Till Eulenspiegel Archives - Cleveland Classical

McCalmont’s List 5: Richard Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks (1895)

June 21, 2016 by Neil McCalmont

by Neil McCalmont
Part of McCalmont’s List series

Genre: Symphonic Poem — an orchestral work with extra-musical meaning (typically some sort of narrative)
Scoring: Large orchestra
Era: Late Romantic
Length: c. 15 minutes
Will you recognize it? It may remind you of the Looney Tunes
Recommended Recordings: George Szell and The Cleveland Orchestra or Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Composer: Richard Strauss (1864-1949). Richard Strauss has no relation to the Strauss family of Vienna (of Blue Danube fame), but he does know how to write a piece that puts a smile on your face. He was born to the principal horn player in the Munich orchestra and showed prodigious musical talent from a young age. [Read more…]

Cleveland Orchestra’s holiday concerts return with plenty of festive cheer (Dec. 11)

by Stephanie Manning

This article was originally published on Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — If the twinkling lights, leafy green garlands and festive poinsettias didn’t already clue you in, the holidays have arrived at Severance Music Center. ‘Tis the season for annual traditions — including The Cleveland Orchestra’s holiday concerts, which began on Wednesday evening.

Running through December 22, the programs feature plenty of seasonal classics plus some potential new favorites. The first performance proved that this mix is a delightful recipe for festive cheer.

“Look at you all, out on a school night!” conductor Sarah Hicks proclaimed joyfully from the podium. Just as many concertgoers donned red outfits to get into the spirit, Mandel Concert Hall was also decked out with decorations and stage lighting effects.

[Read on…]

Oberlin Conservatory convincingly tells Omar’s story (Dec. 8)

by Stephanie Manning

The Cleveland premiere of Rhiannon Giddens’ and Michael Abels’ Pultizer Prize-winning opera Omar on December 8 at the Maltz Performing Arts Center proved that concert productions of opera can succeed without sets, elaborate costumes and extensive staging. Indeed, the Oberlin Conservatory presentation offered more than enough to keep the audience in the crowded house enthralled.

The Opera, which was also presented at Oberlin’s Finney Chapel two days earlier, is based on the 1831 autobiography of Muslim scholar Omar ibn Said, the only such work written by an enslaved person during their enslavement, and the only such document written in Arabic.

Rhiannon Giddens’ brilliant libretto chronicles the life of ibn Said, beginning in present-day Senegal and following him through his capture, journey via the Middle Passage, and enslavement in North and South Carolina. [Read on…]

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