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Daniel Shapiro reaches last stage of complete Beethoven cycle

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by Daniel Hathaway

On Wednesday, April 7 at 7:00 pm, CIM Piano Professor Daniel Shapiro will play Beethoven’s last three sonatas in the 8th program of a complete cycle that he launched last fall to mark the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

The first program was recorded at the Steinway Piano Galleries (pictured) for broadcast on Hudson’s Music From the Western Reserve series on September 13. The final episode, to be live streamed from CIM’s Kulas Hall, includes Opus 109, 110, and 111.

This marks the third time that Shapiro has tackled all 32 of Beethoven sonatas, initially all in the course of a single month, but in the last two cycles, spread over a whole academic year.

Having previewed the series in the fall, I telephoned Daniel Shapiro to ask what he was thinking and feeling after playing seven concerts.

“This time I realized how much I’ve changed, and how much the pieces have changed — what I’ve learned and how much there still is to learn. And how damned hard they are to play!” [Read more…]

Music From The Western Reserve: Shapiro continues Beethoven cycle (Dec. 13)

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by Nicholas Stevens

Music From The Western Reserve concerts always fall on Sunday, even as streams. December 13 was therefore as close to Beethoven’s likely birthdate on the 16th as the presenters could come to throwing a virtual party. Debuting their stream before that occasion made little difference in the concert’s power: over a week later, pianist Daniel Shapiro’s stunning interpretations remained lodged in this reviewer’s mind. As social media lit up with tributes and music-lovers around the world raised a glass, Shapiro’s MFTWR video remains on YouTube, where those interested can still listen and learn what it means to truly engage with Beethoven.

[Read more…]

Virtual performances from Hudson, Cleveland, and Akron launch season

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by Daniel Hathaway

Music From the Western Reserve, Music and Art at Trinity Cathedral, and Arts at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church all streamed concerts online in September, all without audiences present.

As organizations gingerly take steps to open up for business, it’s refreshing to have new content to listen to and write about after a solid six months of archival footage. [Read more…]

Shapiro begins third Beethoven cycle this Sunday on Hudson’s MFTWR Series

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by Daniel Hathaway

“The first time I did the whole thing within a month — two a week for four weeks. That was kind of crazy. The second time it was one concert per month, which is what I’m hopefully doing now.”

“Now” refers to the current season, when pianist Daniel Shapiro begins his third expedition into Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas on Sunday, September 13 with a 5:00 pm performance on the Music From The Western Reserve series at Christ Church in Hudson. Because COVID-19 has precluded live audiences at the beginning of the season, Shapiro is pre-recording his recital this week for streaming on Sunday.

In a telephone conversation, Daniel Shapiro noted that he had played that first “kind of crazy” cycle in 1995 when he was teaching at the University of Iowa, and the second in 2001-2002 after he had joined the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music. The third will be spaced throughout 2020-2021 at several area venues, details still to be announced. [Read more…]

CIM: “Boulez the Friend and Teacher” with Carolyn Warner & Friends (Sept. 28)

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by Robert Rollin

boulez-flyerOn September 28 in Mixon Hall, the Cleveland Institute of Music presented the second Boulez Legacy concert, subtitled “Boulez the Friend and Teacher,” featuring Carolyn Warner and Friends in a program of French, German, and Russian duos and trios that reflected Boulez’s musical interests. [Read more…]

Boulez tribute at CIM continues with “Boulez the Friend and Teacher”

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by Mike Telin

boulez-flyerOn Wednesday, September 28 at 8:00 pm in Mixon Hall at the Cleveland Institute of Music, pianists Carolyn Warner and Daniel Shapiro will join clarinetist Franklin Cohen, saxophonist James Umble, violinists Stephen Warner and Mari Sato, and cellist Brian Thornton in a program titled “Boulez the Friend and Teacher.” The concert is part of CIM’s series celebrating “The Boulez Legacy.”

“This concert completely lives up to its title,” program curator Carolyn Warner said during a recent telephone conversation. Warner, who joined the violin and keyboard sections of The Cleveland Orchestra in 1979 and serves on the CIM faculty, noted that deciding to include the two works by Ravel was a no-brainer. [Read more…]

Review: Arts Renaissance Tremont: Daniel Shapiro and Friends at Pilgrim Church (November 17)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Shapiro-&-ART-QuartetSometimes it’s not so easy to produce a concert. An established string quartet originally announced to appear with CIM piano professor Daniel Shapiro on the Arts Renaissance Tremont series last Sunday afternoon, November 17, withdrew late in the summer.

Fortunately, ART artistic director Christine Haff-Paluck had the rich resources of the Cleveland Institute of Music to draw upon, and organized a replacement quartet of excellent players: violinists Jinjoo Cho and James Thompson, violist Leah Ferguson and cellist Catlyn Kessler.

Then came the piano issue. Shapiro needed a more powerful instrument than the resident piano for a program of Romantic piano quintets, so a Steinway B was graciously loaned for the occasion from the Oberlin Conservatory.

And then there was a change in the program order after the programs had been printed: Dvořák’s Quintet in A, op. 81 was to have begun the concert, with Franck’s Quintet in f to follow. Haff announced before the concert that the two pieces would be played in reverse order. [Read more…]

Preview: Arts Renaissance Tremont — Daniel Shapiro and Friends

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by Mike Telin

SHAPIRO-Daniel“I absolutely love the Franck Piano Quintet,” pianist Daniel Shapiro told us by telephone. “There’s a mystical quality to it similar to what you find in Bruckner, almost as if the clouds part and one can see God or something like that. It’s beyond everyday passion. Yes I do love the music of Franck although I think his detractors are noisy.” On Sunday, November 17 beginning at 3:00 pm in Pilgrim Congregational Church, Arts Renaissance Tremont presents pianist Daniel Shapiro with Jinjo Cho and James Thompson, violins, Leah Ferguson, viola and Carlyn Kessler cello in performances of the piano quintets by Dvořák and Franck.

Performing chamber music has and continues to be an important part of Shapiro’s musical life. He has performed regularly with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony and Cleveland Orchestras, and has also performed with the Cavani, Mirò and Linden Quartets. And he has very kind things to say about his colleagues for Sunday’s concert, all of whom are students at the Cleveland Institute of Music. “I don’t think of them as students, we are equal colleagues — we share ideas and talk about what we think would make things better.” [Read more…]

Review: Daniel Shapiro with Jinjoo Cho & Matthew Allen in Mixon Hall at CIM (February 1)

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by Robert Rollin

LastSHAPIRO-Daniel Friday evening Cleveland Institute faculty pianist Daniel Shapiro presented an exemplary and varied Mixon Hall piano recital assisted by two talented student artist string players. About a decade ago I enjoyed hearing him perform a Beethoven Sonatas lecture recital when he visited us at Youngstown State’s Dana School. He demonstrated his layered foreground, middle ground, and background dynamic levels, playing Beethoven with a clarity and expression reminiscent of Sviatislav Richter’s great Beethoven recordings. This three-tiered dynamic approach seemed particularly present in his wonderful first-half Bach and Brahms solo performances.

Shapiro played Bach’s French Suite No 5 in G Major, BWV 816, a delightful Baroque dance collection, beautifully. The stately Allemande’s tempo was steady, yet flexible, enhancing the intricate mix of chromatic linear and harmonic treatment. The spritely Courante was nicely shaped, as Shapiro varied the repetitions with ornaments and dynamic changes. The movement’s second binary portion sparkled with many chromatic harmonies followed immediately by a closing Picardy third. The slow, soulful Sarabande was stunningly expressive, mixing stepwise and surprisingly angular melodic skips. The mood was that of a gorgeous Bach Cantata arioso, and Shapiro negotiated the tempo nuances tastefully. Shapiro continued to vary the repeats in both Gavotte and Bourée, and gave the whimsical and graceful Loure, a tasteful and imaginative performance. The closing fugal Gigue, replete with surging rhythms, was intense, yet graceful and expressive.  [Read more…]

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