by Stephanie Manning
This article was originally published on Cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The summer is almost over, which means that Franz Welser-Möst is back on the podium. The Cleveland Orchestra’s music director has historically preferred to make his appearances at the tail end of the Orchestra’s summer season, and he has scheduled himself for two performances during the last week of August. On Thursday evening, August 27 he led the final concert of the 2026 Summers at Severance series, bringing a good-sized crowd to hear a program of emotionally charged music at Severance Music Center.
Although the timing of Welser-Möst’s return to Cleveland is typical, it now comes with more gravitas than usual, as he is gearing up for his 25th and final year as music director. Understandably, his programming for this upcoming season has become more retrospective to match. Thursday’s concert featured works by historic composers he loves — Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner — and a living composer he has championed — Bernd Richard Deutsch.
