by Daniel Hathaway
This article was originally published on Cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, OH — A good-sized crowd including an abundance of school agers turned out on Thursday evening, April 9 at Severance Music Center for engrossing performances of works by Dmitri Schotakovich and Franz Schubert led by Finnish guest conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali and featuring Argentine cellist Sol Gabetta.
Only two works were on the agenda, but Dmitri Shostakovich’s Second Cello Concerto and Franz Schubert’s Ninth Symphony both qualify as “doozies” — “outstanding or unique of their kind.”
The Russian work earns that label for its vast range of emotional content, the Austrian piece for what Robert Schumann described as its “heavenly length” and for the endurance it requires from wind and string players.