You CAN go home again, sort of. It may not always work; some things may be a tad different from those in your memory bank. But still – if all (or most) of the ingredients are the same, then you should find yourself basking in the well-loved and very familiar. Comfort rather than exotic.
Those folks in attendance at Severance Hall on Thursday evening when Christoph von Dohnányi returned to conduct the Cleveland Orchestra, and who might have remembered his tenure here in the last two decades of the 20th Century, were no doubt hoping for a touch of that magic to return. And return it did. Big-time!
Right away, we could tell something was different—the orchestra was seated in the old way: basses to stage right (rather than left) and the violins were split; firsts on the conductor’s left, seconds on his right. It was a familiar sight, even if at first we wondered why it looked so different. Of course, the sound was different, too. The basses, generally magnificent throughout, sounded more like twenty than the nine they actually are. What was NOT different was the precision with which the orchestra usually plays. It was definitely the same, although perhaps a bit more defined.
Mr.Dohnányi was a bit more stately in his appearance on stage, rather than the brisk style he used to demonstrate, but he still has a mop of hair—now completely white—that floats and flutters about his head as he nods or shakes it in time with the music – or perhaps for emphasis. One other difference – he wasn’t wearing the traditional tails for evening concerts; rather, it was a buttoned-up to the neck, slightly longer than usual coat. Not quite Nehru, not quite Edwardian, but appropriate.
The music was entirely traditional: Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus by Beethoven; Sinfonia concertante in E-flat major K. 364 of Mozart, featuring William Preucil, violin, and Robert Vernon, viola as soloists, and the Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Opus 68, of Johannes Brahms. During her pre-concert talk, archivist Deborah Hefling presented a charming reminiscence of Mr. Dohnányi’s tenure as Music Director, in which she stated that the composer most often performed by the orchestra during that time was Mozart, whereas the most-performed symphony was the one on the evening’s program—Brahms No. 1.
Beethoven’s ballet score for The Creatures of Prometheus is a full-length work that is almost never performed. Only the overture seems to have a life of its own. But that’s better than nothing, to be sure, especially when given such an elegant and vital reading as this one.
Bringing two members of the orchestra out front as soloists is always a welcome event. Mr. Preucil and Mr. Vernon are not strangers out there, either, having performed as soloists or a team on many occasions. The Mozart seems ideally suited to them and their style of playing. They zig and zag and play tag with each other and the orchestra in music that is capricious and sublime, sometimes at the same time. Always there is grace in their symmetry, however. How unfortunate that Thursday evening seemed to be the beginning of the coughing season.
Some performances absolutely transcend easy description and the Brahms was one of that variety. I suppose there are those who could find fault with something or other, but to me, this was as nearly perfect as could possibly be. I heard smidgens of melody or harmony I’d never heard before in any performance, Franklin Cohen’s few lines at the beginning of the third movement among them. All the principal winds made the most of the opportunities they were given to hold the spotlight, however briefly. Most notable was flutist Joshua Smith in two or three lines near the end that were perhaps the most beautiful he’s ever played. The same could be said of hornist Richard King in his solo turn. The brass chorale in the finale was beyond superb.
For once, the immediate and enthusiastic response by the audience was totally well-deserved and not one little bit overdone. Mr. Dohnányi is scheduled to return again next season. Hooray! This week, however, brings the long-delayed debut of Semyon Bychkov. For complete details, visit the website: http://www.clevelandorchestra.com or call the ticket office at 216.231.1111.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz, who writes: My most recently published book is Ardenwycke Unveiled (e-book and trade paper). Cerridwen has another contemporary romance from me, But Not For Love, currently available only as an e-book, but perhaps will be in print next year. I hope to soon get around to completing some of the 30+ incomplete books in my computer!By the way, Cerridwen has also accepted two of my short stories in their Scintillating Samples (complimentary reads) area: Song of the Swan and Unexpected Comfort. I love photography as well, as you can see here. Occasionally I teach writing workshops and sometimes do editing or ghostwriting on a free-lance basis. But over and above everything else, there’s always been the writing. I can’t imagine my life without it.