Natalie Cole Archives - Cleveland Classical

Review: Cleveland Orchestra Celebrity Series — Natalie Cole (December 11)

December 17, 2013 by Special to ClevelandClassical.com

by Guytano Parks

The Cleveland Orchestra kicked off its Holiday Festival 2013 at Severance Hall on Wednesday, December 11 with a Celebrity Series, one night only performance by multiple Grammy-winning recording artist Natalie Cole. The hall was beautifully decked with festive holiday decorations and featured lovely mood-enhancing lighting effects during the performance.

The Orchestra, augmented with local jazz musicians, was conducted by Gail Deadrick, Cole’s conductor since 2000, and joined by Cole’s backup band: Mahesh Balasooriya, piano, Edwin Livingston, bass, Robert Miller, drums, Tony Pulizzi, guitar, Dave Trigg, trumpet, Alessandro Alessandroni, keyboards, and Robert Yancy, percussion, in addition to background vocalists Lynne Fiddmont and Traci Brown-Baily.

Looking elegant and statuesque in a cream-colored gown, Cole slinked onto the stage to sing a dreamy and lush arrangement of Hoagy Carmichael’s Stardust, the first song in a diverse program of standards, R&B, Pop, jazz and Spanish songs. [Read more…]

Les Délices’ elaborate, entertaining Aesop Project (Nov. 22)

by Peter Feher

In the 1670s, Louis XIV commissioned a series of 39 fountains for the Gardens of Versailles, each modeled on a story from Aesop’s Fables and intended for the education of the king’s young son, the Dauphin.

The Aesop Project, the latest community offering from Les Délices and artistic director Debra Nagy, is slightly less ornate but just as inspired. Cleveland’s ever-resourceful period chamber ensemble partnered with local puppeteers and poets for this family-friendly program teaching music and morals.

After touring Northeast Ohio schools earlier in the week, the project received a public performance at the CMA Community Arts Center on Saturday morning, November 22. Children, parents, and committed patrons of early music sat down for the 35-minute show, surrounded by spectacular displays of costumes and props from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s annual Parade the Circle celebration.

[Read on…]

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.

[Read on…]

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…]

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