by Jarrett Hoffman
The Cleveland Orchestra has announced details of its Centennial Season tour schedule, marking the ensemble’s 17th and 18th international tours to be led by Music Director Franz Welser-Möst. Twenty concerts spanning seven weeks will include an October trip to Europe, two concerts at Carnegie Hall in January, and season-capping appearances in Vienna and Tokyo during May and June. Complete details of the tour can be found below.
“Touring is important for The Cleveland Orchestra,” said Welser-Möst in a press release. “It requires an enormous amount of flexibility to find ‘our sound’ playing in different acoustics. We refine this sound every day in our home, Severance Hall, and bring this to audiences outside of Cleveland.”
The music director praised the strong will that exists in the community. “With the history of Cleveland, ups and downs economically, there has been an enormous determination in this community to maintain and enhance a world-class orchestra. Going around and showing that to the world is gratifying. A German journalist recently asked me, how do I describe The Cleveland Orchestra? What comes to my mind is that we reject populism, we don’t offer easy answers or interpretations, we look for challenges, and we search for mastery.”
First up: stops this month in Austria, Germany, France, and Luxembourg. Highlights include the Orchestra’s and Welser-Möst’s debut performances at Hamburg’s new Elbphilharmonie and two encore presentations of Yuval Sharon’s critically acclaimed, made-for-Cleveland production of Leoš Janáček’s opera The Cunning Little Vixen at Vienna’s Musikverein (pictured above), marking the first performances of a staged opera in the history of the hall.
Welser-Möst gave insights into the October tour’s programming. “Recently, we were playing Beethoven’s Quartet No. 15, Op. 132 (arranged for string orchestra). With four string players it is already difficult, but playing it with sixty is quite a challenge. Some time ago, I was asked by a journalist how to make that piece easier for the audience, and I said, ‘That’s the wrong question’ — we can make it a deeper experience, but we are not going to make it easier. Great art was not created for ease, it was created to explore important questions in life, and this is a perfect example.
“Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, Beethoven’s Quartet No. 15, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring — these are all pieces which were not written to make it easy for an audience. This Orchestra plays on the highest technical level, with unique individual voices in players, and as a collective we want to convey something special to the audience. One of the members of the Orchestra once put it so beautifully to me: ‘Playing in this Orchestra it is not about showing off, it is about sharing.’”
Speaking about the October concerts in Vienna, Welser-Möst said, “Our collaboration in 2014 with Yuval Sharon for Vixen is really one of the most outstanding things we have done, and it is our desire to show that outside Cleveland. Vienna, where the history and tradition of opera is so rich and the Viennese audience is so knowledgeable about opera, is a good place to show there are new ways to present opera without being outrageous and while being true to the piece. With the tools of today, we made something extraordinary and created something new.
“I remember when I saw Yuval’s production for the first time, I felt a new art form was invented and showing that to the world is a great way to celebrate our 100th season. There is a reason why The Cleveland Orchestra is still thriving — it is simply because we take risks, we don’t shy away from being innovative and creative, we actually go for it.”
January 2018 will mark TCO’s 223rd and 224th appearances at Carnegie Hall. Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 will be presented alongside the New York premiere of Johannes Maria Staud’s Stromab, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall. The following night, the Orchestra performs Haydn’s The Seasons with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and soloists Golda Schultz, soprano, Maximilian Schmitt, tenor, and Thomas Hampson, baritone.
Finally, in May and June of next year, the Orchestra will return to Vienna’s Musikverein with The Prometheus Project before taking it to Tokyo’s Suntory Hall. Created by Welser-Möst, the Project offers a new take on Beethoven’s symphonies and overtures — viewed through a studied understanding of the composer’s philosophy of politics and art, and presented within the context of Beethoven’s thoughts and beliefs. Prior to its Vienna and Tokyo performances, the Project will be presented in Cleveland from May 10-19, closing the Orchestra’s home season at Severance Hall.
The music director described the intention behind The Prometheus Project. “We are exploring Beethoven’s thinking behind writing these works,” said Welser-Möst. “I am using the story of Prometheus as a metaphor and lens for what Beethoven was writing, not just in his symphonies, but across his lifetime, and throughout all of his music. With Prometheus as a focus, with this earnest and thoughtful approach, we can engage in a new way with audiences. When studying an exceptional figure like Beethoven, it is essential that we constantly look at new approaches to his work, to enliven and deepen our understanding of his genius.”
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA INTERNATIONAL TOURS
EUROPE AND JAPAN, 2017-18 SEASON (as of September 28, 2017)
2017 EUROPEAN TOUR
Linz, Austria
Brucknerhaus
Thursday, October 12, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
BEETHOVEN Quartet No. 15 (performed with string orchestra)
STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring [Le sacre du printemps]
Linz, Austria
Brucknerhaus
Friday, October 13, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
MAHLER Symphony No. 6 (“Tragic”)
Paris, France
Philharmonie de Paris Monday, October 16, 2017 at 8:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
MAHLER Symphony No. 6 (“Tragic”)
Radio Classique will broadcast the performance live online and on the air. To listen to the broadcast online, click here.
Vienna, Austria
Musikverein
Thursday, October 19, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, October 20, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
featuring
Martina Janková, soprano (Vixen)
Alan Held, baritone (Forester)
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano (Fox)
Raymond Aceto, bass (Harašta)
Daryl Freedman, mezzo-soprano (Lapák)
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone (Parson/Badger)
David Cangelosi, tenor (Schoolmaster/Mosquito)
and with
Sandra Ross, mezzo-soprano (Forester’s Wife/Woodpecker)
Clarissa Lyons, soprano (Rooster/Owl)
Brian Keith Johnson, baritone (Pásek)
Marian Vogel, soprano (Chief Hen/Mrs. Pásek/Blue Jay)
Vienna Singverein
Vienna Boys Choir
Production by Yuval Sharon
JANÁČEK The Cunning Little Vixen
Opera with digital animation
(Sung in Czech with German supertitles)
Vienna, Austria
Musikverein
Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
BEETHOVEN Quartet No. 15 (performed with string orchestra)
STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring [Le sacre du printemps]
Vienna, Austria
Musikverein
Sunday, October 22, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
MAHLER Symphony No. 6 (“Tragic”)
ORF Radio will record this performance for broadcast at a later date.
Hamburg, Germany
Elbphilharmonie
Tuesday, October 24, 2017 at 8:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
BEETHOVEN Quartet No. 15 (performed with string orchestra)
STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring [Le sacre du printemps]
NDR Radio will record this performance for broadcast at a later date.
Hamburg, Germany
Elbphilharmonie
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 at 8:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
MAHLER Symphony No. 6 (“Tragic”)
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Philharmonie
Friday, October 27, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
BEETHOVEN Quartet No. 15 (performed with string orchestra)
STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring [Le sacre du printemps]
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Philharmonie
Saturday, October 28, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
featuring
Martina Janková, soprano (Vixen)
Alan Held, baritone (Forester)
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano (Fox)
Raymond Aceto, bass (Harašta)
Daryl Freedman, mezzo-soprano (Lapák)
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone (Parson/Badger)
David Cangelosi, tenor (Schoolmaster/Mosquito)
and with
Sandra Ross, mezzo-soprano (Forester’s Wife/Woodpecker)
Clarissa Lyons, soprano (Rooster/Owl)
Brian Keith Johnson, baritone (Pásek)
Marian Vogel, soprano (Chief Hen/Mrs. Pásek/Blue Jay)
Vienna Singverein
Pueri Cantores
JANÁČEK The Cunning Little Vixen
Opera in concert
(Sung in Czech with French and German supertitles)
2018 CARNEGIE HALL
New York, New York
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
Carnegie Hall
Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
JOHANNES MARIA STAUD Stromab (Downstream) [New York Premiere]
[Co-commissioned by The Cleveland Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, Vienna Konzerthaus, and Royal Danish Orchestra]
MAHLER Symphony No. 9
New York, New York
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
Carnegie Hall
Wednesday, January 24, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Golda Schultz, soprano
Maximilian Schmitt, tenor
Thomas Hampson, baritone
Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
HAYDN The Seasons
(For details of The Prometheus Project in Cleveland, visit https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/second-century/1718-season-schedule/)
The Prometheus Project
2018 VIENNA/JAPAN TOUR
Vienna, Austria
Musikverein
Thursday, May 24, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
BEETHOVEN Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 1
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”)
Vienna, Austria
Musikverein
Friday, May 25, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”)
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2
BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No. 3
Vienna, Austria
Musikverein
Saturday, May 26, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
BEETHOVEN Overture to Coriolan BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 8
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5
Vienna, Austria
Musikverein
Sunday, May 27, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
BEETHOVEN Overture to Egmont
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7
Vienna, Austria
Musikverein
Monday, May 28, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Ľuba Orgonášová, soprano
Wiebke Lehmkuhl, mezzo-soprano – Cleveland Orchestra debut
Norbert Ernst, tenor
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
Vienna Singverein
BEETHOVEN Grosse Fuge (string orchestra version)
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9 (“Choral”)
Tokyo, Japan
Suntory Hall
Saturday, June 2, 2018 at 6:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
BEETHOVEN Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 1
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”)
Tokyo, Japan
Suntory Hall
Sunday, June 3, 2018 at 2:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
BEETHOVEN Overture to Egmont
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7
Tokyo, Japan
Suntory Hall
Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
BEETHOVEN Overture to Coriolan
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 8
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5
Tokyo, Japan
Suntory Hall
Wednesday, June 6, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”)
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2
BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No. 3
Tokyo, Japan
Suntory Hall
Thursday, June 7, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Luba Orgonášová, soprano
Jennifer Johnston, mezzo-soprano
Norbert Ernst, tenor
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
New National Theatre Chorus
BEETHOVEN Grosse Fuge (string orchestra version)
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9 (“Choral”
Published on ClevelandClassical.com October 5, 2017.
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