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The Cleveland Orchestra brings the jazzy & symphonic to Blossom (July 16) 

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by Peter Feher

The crowd at Blossom Music Center on July 16 received two concerts for the price of one. The Cleveland Orchestra went in a jazzy direction with the program’s first half, before turning to the dazzling symphonic repertoire that this ensemble does best.

And those pieces after intermission made for quite the finale. The Orchestra tackled the two most popular pieces from Ottorino Respighi’s Roman trilogy — Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome — scores that were practically written to end in fireworks.

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Pianist Aaron Diehl returns to Blossom for the genre-crossing Zodiac Suite

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by Stephanie Manning

Take a look at pianist Aaron Diehl’s upcoming concerts and you’ll see a little bit of everything. There’s “Jazz in July” at New York’s 92nd Street Y, “Bach to Bebop” with his Trio in Irvine, CA, and Gershwin’s Concerto in F with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra — all in the span of a few months. Much of Diehl’s work lies at the intersection of jazz and classical, and so does Mary Lou Williams’ Zodiac Suite, which he’ll be performing this weekend with The Cleveland Orchestra.

It was on the Blossom Music Center stage where the Columbus, Ohio native made his debut with the Orchestra back in 2017. “I remember how sensitive they were to the music and how the sections within the orchestra were so together, and so expressive and nuanced,” he reflected in a 2019 interview with ClevelandClassical.com. “It was like playing with a chamber music group.”

For his third appearance at Blossom, Diehl will be joined by bassist David Wong, drummer Aaron Kimmel, and soprano Mikaela Bennett on Saturday, July 16 at 7:00 pm. Led by conductor Jader Bignamini, the Orchestra will also perform two works by Ottorino Resphigi: Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome. Tickets are available here.

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Aaron Diehl works his magic in Tri-C Classical Piano Series (Feb. 21)

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by Mike Telin

Aaron Diehl is a magnificent pianist. He possesses an innate sense of rhythm and musical line. Everything he plays has purpose. Every note he plays sparkles. 

On February 21, the Tri-C Classical Piano Series showcased the Columbus, Ohio native during a virtual concert celebrating Black History Month. The performance was pre-recorded in the auditorium at Tri-C Metro Campus.

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Blossom: Rhapsody in Red, White, and Blue with The Cleveland Orchestra (July 6)

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by Rory O’Donoghue

As the lights dimmed and conductor Roderick Cox readied his baton, the boisterous crowd at Blossom hushed in anticipation of pianist Aaron Diehl’s take on Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue on Saturday, July 6. Everyone knows the opening clarinet lick — the low velvet trill, the raucous rise — but this time, a surprise! A bird rose from somewhere behind the percussion section and dive-bombed the first violins. A few players scattered amidst the kerfuffle, shouting, before a valiant audience member somehow snatched the bird out of the air and marched it out of the pavilion to great applause. Cox restored order and clarinetist Afendi Yusuf’s solo bloomed from the back of the orchestra. [Read more…]

The Cleveland Orchestra plays Gershwin: a conversation with pianist Aaron Diehl

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by Mike Telin

The story behind George Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue begins when bandleader Paul Whiteman asked the composer to contribute a concerto for a jazz concert to be given in New York City’s Aeolian Hall in February of 1924. Gershwin initially declined the offer, saying there was not enough time to compose the piece.

But then an article about Whiteman’s planned concert ran in the New York Tribune in early January stating that “George Gershwin is at work on a jazz concerto,” which would be featured along with works by Irving Berlin and Victor Herbert. This was news to the composer, but after a phone call to the bandleader the next morning, Gershwin agreed to write the piece.

This weekend, pianist Aaron Diehl will return to the Blossom Music Center stage for performances of Rhapsody in Blue on Friday, July 5 and Saturday, July 6 at 8:00 pm with The Cleveland Orchestra. The concert, under the direction of Roderick Cox, will also include Bernstein’s Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront, Stravinsky’s Suite from The Firebird, and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. Fireworks will follow both performances (weather permitting). Tickets are available online. [Read more…]

Aaron Diehl and The Cleveland Orchestra wow audience at Blossom (July 2)

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by Samantha Spaccasi

TCOLing070217MastroianniWhat could be better than an evening of sitting on the lawn of Blossom Music Center — summer home of The Cleveland Orchestra, wine in hand, enjoying a picnic dinner while waiting to hear the ensemble play with pianist Aaron Diehl? Not much. On July 2, Diehl and the Orchestra, conducted by Jahja Ling, performed an array of favorites. [Read more…]

Pianist Aaron Diehl to make Cleveland Orchestra Debut

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by Mike Telin

Screen Shot 2017-06-27 at 4.47.44 PMAfter jazz pianist and composer Aaron Diehl made his New York Philharmonic debut in September of 2016 performing George Gershwin’s Concerto in F, Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times wrote: “Mr. Diehl played magnificently. He had brilliance when called for during jazz-tinged passages of Lisztian runs and octaves. The roomy freedom of Mr. Diehl’s playing in bluesy episodes was especially affecting. He also folded short improvised sections into the score, and it’s hard to imagine that Gershwin would not have been impressed.”

On Saturday, July 1 and Sunday, July 2 at Blossom Music Center, the Columbus, Ohio native will make his Cleveland Orchestra debut performing that same Concerto under the baton of Jahja Ling. The 8:00 pm concerts will also include Shostakovich’s Tahiti Trot, Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture, and Tchaikovsky’s “1812” Overture. [Read more…]

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