Summers@Severance: Osmo Vänskä leads The Cleveland Orchestra (Aug. 16)

August 20, 2019 by David Kulma

by David Kulma

As classical concerts have become more reverential in the past century or so, the seasoned concertgoer has been trained to applaud only at the end of a multi-movement work, usually accompanied by a hearty standing ovation and hollers of “Bravo!” Based on the applause that followed each movement of Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony on the Cleveland Orchestra’s intermissionless program with guest conductor Osmo Vänskä on Friday, August 16, the Summers@Severance series is definitely bringing new listeners in to hear The Cleveland Orchestra.

The concert opened with Samuel Barber’s Symphony No. 1. Bringing the four movements of a standard symphony into a continuous span like Liszt’s B-minor Piano Sonata or Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy, Barber created a dense and brooding Sibelian web that packs a powerful punch. His tuneful, neo-Romantic universe makes plenty of room for spikey chords, sprightly scherzos, and full-volume climaxes, while also opening up for expanses of great beauty — principal oboe Frank Rosenwein’s intensely lyrical solo was a highlight of the performance. Vänskä led the Orchestra with a sure hand and a keen understanding of the complex flow of this twenty-minute drama. The Clevelanders gave this symphony its American premiere in 1937, and it deserves a regular place in its repertoire.

It’s hard to make one’s mark on such a standard as Mendelssohn’s Symphony No, 4, but Vänskä and the Orchestra did just that with seemingly no tempo bends to wrench meaning from structural cadences. The tempo of the opening movement was on the comfortable side, and flowed beautifully without any modifications. Vänskä tends to make visually awkward gestures for the sake of phrasing, but in many places he mimicked the beautiful, consistent river of music without making a visual beat. And the expressive phrasing he demanded of the ensemble was easily furnished by these wonderful musicians.

The gorgeous slow movement with its walking bass and the smooth scherzo were equally splendid, and the quicksilver Saltarello finale was miraculous — as fast and as cleanly precise as I’ve ever heard it. One hopes that the first time attendees who applauded so enthusiastically and often will come back for more musical magic at Severance Hall.

Photo: Joel Larson

Published on ClevelandClassical.com August 20, 2019.

Click here for a printable copy of this article

Return to the Front Page.

About David Kulma

David Kulma is a composer, teacher, performer, and writer on music. His YouTube channel, Music Corner, features album reviews and animated educational videos on music theory. He taught music for more than 5 years at Winthrop University, and has also taught at Kent State and Chicago State Universities. He is the only person who performs from memory the main character Raoul de Noget in Robert Ashley's 3-1/2 hour cult television opera Perfect Lives. His collaborative television-opera pilot with Dorian Wallace and John Sanborn has appeared on screen in New York with Experiments in Opera and was reviewed in the New York Times, where he was described as "rambling and riveting." David is also a freelance oboist who has played with the Charlotte Symphony and Erie Philharmonic, among others.

Canadian Brass dazzles Severance with holiday magic and musical mastery (Dec. 29)

By Kevin McLaughlin

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Canadian Brass brought its customary brilliance and easy rapport to Severance Music Center on Monday night, in their holiday program “Make Spirits Bright.”

There was plenty of fun to be had for sure, but unlike the frivolity of Canadian Brass concerts of the 1970s and ‘80s, this was a more disciplined product.

Playing their trademark tune, Just a Closer Walk, they marched in, New Orleans style from the back of the hall, dressed in black suits and white Nikes. Then a Christmas carol quickly followed. But that light music — maybe the lightest on the program — was soon unmasked as being not an opening number, but an encore. “You can never take those for granted,” explained tubist Chuck Daellenbach, the group’s only remaining original member.

Could it be a sign of the total acceptance of a brass quintet that a performance of The Magic Flute Overture, the actual top of the show, should be accepted as conventional, and not, as it once might have been, as a novelty? In any case, Mozart’s music glided and exulted, just as it would from any orchestra.

In J.S. Bach’s Italian Concerto, the Canadians achieved a seamless blend, purring out rounded legato lines, as if regular breathing were unnecessary. The arrangement, by trumpeter Joe Burgstaller, succeeded as both technically plausible and musically satisfying.

In addition to wielding influence as an arranger, Burgstaller took center stage several times as soloist, notably in two Piazzolla works on the second half. His beautiful, soaring lines in Oblivion — some improvised — would be the envy of any singer or instrumentalist. He made extremes (low, high, fast, smooth) seem easy, and having put aside technical concerns, gave in to pure loveliness.

A holiday highlight was the impressionistic “Christmas Time Is Here,” by the jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi from his 1965 classic score, A Charlie Brown Christmas. Playing flugelhorns, trumpeters Burgstaller and Mikio Sasaki quoted “Linus and Lucy” with lightning fluency, like a couple of unfazed beboppers. O Tannenbaum followed, featuring lampooning of wa-wa mutes by trombonist Keith Dyrda. In What Child Is This, hornist Jeff Nelsen joined his colleagues in an impressive display of chamber music synchronicity.

A welcome feature of this band’s bag of tricks was its members’ ease at the microphone. Comments were well targeted and clarifying without going off track. Every player had an opportunity to talk, and all managed to endear themselves while demystifying the performer’s art.

The final selection, which came much too soon, may have appeared untethered to the logic of the program. Announcing Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, Daellenbach rationalized that the telling of the Arabian Nights story continued over three Christmases, thus making it a good fit. Impressive arranging and execution aside, this abbreviated version may have delivered less than promised.

For the real encores, the Canadians had two arrangements by the late Luther Henderson ready to go. Frosty the Snowman, a theatrical conceit, required Daellenbach to “melt” onto the stage floor, as the music grew “hotter.” Saints Hallelujah, something of a Brass signature piece, crosses “When the Saints Go Marching In” with the “Hallelujah” chorus from Handel’s “Messiah.” Here the Canadian Brass proved that whether highbrow or low, they’re still a tight little band.

Kevin McLaughlin recently retired as librarian at the Cleveland Institute of Music. A freelance writer and editor, his weekly podcast on early jazz, “At the Jazz Band Ball,” may be found on a variety of podcast platforms.

Published on ClevelandClassical.com December 30, 2024.

Click here for a printable copy of this article

Return to the Front Page.

The Cleveland Orchestra delights audiences with the heartwarming ‘Muppet Christmas Carol’ (Dec. 18)

by Stephanie Manning

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — With a whole week to go, December 18 wasn’t quite “One More Sleep ‘til Christmas.” But for those at Severance Music Center on Wednesday, it was close enough.

That heartfelt ballad about Christmas Eve sung by Kermit the Frog is just one of many gems from The Muppet Christmas Carol — the surprisingly faithful movie retelling of Charles Dickens’ tale that features Michael Caine, the cast of the Muppets, and a healthy dose of holiday cheer. Add to that list The Cleveland Orchestra, who played Miles Goodman’s score live under the direction of Sarah Hicks.

The beloved Disney holiday classic, released in 1992, drew a sold-out crowd. The Orchestra’s performance of Paul Williams’ songs — which many in the audience likely knew by heart — blended almost indistinguishably with the film. [Read on…]

See all reviews

About David Kulma

Follow ClevelandClassical.com

Contact us