against those in other parts of the world? “Cleveland audiences are one of the most sophisticated.”
Why did he choose Golda Schultz to sing the Strauss? Her voice has developed over time and she’s now ready to take on the piece. “And she’s hilarious. She’s just so much fun to be around.”
What has changed in 25 years? ”The burden of the job has given me more gray hair.”
What does he look for when hiring a player? The perfect chamber musician. What he enjoys most is seeing them succeed. “I tell them, you’ve won the audition, now you have to win the job.”
What has been the highlight of his tenure? “Only one?” he asked, laughing. “That’s a tough question.” After taking a moment to think, he said “My hiring of (principal clarinet) Afendi (Yusuf). Nobody knew him — this is his first job.”
Plans for retirement? “I could fill my calendar until 2030, but I promised my wife — who is sitting up there — that I wouldn’t. I will enjoy my free time. I have a beautiful home and I’m happy to stay there.”
Is there a piece he wanted to program but never has? Again, he laughs. “Mahler 8, but it’s too expensive.”
What does he listen to when not listening to classical music?” Without missing a beat: “Folk music — not only from my own country but also Finnish and Bulgarian. I just love folk music.”
Then, Gremillet brought out the box set of vinyl recordings celebrating Welser-Möst’s 25 years with the Orchestra that will be released on November 6.
“When I told Franz there were 15 discs he said he was happy he didn’t have to listen to all of them.”
After some coaxing to choose one of the discs, Welser-Möst said “Beethoven’s 4th piano concerto with Radu Lupu.” He recalled a rehearsal when he walked past the pianist who was playing through the Haydn symphony that was on the program. He asked Lupu if he knew other Haydn symphonies. “He said, which one would you like to hear? He knew all 104 of them.”
Published on ClevelandClassical.com, September 24, 2026
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