Dominick Farinacci Archives - Cleveland Classical

Two nights at the virtual Tri-C JazzFest (Aug. 21-23)

August 27, 2020 by Jarrett Hoffman

by Jarrett Hoffman

The 41st Tri-C JazzFest set a high bar for any virtual concerts to come, with excellent performances by local artists and a slick presentation. I heard the Friday and Sunday showings of the three-night festival, which ran from August 21-23.

Tri-C JazzFest: A celebration of the music of Tadd Dameron (June 28)

July 9, 2019 by Rory O'Donoghue

by Rory O’Donoghue

The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz orchestra brought a lively set to the Ohio Theatre on Friday, June 28 as part of Tri-C JazzFest. Joined by the incomparable talent of Dianne Reeves and trumpetist Dominick Farinacci, the evening was a joyous celebration of Cleveland-born jazz legend Tadd Dameron. [Read more…]

Tri-C JazzFest and Terence Blanchard: a winning combination (Nov. 4)

November 27, 2018 by Mike Telin

by Mike Telin

Art reflects society. We were reminded of that on Sunday, November 4 in a sold-out Maltz Performing Arts Center, when Tri-C JazzFest presented OUR VOICES: DEMOCRACY RE:visited. The evening celebrated the landmark passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It also provided a disturbing reminder that our nation’s fight to achieve liberty and justice for all is far from over. [Read more…]

An afternoon at Tri-C Jazz Fest: Day 3

July 10, 2018 by Delaney Meyers

by Delaney Meyers & Mike Telin

The Saturday, June 30 performances at the Tri-C Jazz Fest began with a captivating set by Vinicius Cantuaria. During the 1:00 pm, seventy-minute concert at the intimate Hanna Theater, the Brazilian took the audience on a sonic journey of the enthralling world of bossa novas. There were no long introductions and no gimmicky jokes, he and his band came onstage and let their music do the talking. [Read more…]

CD Review — Under One Sun

November 3, 2017 by Jarrett Hoffman

by Jarrett Hoffman

Eight core musicians from three continents gather around the music of Billy Drewes in the latest release on the Oberlin Music label, Under One Sun. The album’s wide array of instruments, moods, and vocal styles makes for a fun and exploratory 70 minutes of jazz.

Pianist Yuja Wang creates magic with The Cleveland Orchestra (Nov. 28)

by Stephanie Manning

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Thanksgiving weekend concerts by The Cleveland Orchestra often center around a big-ticket soloist or a popular piece.

This year’s program offers both, thanks to star pianist Yuja Wang and Maurice Ravel’s brilliant orchestration of Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.”

On Friday November 28, the snow cleared just in time for the crowds to arrive at Severance Music Center for the evening event. Led by conductor Petr Popelka, the resulting concert equally displayed the prowess of Orchestra and soloist over the course of three fascinating works.

György Ligeti’s Piano Concerto stood out in contrast to the lush textures and easy-to-follow melodies of the works that surrounded it. Premiered in 1988, its dissonant and avant-garde music might have come from another world. But both Wang and the Orchestra rose to meet the challenge of its devilishly tricky rhythms with an assured confidence.

Les Arts Florissants make Vivaldi’s Four Seasons feel fresh and inspired (Nov. 18)

by Stephanie Manning

Performing a work as ubiquitous as Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons requires a delicate balance. At its best, the musicality and intention must be crystal clear, so that the end result feels as fresh as it does familiar. It’s a high bar, but one that Les Arts Florissants cleared with the utmost ease.

On November 18, the renowned French baroque ensemble visited Tuesday Musical to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s famous quartet of violin concertos. Soloist Théotime Langlois de Swarte led the spirited group in the Vivaldi-focused program, which also included works by Marco Uccellini and Claudio Monteverdi. [Read on…]

BlueWater Chamber Orchestra with violinist David McCarroll in Rocky River (Nov. 23)

by Daniel Hathaway

Let’s cut to the chase and simply say that it would be difficult to imagine a more perfect and moving performance of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto than the one David McCarroll gave with Daniel Meyer and BlueWater Chamber Orchestra on Sunday afternoon, November 23 at Rocky River Presbyterian Church. We’ll come back to that thought.

The straight-through performance preceded the Beethoven with works by Cleveland composer Margaret Brouwer and a youngish Aaron Copland.

Brouwer’s engaging and popular The Art of Sailing at Dawn evokes memories of growing up on the Great Lakes. A flute conjures sonic images of gulls, and subtle waves support a lovely oboe solo before the wind kicks up and dark clouds assemble. A storm erupts, but soon passes, leading to a quiet ending. [Read on…]

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