by Stephanie Manning
This article was originally published on Cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Few guest conductors have the luxury of back-to-back weeks with The Cleveland Orchestra. After setting the tone last week with one of classical music’s most famous pieces — Beethoven’s Fifth —Elim Chan turned up the heat on Thursday, March 19, at Severance Music Center with a program of bold 20th- and 21st-century music.
While some choices landed unevenly, what remained most memorable was the evening’s intensity — not just in emotion, but also in the sheer force of sound.
50-foot-long string instruments; traditional music from the Republic of Kyrgyz, Ireland’s “Wild West,” and the Balkans; dialogues between deep flamenco song and Iranian classical music; Egyptian classical music of the golden age; an a cappella sound track to a silent film about Joan of Arc; two prominent string quartets, an organ recital, and a multifaceted violinist — that list gives just a quick rundown on the variety of concerts the Cleveland Museum of Art has planned for its 2015-2016 Performing Arts Series, both in Gartner Auditorium at the museum and at its near-West Side gallery, Transformer Station.