Stranded in Ann Arbor? What to do: Go to a bar and give a concert
So, your concert in Symphony Hall in Chicago gets canceled by a blizzard and you’re stranded in Ann Arbor, Michigan, without a gig. What’s a Cleveland Orchestra member to do?
Zachary Lewis, the Plain Dealer’s Cleveland Orchestra critic, reports in today’s paper about Wednesday evening’s cultural offering by several of the orchestra’s members. Joshua Smith, William Preucil, Frank Rosenwein, and others showed up at Silvio’s pizza and gave an impromptu concert as part of Ann Arbor’s ongoing “Classical Revolution” series (a branch of which takes place in Cleveland). Some of the performers used borrowed instruments, because their own were already on the way to New York for the orchestra’s Carnegie Hall concerts later this week. Franz Welser-Möst showed up to listen, and—most unusually—French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard, who is touring as soloist with the orchestra, arrived and played a Brahms work on what Mr. Lewis charitably describes as a “modest upright.” Yee-haw!
The more music the better! Yay to these hardworking musicians for bringing Cleveland’s best to Ann Arbor on a snowy night.
Zachary Lewis makes his Cleveland Orchestra debut
After last week’s turmoil over Don Rosenberg’s dismissal by the Plain Dealer as the regular critic of Cleveland Orchestra concerts, it doesn’t take too much of a leap to imagine that one of the most uncomfortable seats in the house last Thursday was that occupied by Zachary Lewis, newly-minted successor to Rosenberg. His inaugural review is here. In some ways he was in a no-win situation: if he gave the performance a glowing review, Rosenberg’s supporters would say he was just a pawn of the supposed Orchestra/Plain Dealer coven; if he gave a negative review, there would be those who would say that he had to do so, so as to show he wasn’t part of the alleged conspiracy. In fact, although the overall tone of the review is positive, there were enough zingers to catch one’s attention. (“Two prominent gaffes by different instruments may keep Thursday’s Bruckner from making the final DVD. But even without those, it was not always clear why this should be a performance to immortalize.”) Exactly.
I attended the performance on Friday evening. By far the more interesting performance was that of the new “Duet” by George Benjamin, with super-pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard as the soloist. Friday was the U.S. deuxième (the premiere having been on Thursday). The sounds and structures were enchanting, especially the hushed tango-like rhythms in the harp and low strings, and the single notes of the piano against the chamber orchestra texture.
The Bruckner 7th Symphony was deliberate to the max. I detected several intonation problems during it’s hour-long course, in the collection of Wagner tubas, and later in the winds. There are several magnificently thrilling climaxes, but I have come to the conclusion that Bruckner’s musical structures (and perhaps Franz Welser-Möst’s interpretation) are too vast for me to comprehend over such long time spans. There was no subtlety. Bruckner’s 8th Symphony comes up later in the season. Maybe next time I’ll get the point….
Feature article about Franz Welser-Möst
Zachary Lewis, successor to recently deposed Plain Dealer music critic Donald Rossenberg, has a feature article about Franz Welser-Möst in today’s paper. You can see it here. There is no hint of the recent controversy. It is very even-handed, with quotes from present and former orchestra members, Cleveland Orchestra management (including Gary Hanson), as well as impresarios elsewhere, and discussions with Franz himself. The article details some of the criticisms of Franz’s work (“blankness”, “lack of interpretation”) and some of the orchestra’s financial and artistic challenges (e.g. subscriptions and ticket sales are flat to declining in Cleveland; meanwhile revenues and demand from the orchestra’s tours are up.) The piece seems to set a level and neutral playing field for what Lewis’s future critical working relationship to the orchestra will be.
The orchestra season begins tonight at Severance Hall, with the U.S. premiere of George Benjamin’s Duet for piano and orchestra (with Super-Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard as the soloist) and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7, which is being filmed for release on DVD as the third in the orchestra’s series of DVDs of Bruckner symphonies. Virtual Farm Boy is attending the Friday evening performance–under duress: I do not have the Bruckner gene, and I find his symphonies really tedious. But I try to give things I don’t like multiple opportunites to win my favor (It’s happened with Wagner.) Maybe this will be the time for Bruckner.
Messiaen's Turangalila, version 2005
This was quite a memorable weekend of music in Cleveland. (At the same time the Cleveland Indians were losing their chance for the 2005 playoffs.)
Last night (Saturday, October 1), I went to the Cleveland Orchestra concert, conducted by Franz Welser-Möst. The first part of the program was Stravinksy’s very late Requiem Canticle with a chamber choir from the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. This piece was written during Stravinksy’s “serial phase” in which he swiped some of the concepts of his arch-aesthetic-enemy Arnold Schoenberg and his 2nd Viennese School buddies Berg and Webern. Requiem Canticles is unmistakably Stravinsky, but second-rate Stravinsky, as if he had run out of things to say. I’m assuming that the Cleveland performance was creditable; but it’s not a piece I’m going to run out and buy a recording of, or have a longing to hear again.
The second part of the program was Messiaen’s Turangalila-Symphonie (calling it the second “half” would be incorrect–the Stravinsky lasted less than 15 minutes; the Messiaen, 75). The soloists were the same as a couple of years ago: Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano, and Cynthia Millar, ondes-Martenot (that strange electronic keyboard instrument so favored by Messiaen).
This was an absolutely thrilling performance of Turangalila, especially Aimard’s playing, which was alternately tender and caressing and steely. He played from memory (a feat in itself), and was in constant visual communication with Welser-M??st. Aimard is a genius. Several prominent local musicians were gathered in the Severance Hall balcony after the performance exclaiming in unison about Aimard. Franz’s interpretation has matured since the last Cleveland Orchestra performances of this ten movement behemoth. The whole affair seemed less like it was going to run away without him than it had the last time.
At the end there was an ovation–spontaneous, with people on their feet shouting–not one of those timid affairs that are so common these days at Severance Hall where people would give a standing ovation to a slab of beef being drug across the stage. This was a performance worthy of its standing ovation, and multiple curtain calls for the conductor and soloists.
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