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Lincoln in Cleveland
Lincoln
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One corner of the Atrium as viewed from the Boardroom.
A single photo does not do it justice.
Anyone who knows me -- or who has read more than a few installments of this blog -- knows that I'm a passionate supporter of the arts in Cleveland and a relatively young professional.

Heretofore the Cleveland Museum of Art has not had an organization targeting its appeal at the Younger Professional and I have to admit that I've been a bit concerned that the sharp and stately appearance of the Museum's physical presence may unfairly color others impression of the institution. Namely, as something "old" "stuffy" and "academic"; something that as I've become closer to the museum is certainly not true of either the Museum, its staff or current leadership.

In short something should be done to take the sharp edge of the granite exterior to help other young(er) Clevelanders to enjoy and appreciate the gem we have in our back yards.

Luckily I'm not the only one who has felt this way and a group of staff within the museum over the past few months has been quietly reaching out laying the groundwork for such an endeavor, culminating in the first official task force meeting tonight.

Tenatively named RallyMUSE, there are some really exciting ideas in the air and it will be exciting to see what comes out out meetings between  now and when the group officially launches later this summer.

I probably shouldn't say much more -- and perhaps I shhouldn't have said that much -- but while I'm on a roll, it's clear that this endeavor has the enthusiastic support of all levels of museum staff. Likewise the crosssection of individuals in attendance was wonderfully diverse. Through conversations that bubbled across the course of the evening it's clear there are a lot of passionate people inside and outside the museum prepared to invest time and energy to help make this a success
I'm looking  forward to the process and already can't want of the official launch!

Lincoln
1 year ago | |
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In 2010, I was lucky enough to win a PlayhouseSquare-sponsored trip to the Tony Awards as a seat filler. Though that evening was at once both a blur and unforgettable, looking back at that show the most memorable performances were American Idiot (featuring blinding light and the music of Green Day) and Memphis -- for the sheer energy of performance during the show and then the unadulterated joy that seemed to break free in Radio City Music Hall when the Best Musical Win was announced (YouTube video).

Combined with the inclusion of the song Memphis Lives in Me on a Broadway Sampler digital album I picked  up somewhere along the way, I was eagerly awaiting Memphis's arrival in Cleveland. Tonight seemed like a good night to head downtown -- and fortuitous timing with DanceCleveland presenting Ballet Memphis next weekend.

Collecting Rachel from work and heading towards PlayhouseSquare the evening got off on the wrong foot with quite possibly the most inattentive, slow, and generally lackluster service[1] (combined with overpriced and mediocre food) I've experienced in a restaurant from Star at PlayhouseSquare--it reminds me why I don't dine in the district more often. Putting more weight on the wrong foot, I have to say I despise PlayhouseSquare's practice over the past year or so of forcing ushers to march around the house with "No Cameras" signs on poles. It's distracting, seems rather amateurish and a bit demeaning.

Luckily, when the curtain rose and the houselights dimmed that all faded  into the background as we slipped back into the 1950s where Huey (Brian Fenkart) is a white man who seems either willfully or blissfully ignorant of the matter of race as a societal divider. Huey is drawn to "race music"--facing challenges and finding success as a DJ then television host, chasing the love of a talented black singer, Felicia (Felecia Boswell) in a time when such a relationship wouldn't be tolerated. Felicia finds success and a New York recording contract, Huey has the opportunity to follow her to New York and take his television show nationwide but only if he replaces his dancers with whites -- which he refuses to do, and after kissing Felicia on TV fades to obscurity while she finds success. (The Wikipedia entry has a full synopsis)

The music is powerful and as compelling as the story and weaves the elements together; my favorites being Everybody Wants to be Black on a Saturday Night, Memphis Lives in Me, and Steal your Rock and Roll. Every time I looked over at Rachel she was enjoying it -- frequently laughing to a degree usually reserved for one of  my truly awful puns. And I have to say that Mama's (Julie Johnson) performance in Change Don't Come Easy and the scene leading up to that number reminded me of Rachel's mom.

Though minor little technical issues tend to drive me crazy, an have been a factor in attending fewer PlayhouseSquare performances, this performance was pleasantly free of such warts: The audio was clear and competently mixed; lighitng was compelling and directed the audience's attention without being distracting.

Although said to be based to some extent on the life of Memphis DJ Dewey Philips (the first DJ to play an Elvis Presley record on the air), sitting in the Palace Theater, just down the block for the former location of the WJW-AM studios it's impossible not to consider some of the parallels to Cleveland DJ Alan Freed -- credited with popularizing the term "Rock 'n' Roll" and to wonder how the same love story would have unfolded in a "northern" city during the same period.

Memphis, through March 11 at the Palace Theater, PlayhouseSquare.

Lincoln
[1] Of many examples, we're seated: We wait several minutes before our waitress shows up, asks us if we'd like a wine or martini list. I say yes please. She disappears. Several minutes go by before she reappears and asks us what we'd like to drink, we remind her that we still haven't seen the wine list. Several more minutes go by before we see a wine list. More time passes  before she returns to take our drink order. It was nearly a half hour between being seated and  first drinks.
1 year ago | |
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February marked a milestone for Lincoln in Cleveland: During the month this blog had more than 1,000 unique visits. While I've been flirting near the thousand mark for the past several months this is the first time I've hit that number. Thanks to everyone who's stopped by to read -- I always welcome comments and suggestions.

Since this week has been quiet (though Rachel and I are thinking about seeing Memphis at PlayhouseSquare Frideay) Below I continue with the series looking that the Cleveland Museum of Art, through old issues of its publication, The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art. All of the posts in the series, in reverse chronological order, can be found here.


My collection of Bulletins continues with September 1968. The format changed sometime in the 1960s and by the September issue, the bulletin no longer carries a issue or volume number and it is devoid of information about the Museum, instead presenting extensive essays on specific pieces.

This format continues in November 1968 but the back cover announces Design and the City: An Architectural Exhibition at The Cleveland Museum of Art from December 11 to January 12: It sounds interesting, and I wonder if any lasting change came out of it:
"...conceived by the Cleveland Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and brings together the interest of the public and professionals alike in planning for choesive improvement of the Metropolitan Cleveland Area. The ehxibit [...] consists of the efforts of over 60 architects, planners, engineers, and desigeners as well as numerous public officials of the city and the county, the Cleveland Board of Education, Case Western Reserve University, the Greater Cleveland Growth Association, and the Seven County Transportation Study. Interesting physical features of past and present Cleveland are shown together with possible directions for future planning of the city"
December 1968 through February 1969 are also again devoid of institutional infromation, but June 1969 includes the 1968 annual report which is full of gems, some foreshadow the Museum's current expansion and renovation projects. The new Educational Wing, designed by Marcel Bruer, began construction on June 17, 1968:

The curtailment of the Museum's exhibitions and activities -- due to a lack of classrooms or auditoria for the duration of construction -- is in fine focus, as is the work of the Museum's "inhabitants" -- which from the description has probably not changed much in the 43 years since, but in reading
"[68.206] is the Museum's registration number and has also been carefully painted onto the back of the painting by a member of the Registrar's Department. Here at least four cards must have been prepared [...] these are the permanant records by which the Museum mantains its inventory of works in the collection."
I have to assume that these cards (and the "notebook with much additional information gleaned from previous and continual research" maintained by the Paintings Department) have been supplanted by technology, but I'm sure the process is much the same. The introduction, announcing the addition of 365 new works to the collection and pinning completion of the Educational Wing Construction as 1970, continues "We are more certainly justfied than Mr. Micawber in repeating that, "Things will be much improved in the not too distant future" -- as it will be when the current renovation and expansion is concluded.

Although reports of individual departments are interesting, very little jumps out as being strongly relevent after 40 years, though it was interesting to read the Registrar's report noting a collection of 41,287 objects (I haven't been able to locate the 2011 current collectcion size), and Public Relations noting Museum attendance of 435,106, "a reduction attributed in part to inconveniences occasioneed by the construction of the new Education Wing."

The Printing department is proud to announce that a IBM Selectric Composer was installed to facilitate printing of some publications formerly printed outside. Admission to the museum continues to be free -- and Monday remains day off for the Museum's galleries, with normal hours being published as  Tuestday, Thursday, and Friday 10-6, Wednesday 10-10, Saturday 9-5, and Sunday, New Year's Day, and Memorial Day 1-6.

The February 1970 and February 1974 bulletins have little text but serves as an illustrated "Year in Review" for acqusitions from the previous year, and it's interesting to compare acquisitions over time and to see how many of the pieces from both I can recall seeing in the Museum's galleries -- somewhat suprisingly, I recognize more pieces from the 1970 edition.

June 1974 ends this tour through the Museum's history-via-Bulletin with the 1973 annual report. Light on institutional (vis collection) information, Betsey Belkin is noted as joining the Cleveland Museum of Art Library -- today, Ms. Belkin is Ursuline College's Director of Library. Also coming of note from the Library is the note that the circulating collection of the library's photography department has been phased out (with much of the contents donated to the Cleveland Public Library). This change makes the Museum's library for the first time completely non-circulating.

Burried near the end of the report, in the sea of text, "A decision was reached to permanently install The Thinker in its present damaged condition in front of the museum's south entrance. A bracket was designed and manufacturerd to support the sculpture on a new granite pedestal which was imported from Italy." -- it's easy to forget that the well-weathered and slightly deformed statute wasn't always the way we see it today.

Lincoln
1 year ago | |
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Von Weber: Overture: The Ruler of the Spirits, Op. 27
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 (Arabella Steinbacher, violin)
Unannounced encore (Bach Sonata No. 3 in C Major (Mvt. III)) (Arabel Steinbacher, solo violin)
Schubert: Symphony in C major ("The Great") D.944
Marek Janowski, conductor.

I have to admit that on the heels of last week's concert (discussing with fellow concertgoers over the past week, the word "disappointing" was lobbed almost as frequently as "terrible") I took my seat in Severance Hall with bated breath. Fortunately, this week's concert found its way closer to the other end of the spectrum.

The Overture to The Ruler of the Spirits was a brief piece that set the concert off to a dramatic, somewhat boisterous beginning before calming and returning with a bit of angst with an exclamation from the timpani regaining any attention that had wandered and keeping it through the end of the piece -- which ran only about five minutes.

Violinist Arabel Steinbacher joined the Orchestra for the first time for Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. While I typically and prefer to observe and focus on the ensemble's playing, in the case of Ms. Steinbacher, this was difficult to do. Dispensing with the typical orchestral exhibition, the soloist is flung to the forefront from the first notes and remains there through most of the three movements. The first two movements were passionately executed with a sense of elegant delicacy combined with strong passion in the first movement before turning to a more mature, lyrical, feeling for the second. In the third movement my initial feeling was of a despondent violin supported by an understanding orchestra, it turned into a humorous monologue carried on by Ms. Steinbacher's violin with support from the ensemble.

Following the enthusiastic standing ovation given to Ms Steinbacher's performance, the violinist returned to the stage for an unannounced encore -- a fellow patron identified it as most likely Bach in E minor, but was unsure of the specific piece -- regardless, the performance was tender and gripping.

The concert ended with -- and no understatement here -- Schubert's Symphony in C major, sans number and titled The Great, unquestionably the star of tonight's program. Though Winter has finally arrived in Cleveland, the warm sounds of the first movement reminded me of my frequent strolls throughout Cleveland during the warmer months -- well paced, and constantly moving with points of  intrigue along the way. The second movement moved more from a leisurely stroll to a more rigid march propelled by oboe before the strings relieve the tension with a lyrical pause from the strings. I started to think that my walk metaphor had failed listening to the third movement (Scherzo: Allegro vivace - Trio) but instead it survives: Like my stop along the way in the Museum's galleries, this movement provided pause for reflection and meditation. Finally, the piece and the concert ended with an expressive exhalation where hints of the sights, sounds, and meditations of the previous three movements come back, but hold nothing back in terms of scale or expressiveness.

Lincoln(Updated 27-Feb to include title of encore piece. Thanks to reader "Curiosity" for the tip.)
1 year ago | |
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On my recent trip to Minnesota, you might recall, I stopped in for a Saint Paul City Ballet performance and  lamented Cleveland's lack of ballet. I was overlooking, it seems, Dance Cleveland's presentations bringing the acclaimed Ballet Memphis to Cleveland for two performances on Saturday, March 10th (8p) and Sunday, March 11th (3p) in PlayhouseSquare's Ohio Theater

While Cleveland hasn't had a company in residence since San Jose Cleveland Ballet dropped Cleveland in a dozen years ago -- preceding my arrival in Cleveland -- Dance Cleveland is promising that "If Northeast Ohio still had a classical ballet company in residence, it might look and feel like Ballet Memphis"

The company, now in its 25th year, is headed by Memphis native Dorthy Gunther Pugh has been said to serve as a cultural ambassador for that city's unique cultural heritage.

During their brief stay in Cleveland, the troupe will be presenting a bit of that heritage with a nod to another famous Tennessean: Roy Orbison's voice and six of his most popular songs provides the musical backdrop for Trey McIntyre's "sometimes  dark, always passionate" In Dreams, described by the New York Times simply as "Exceptional".

Choreographed by Jane Comfort with music by Memphis saxophonist Kirk Whalum, S'epanouir comes to an end "with a hand-clapping  gospel celebration". Though the piece "tells the story of a woman in the depths of an emotional crisis" aided in a transformation by community it is said that the piece  has a more joyful quality than is typical for that choreographer's works.

Featuring the rondo finale from the rondo finale Beethoven's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 61 dancer-choreographer Steven McMahnon's Being Here With Other People is said to be an expression of gratitude for the "'home-away from home' atmosphere that Steven McMahnon finds in Memphis"

Rounding out the announced program, Curtain of Green by Juila Adam is inspired by Eudora Welty's story of the same time and is an "abstract retelling of lost love, fear, and madness" revolving around a widow who obsessively tends to a tangled garden and whose rage nearly boils over.  

I'm certainly looking forward to the unique expression of ideas that only dance offers.
Ticket prices range from $30-$45 and can be purchased at playhousesquare.org, via phone at 866-546-1353, or to avoid fees in person  at the PlayhouseSquare Box Office on Euclid Avenue.

Lincoln
1 year ago | |
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Poulenc: Sonata for Violin and Piano (Mvt II and III), FP 119¹²
Grgin: Concerto for Clarinet (Mvt II and III)²³
Kreisler: Recitative and Scherzo-Carpirice, Op. 6ª
Farr: Wakatipu for  solo violinª
Weber: Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra, Op 26°^
¹- Brandon Garbot, violin; ²- Samantha Biniker, piano; ³- Nikola Djurica, clarinet; ª- Natalie Lin, violin; °- Elinor Rufeizen, clarinet; ^- Rafael Skorka,  piano.
Hosted by Astri Seidenfeld and Rose Wong, at the Seidenfeld Residence.

With one exception the performers featured tonight will be traveling to Washington tomorrow to participate in an event at the Kennedy Center as representatives of the  Cleveland Institute of Music. That event will be on the Internet live Wednesday at 6:00 PM-- but tonight's intimate event was a fantastic preview.

The concert opened with high school senior (and CIM preparatory student) violinist Brandon Garbot and accompanist Samantha Brinker playing two movements from Francis Poulenc's  Sonata for Violin and Piano. This performance started with the second movement and I was immediately struck and pulled in by Mr. Garbot's rich tone and both Mr. Garbot and Ms. Biniker's passioned playing. Along with a romantic feeling, I was taken by elusive flutters of notes amongst pleasantly sustained notes. The third movement, by comparison had a frantic eel and I was amazed by the speed that both musicians were able to impart without the slightest loss of clarity; the movement has a somewhat dark feeling (as one might suspect from the presto tragico tempo notation) and the sense of sudden loss is especially magnified by the end of the piece.

The program continued with clarinetist Nikola Djurica joining Ms. Biniker for the second and third movements of Ante Grgin's Concerto for Clarinet and to call Ms. Biniker's playing anything less than tremendously beautiful would be a disservice. The second movement's clarinet seemed to be searching but the real glory came from the third (Vivo) movement where the jazzy lead of Mr. Djurica's clarinet was echoed in the piano and it was completely clear both musicians were getting into the spirit of the piece and even the page turner was clearly enjoying himself.

Taking a turn of the more dramatic we find ourselves with Natalie Lin, a violinist from New Zealand, with Fritz Kreisler's Recitative and Scherzo-Caprice which was warm but certainly of a more serious tone -- at least initially -- as the piece progressed, there was a delightful intrusion whose influence I couldn't place initially, almost folksy, but when it reappeared it seemed distinctly Asian (Chineese?) combined with a judicious use of ricochet bowing and flickeringly fast fingering made this piece quite fun to listen to.

Continuing the solo violin, Ms. Lin introduced Gareth Far's Wakatipu. Inspired by a lake of the same name, legend has it the New Zealend Lake Wakatipu's unusual rise and fall is caused by the beating hart of a demon. The ethereal begining of the piece conjured images  of fog over a quiet lake but the inextinguishable beating heart of the deamon quickly surfaces in the piece and there seemed to be a bit of a struggle with the deamon. (And as Rachel commented, some of that struggle occassionally reached ear-piercing highs)

Bringing the official evening to a close, clarinetest Elinor Rufeizen joined with pianist Rafael Skorka for Carl Maria von Weber's Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra. Before the first note was played it looked almost as if Ms. Rufeizen was channeling anger; though the beginning wasn't bright it certainly wasn't angry and the piece shortly turned happier with a more pure energy. The energy turned into a a bit of a frenzy with visits of relative tranqulity before settling slow and deep. The piece and the program ended gently happliy.

As a post-concert reception was winding down, notes from the living room piano captured the remaining guests ears and lured us back in where we found Ms. Rufeizen and Mr. Skorka simultaneously playing a jazzy piano piece, referring to sheet music courtesy of an iPad (I have to wonder... does that make it Pad Music instead of Sheet Music?)

Lincoln
1 year ago | |
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Beethoven: Piano Trip in B-flat, Op. 11²³ª
Paul Ben-Haim: Song without Words²ª
Mendelssohn: Andante con moto tranqullo movement from Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49¹³ª
Levkovich: Adagio from Trio #1²³ª
Brahms: Clarinet Trio, Op. 114²³ª
¹- Diana Cohen, violin; ²- Franklin Cohen, clarinet; ³- Tanya Ell, cello; ª- Carolyn Warner, piano
In the Sanctuary of The First Unitarian Church of Cleveland.

In what has become an annual tradition (last year and the year before), Cleveland Orchestra member and Clarinetest Franklin Cohen joined with his daughter tallented violinist and Richmond Symphony Concertmaster Diana Cohen as well as other friends to honor the memory of their late wife and mother Lynette Diers Cohen through an afternoon of music.

Along with three of the musicans whom I hold in the greatest esteem (Mr. and Ms. Cohen and Cleveland Orchestra cellist Tanya Ell) and who have in years previous, this year brought the addition of fellow Orchestra member pianist Carolyn Warner.

One of the things I love about concerts like this is in addition to the more intimate nature of chamber music generrally is that the hair gets let down and you get a bit more of a peak at the musicians' personalities and history. This evening Mr. Cohen related a story about the first concert engagement where he, the late Mrs. Cohen, and Diana were scheduled to play Mr. Cohen found himself so preoccupied by making sure young Ms. Cohen had everything she needed that he forgot to bring his clarinets. Needless to say, that concert started a bit late.

This afternoon there was no such delay and the concert was an entirely decadent burst of music on a gray day. First up on the program was Beethoven's Piano Trio for clarinet, cello and piano: The first movement was full of life and set a deliciously sweet tone to the afternoon before diving into a second movement which was set off by a profoundly mournful cello that was embraced -- almost as if the arms were firmly wrapped around -- by the clarinet. In the third movement, the piano lead a happier mood with a celebratory theme that bounced from clarinet to cello and back before turning stormy and a bit more wistful

An addition to the printed program, Mr. Cohen introduced composer Paul Ben-Haim as one of the forefathers of Israeli music and played two of his pieces (Based on the introduction I believe -- but am not positive -- that they were from Song Without Words. Please correct me.) the two, played by Mr. Cohen and Ms. Warner, brought a haunting combination of songs and a lingering/wandering feeling.

Last before intermission, the Andante con moto tranquillo movement from Mendelssohn's Trio in D Minor which certainly brought forth a feeling of beautiful tranquility and had a sweet harmony between the Ms. Cohen's violin and Ms. Ell's cello supported by beautiful work by Ms. Warner at the keyboard.

A free-will offering was made and Diana Cohen announced that the proceeds would go toward a fund in her mother's memory at ChamberFest Cleveland (see here for my recap of the inaugural benefit) and after intermission the program started to wind down beginning with Adagio from Dimitri Levkovitch's Trio #1, which I found as a tremendously expressive piece that propelled me to a delightfully meditative space and I felt that the playing was exceptionally strong in a concert full of strong playing.

Before the final piece on the program Mr. Cohen made the apt observation that while dedicatications were being made, as a musician really every note he played is dedicated to someone and has bits of the essence of those who have taught and shaped him and the same is true of his students. And that was a wonderful sentiment, the program closed on Brahms' Clarinet Trio. The first movement was beautiful but had a more relaxed sound than the adagio tempo notation would have lead me to expect. and the second movement adagio was achingly sweet and tender. The third movement sweet enough that I let myself just get lost in the music and the analytical part of my brain stepped out for the movement. The final allegro had more of a conclusive feeling  and seemed to be a natural end to the tension of the piece and a delightful end to a fantastic concert.

Lincoln
1 year ago | |
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This week the Cleveland Museum of Art opens what may be the most anticipated exhibition in recent memory: Rembrandt in America. With this exhibition the traditional Members Preview Party seems to have been replaced with a series of more focused events.
?
Members Happy Hour
? Last night Rachel and I found ourselves at the Members' Happy Hour during the Museum's normal Friday evening operating hours and featuring DJ Reena Samaan with a cash bar and a diverse collection of attendees and the energy and buzz in the space was on par with that of the Summer Solstice.

Last night we did a quick survey of the exhibition and engaged in extensive socializing.

Tonight Rachel and I returned to the museum for the Supporting Circles Reception after-hours and the seeming successor in interest to the Members Reception and Preview Party -- an event attracting a distinctly older group and generally lower key gathering.

The event tonight began with welcoming remarks from David Franklin, the museum's gregarious director and the most captivating and compelling introduction to and overview of an exhibition I can recall presented by Jon Seydl, Curator of European Painting and Sculpture 1500-1800.

The exhibition covers the full span of Rembrandt's career spanning a universe of attributions -- randing from unquestionably Rembrandt (including a number of self portraits) to those originally attributed to Rembrandt where the true source -- and amount of Rembrandt's involvement, if any, is now in doubt.

While Rembrandt's work is visually gripping on its own with intriguing light and detail the exhibition presents works of questioned and unquestioned attribution in close proximity allowing the viewer to visually compare them and draw their own conclusions. In another gallery, paintings that are obviously the same subject -- one by the hand of Rembrandt, the other by a student -- lets the viewer truly understand the difference and mastery: One is softly lit but has crisp, almost life-like details while the other the focus is just a bit too soft -- almost if the camera's lens was a hair out of focus -- and the shapes are quite a bit  less photorealistic.

The exhibition also features an interactive exhibit with one the pieces in The Cleveland Museum of Art's collection that falls squarely into the questionable attribution category and attendees are invited to look at the art under the same conditions as the curators and conservators -- direct light, UV, XRay, Raking light and the like.

Though slightly irreverent, I found that great fun can be had asking and answering "What emotion is that facial expression embodying?"

The one question lingering is "why is the M in Rembrandt backwards and red?"

Rembrandt in America, now through May 16th at the Cleveland Museum of Art, members always see exhibitions free - otherwise $14/adults with student and children discounts. In addition to the ticketed special exhibition, a free companion in the form of Rembrandt Prints from the Morgan Library and Museum in the 1916 Building's Gallery 101

Lincoln
1 year ago | |
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Schoenberg: Three Piano Pieces, Op. 11  (Pierre-Laurent Aimard, solo piano)
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat major, K456 (Pirerre-Laurent Almard, piano and  conductor)
Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments (1920 version)
Stravinsky: Symphony of Palms (with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus)
Tito Munoz, conductor.

"How was the concert?" my girlfriend texted me after I returned home this evening. All I could really muster was "Eh. It was what it was :-/" and I'm tempted to leave it at that. Though Pierre Boulez, originally scheduled to conduct this week's concerts was seen in the hall tonight, for the second week he was not to be seen on the podium on advice of his opthamologist.

Nothing in the program was terribly compelling nor did any of the pieces really sustain interest. That's not to say that there weren't points of interest, but like a rural highway with too-few gas stations one point didn't muster enough energy to propel my interest to the next. My mind did a lot of wandering tonight.

Opening the program tonight pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard took the stage with Schoenberg's solo piano Three Piano Pieces. The first and third pieces found their way to the bottom of my list ("Noise" and "Stormy Noise", respectively, being the notes I jotted to myself) but nonetheless, the experience of soloist in the hall alone was unique with the sound of the collective breathing and simple etre (as strange as it sounds) -- of  the hall challenging the sound of the soloist. Perhaps in that context, the second movement with a distinct alternating pattern gave the sense of wandering alone and going against the majority.

The second piece, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 18, was conducted by Mr. Aimard from the keyboard showed a bit more promise with the first movement which seemed a rather regal waltz occasionally interrupted by the petulant youth of the winds -- carrying through the ensemble -- before returning to calm. The second movement meanwhile was despairingly sweet rising out of the second violins though the movement felt emotionally restrained. and the piece ended on a happy -- almost frolicy -- tone.

Following intermission, Stravinsky ruled the roost starting with the 1920 version of Symphonies of Wind Instruments which the program relates to cubist art -- though I'm not sure I heard the connection it was interesting to hear a piece which was angular and bold but gracefully rounded at the same time. Where explosions from an instrument -- particularly near the end of the ten-minute piece -- appear and then meld back into the whole.

Finally, Symphony of the Psalms where the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus once again delivered a pleasantly vibratto free preformance -- I think I could have listened to the graceful Alleluia at the beginning and end of Psalm 150 all night, but the haunting vocal power brought fourth during the short Psalm 38 really made the listener sit up. Curiously, Stravinsky's version of Psalm 150 omits the "laudate eum in psalterio et cithara" ("praise Him with psaltery and harp") -- and I was reading that note just as a gloriously plucked harp wrenched my attention from the program book.

Lincoln
1 year ago | |
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Schubert: Hymn to the Holy Spirit, D964 [Hymnus an den heiligen Geist]*
Schubert: Night Song in the Forest, D913 [Nachtgesang im Walde]*
Schubert: Song of the Spirits over the Waters, D714 [Gesang der Geister uben den Wassern]
Mahler: Symphony No. 5^
* with the Men of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus; Robert Porco, conductor.
^ David Robertson, conductor

Pierre Boulez was originally scheduled to conduct this weekend's concerts, while I certainly would have attended this weekend's concerts regardless I would be lying if I said I wasn't at least slightly looking forward to hearing Mr. Boulez conduct again (previous appearances with the orchestra here and here). Earlier this week Mr. Boulez withdrew from the announced Mahler No. 7 leaving David Robertson, Saint Louis Symphony Music Director, to guide the Orchestra through Mahler No. 5 and rather unexpectedly withdrew from the entire program earlier this week "on the advice of his ophthalmologist", leaving Director of Choruses Robert Porco to the three Schuberts.

Based on comments I've heard from those who attended Thursday's performance and a rather grim introduction by Executive Director Gary Hanson I was afraid I'd have to fasten my seat belt and prepare for a bumpy ride. Fortunately, the slippery roads were found only outside the hall and performance was relatively smooth sailing.

Though the Orchestra gives few hints into what really goes on in the preparation for a normal week's program as far as distribution of materials and rehearsals, one can only assume that the cohesiveness and musical satisfaction from tonight's program is a testament to the versatility and adaptability of the Orchestra's musicians, conductors, and support staff.

The three Schubert songs were played without pause for applause and in sum totalled about thirty minutes. For all three the instrumental music was clearly in the back seat to the vocals and I can't say that I really loved any of them. Overall -- and I'm not sure if this was a deliberate decision on Mr. Porco's part or driven by the source material -- but the lack of vocal vibrato made the men of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus that much more enjoyable to listen to -- and infinitely easier to follow the source texts. Both Hymn to the Holy Spirit and Night Song In the Forest seemed to be limited to winds only, while Song of the Spirits over the Waters was the firm territory of the strings. Hymn to the Holy Spirit was notable for its tender vocal beginning; Night Song in the Forest notable for a galloping middle section. Song of the Spirits over the Waters, my favorite of the three began with a beep haunting stroll before becoming big with a number of overlapping musical and human voices.

The performance after intermission though was magical: The five movements of the Mahler were everything I would expect from the Orchestra and kept me on the edge of my seat; it's worth noting that throughout -- but especially in the fifth movement -- the musicians body language exuded a tremendous degree of self-satisfaction. Part of the attraction to the symphony was the sheer variety of colors and emotions drawn out over the course of its five movements. The program notes reference a life in reverse chronology -- beginning with death and (presumably) ending somewhere around adolescence, but from the material that wasn't entirely clear. That didn't diminish the enjoyment of the piece.

The first movement, though labeled as a funeral march, had a triumphant opening, quickly turning mellow, followed by a frantic passage that reminded me as a chase before ending on something that vaguely resembled a waltz that was announced by a very dignified timpani roll. The second movement meanwhile progressed from a stormy rage through a state of confusion to a relaxed and delicate lament before ending with chimes and an air of mystery.

Part II, beginning with the third movement scherzo was the most colorful of the movements in a 64-color box set of crayons exuding the feelings of a confident youth with a loving vision leading into a solo string pizzicato and dramatic strings punctuated and paused by an intruding horn not unlike the commercials in a television drama.

Part III consisting of the fourth and fifth movements was my favorite part and the fourth movement (Adagietto) marking my favorite movement of the piece. The first part of the movement is dominated by the harp with the other strings before the harp fades away and the tenderness of the movement (and thoughts of the impending Valentines Day) causing one nearly to forget the harp's contribution to the movement until it reappears near the end of the movement. The Rondo-Finale Allegro fifth movement was bright and optimistic; the final bars of which were met by calls of Bravo and a standing ovation virtually before the final note had finished reverberating around the hall.

Lincoln
1 year ago | |
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