REVIEW
Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 1/13/11
It was well-organized and gorgeously performed mayhem at the Cleveland Orchestra concert at Severance Hall on Thu evening. Well, two-thirds of the program anyway. Ein Heldenleben, which formed the second half, is the ultimate orchestral show-piece, giving luscious solos to nearly all the principals while demonstrating in musical language the heroic and tumultuous life of the composer Richard Strauss. Music Director Franz Welser-Möst was a fabulous traffic director, letting the commotion go right to the border, then patiently reeling it back in, before repeating the action in a different direction. Over and over again. It was overall fabulous.
Ein Heldenleben (a hero’s life) requires a huge orchestra to do it justice: 9 horns, 5 trumpets, 3 trombones, tenor and bass tubas, 2 harps plus the full contingent of strings and percussion. The energy expended on the stage during the concert could probably light up a small village somewhere, could it be somehow harnessed into utilitarian mode. Strauss made no pretense about this work: it’s his life story. After a suitably brash and compelling introduction of the Hero, he presents his adversaries – the critics. It’s a wonderful depiction of squabbling, noisy, chattering and sometimes discordant voices before he suddenly changes direction with a tribute to the heroine.
Strauss’ wife Pauline was a noted soprano, so of course, it’s the solo violin that brings her to life. No wonder he was able to write such famous and persnickety heroines as Salome and Elektra and the Marschallin if she was his model! Concertmaster William Preucil contributed lush, winsome flourishes next to the fireworks, followed by harmonious double stops, no doubt expressing the same attributes in music as he was experiencing in his home life.
But his battles continued, as demonstrated by an off-stage fanfare (three trumpets) that led into an episode in which every musician was seemingly playing something different—harmonious discord? Or just organized mayhem, maybe. When the hero returns from battle, he decides to withdraw from the world, while making very sure we’ll always remember him! Here the music becomes meltingly lovely, and after a brief bit of thumbing his nose at everyone (sort of the schoolyard ‘nyah, nyah, nyah!’) he (the French horn of Richard King) and the companion (Mr. Preucil again) go off into the sunset, hand in hand.
All of the regular wind principals had exposed solos: Joshua Smith, flute; Frank Rosenwein, oboe; Franklin Cohen, clarinet; John Clouser, bassoon; Michael Sachs, trumpet and Massimo La Rosa, trombone; plus the oft-neglected fourth chair piccolo of Mary Kay Fink; Robert Walters, English horn; Linnea Nereim, bass clarinet and Jonathan Sherwin, contra-bassoon. To be totally fair, I should just list every member of this orchestra for outstanding performance. Of course, it generated an automatic standing ovation.
The other great musical rabble-rouser of the mid-to-late nineteenth century—Richard Wagner—was the composer of the opening piece – the overture to his opera Tannhauser. Another hero. This hero wasn’t as fortunate as Strauss – he struggled to find his heroine, not being able to choose between the innocent Elizabeth and the sensuous Venus. From the opening wind choir through the brass ensemble, he searches. Assistant Concertmaster Yoko Moore beguiled with an intense violin solo before the hero finally made his choice in a blazing triumphant chord that reverberated around the auditorium sounding for all the world like a great cathedral organ. Once the tension was released, shouts of bravo were heard as the musicians took their bows.
In between these two orchestral showpieces guest artist Radu Lupu demonstrated again why he is a most welcome visitor to the stages of concert halls around the world. There is no drama in his performance, simply beautiful playing, whether robust or so delicate a whisper could overpower it. The concerto here was that of Robert Schumann, the tormented genius whose writings for the piano have seldom been equaled before or since. It is one of the most popular concertos ever, and why not? It has everything, from luscious melodies to graceful cadenzas to sparkling dialogues with the orchestra.
Mr. Lupu draws ineffable beauty from every note he plays, but the listener can easily sense there is always power in reserve. When he isn’t playing, he sits quietly with his hands in his lap, or hanging still at his sides, seemingly communing with the instrument in front of him. During the final movement, he turned to watch the orchestra during his silent portions. (It’s the best seat in the house, after all!)
He will occasionally shake his head for emphasis, as in the stately finale, but otherwise, his performances are notable for their lack of histrionics. He truly serves the music.
Soloist and conductor exchanged hugs at the conclusion before Mr. Welser-Möst acknowledged lovely solo contributions from Jeffrey Rathbun, oboe and Franklin Cohen, clarinet.
Next week, Mr. Welser-Möst conducts and pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard returns. After a trip to Florida and New York, etc., the orchestra returns to Severance Hall on Fri 2/11. For complete details, visit the website: http://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 later this year. I hope to soon get around to completing some of the 30+ incomplete books in my computer!Actually, I’ve just re-issued my very first published book (from Berkley in NY 1993) Secret Shores which is available now in regular print, plus large print and as a Kindle.
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.
And now, after more than a few requests, I’ve started a blog about writing. You can find it here.