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Cleveland Orchestra dazzles with Chopin and Rachmaninoff (Aug. 21)

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by Stephanie Manning

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Works by pianist-composers Frédéric Chopin and Sergei Rachmaninoff offered some dazzling displays of virtuosity on The Cleveland Orchestra’s final Summers at Severance concert on August 21 at Severance Music Center.

Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto gave soloist Nobuyuki Tsujii multiple opportunities to shine, and Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony provided guest conductor Dima Slobodeniouk with a rich palette of orchestral colors to paint with, even without a soloist at the Steinway.

Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 was first performed in Cleveland by the Boston Symphony in 1911 and first played by The Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Nikolai Sokoloff in March of 1920 as part of the newly formed ensemble’s second season.

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Sounds of Bartók, Dohnányi, Liszt shine at Severance Music Center (July 31)

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by Peter Feher

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — It’s quite possible that a record number of soloists have taken the stage at Severance Music Center over the past few weeks.

Thursday night’s Cleveland Orchestra concert — a symphonic showcase from beginning to end that spotlighted every section of the ensemble — should certainly count toward the virtuoso tally.

The playing of dozens of individual orchestra members came brilliantly to the fore in Mandel Concert Hall. Never mind that no guest soloist was featured. Rather, the evening’s prodigiousness originated with the lineup of composers, expertly channeled by visiting conductor Christoph Koncz.

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Conductor Christoph Koncz to make Cleveland Orchestra debut

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by Mike Telin

On Thursday, July 31 at 7:00 pm at Severance Music Center, conductor Christoph Koncz will make his debut with The Cleveland Orchestra in a Summers at Severance program featuring the music of Franz Liszt, Ernst von Dohnányi and Bela Bartók. 

Due to his travel schedule we were unable to schedule an interview, but he graciously agreed to answer questions by email.  

What does making your Cleveland Orchestra debut mean to you? 

Of course it is a great honor for me to conduct The Cleveland Orchestra, one of the world’s leading ensembles with its wonderful and distinctive sound. I have been admiring the orchestra for a long time and heard them live on several occasions when they came on tour to the Vienna Musikverein. I remember a particularly touching performance of the Brahms Requiem conducted by Franz Welser-Möst. I’ve already met quite a few musicians of the orchestra and I am very much looking forward to making music with this phenomenal ensemble!

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Cleveland Orchestra: Finnish conductor Rouvali dazzles in return performance (July 17)

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by Stephanie Manning

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Santtu-Matias Rouvali has only led the Cleveland Orchestra twice, but he’s already established a formula that works. The Finnish conductor skillfully matches his programs to his conducting style — whimsical, sparkling, and humorous, while remaining precise and rhythmic.

The approach meshes well with the orchestra, who easily responded to Rouvali, just as they did during his debut last fall. On Thursday, July 17, a trio of works by Beethoven, Stravinsky, and Ravel made for a lighthearted evening on the Summers at Severance series.

Nowhere was Rouvali’s magic more evident than in Igor Stravinsky’s Jeu de cartes. The wild card of the program in more ways than one, this lesser-known ballet by the Russian composer depicts an actual card game, where the mischievous Joker is eventually defeated at the end of three rounds. The conductor kept things moving briskly during the brass fanfare that opens each “Deal,” symbolizing the shuffling of the cards.

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Richard Strauss’ early symphony gets Summers at Severance Cleveland Orchestra premiere (July 10)

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by Peter Feher

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — In a night that saw several promising debuts at Severance Music Center, one young artist impressed so thoroughly that he’s already been invited back next season.

Richard Strauss was only 20 years old when he completed his Symphony in F Minor, which received its first Cleveland Orchestra performance on Thursday, July 10, in Mandel Concert Hall.

Of course, Strauss is no stranger to Cleveland or to the standard repertory — his music has been programmed for almost every season in the Orchestra’s century-long history. But this favorite composer still has a few surprises to offer even the most well-acquainted concertgoer.

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Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali returns to Severance Music Center

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by Mike Telin

After making his Cleveland Orchestra debut last November by stepping in for Franz Welser-Möst, Finnish conductor Santtu-Mathias Rouvali received a great honor — a return engagement.

On Thursday, July 17 at 7:00 pm, Rouvali will lead the second Summers at Severance concert in Mandel Concert Hall. The program includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, Stravinsky’s Jeu de cartes, and Ravel’s Suite No. 2 from Daphnis et Chloé. Tickets are available online.

“Hello!” Rouvali said enthusiastically, answering his phone from his farm outside of Tampere, Finland. I ask him if it’s still a good time to talk. “Yes, I was just cutting the grass before departing to America, because in one week the grass will be like a jungle if I don’t cut it now.”

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The Cleveland Orchestra: Summers at Severance with Petr Popelka & James Ehnes (July 25)

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by Peter Feher

Movie music has been cropping up on more and more Cleveland Orchestra programs in recent seasons — even when it’s not advertised.

This was all to the good at Severance Music Center on Thursday, July 25. The Orchestra sounded very much its polished self in the second concert of this year’s Summers at Severance series, the set of strictly classical offerings that the ensemble has brought back to balance out this summer’s lighter programming at Blossom Music Center.

All the same, summer was in full swing on Euclid Avenue. The front terrace outside Severance was strung with lights and set up with white tents serving refreshments. [Read more…]

Summers at Severance makes triumphant return (July 11)

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by Stephanie Manning

In between their already-packed schedule at Blossom Music Center, the musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra appeared at their usual venue — Severance Music Center — for an exciting offering on July 11. Returning after a five-year absence, the Summers at Severance series kicked off with a high-quality evening of Mandel Concert Hall debuts.

Conductor Oksana Lyniv, joining the Orchestra for the first time, brought a graceful precision and strong sense of tempo to the podium. The synergy between conductor and orchestra was evident from the opening piece, Leoš Janáček’s Suite from The Cunning Little Vixen, [Read more…]

Conductor Oksana Lyniv to make Cleveland Orchestra debut

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by Mike Telin

Conductor Oksana Lyniv has been riding a wave of firsts during the past few years. In July 2021, she became the first woman to lead a performance at the Bayreuth Festival. In 2022, she became music director of the Teatro Comunale in Bologna, Italy, the first woman to serve in that position. And this past February, she became the first Ukrainian to conduct at the Metropolitan Opera.

This week, Lyniv will continue her string of firsts when she makes her Cleveland Orchestra debut on Thursday, July 11 at 7:00 pm at Severance Music Center. The program, which is part of the Summers at Severance series, includes Leoš Janáček’s Suite from The Cunning Little Vixen, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Inon Barnatan as soloist, Borys Lyatoshynsky’s Grazhyna, and Igor Stravinsky’s Suite from The Firebird. Tickets are available online.

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