Sat 7/8
The Cleveland Orchestra concert last Saturday night featured classic favorites by Beethoven and Berlioz — all beautifully played, of course. However, it’s hard not to report on the weather as well, especially when writing about a concert at Blossom. It was an absolutely perfect, calm and clear evening; a slight breeze graced lawn picnickers and pavilion sitters alike. We were lucky — no storms or rain, just bird song and later, bright moonlight.
The old-school, strictly classical program, conducted by music director Franz Welser-Möst, stressed romance all the way. It began with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 in D major, and concluded after intermission with Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique.
Beethoven’s symphony — written when he was a (relative) youth — moved easily from dynamic contrasts to serene passages. The woodwinds, especially the flutes, had area birds responding to notes seemingly drawn by the composer from nature. The symphony, an energetic work to begin with, became even more so by the time it ended. The finale’s allegro molto, with its vigorous, near “fidget- spinner” ending (and one that gives the strings an especially good workout), inspired a nearby patron to happily exclaim “That’s the most worked up I’ve ever seen Franz.”
While Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique was described by the composer as an “Episode in the Life of an Artist,” the various movements also reflect smatterings of themes he later used in other creations. The first, “Reveries,” did seem romantic with its recurring, increasingly obsessive musical theme, supposedly modeled on the composer’s mad love for an actress. However, the titles of the last two movements (“March to the Scaffold” and “Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath”) suggest all did not end well for the lovers. For this piece, two harps, brass, percussion, flutes and oboe, and strings blended with flair to reveal either the stages of love or, more likely, just how versatile Berlioz was.
Bottom Line: Another fine performance in a beautiful setting. Well done.
Side note: If carrying around a 94-page program seems a bit much, TCO now offers a mobile phone version. Visit ExpressProgramBook.com before or during your concert and you get for free all the bios and facts and program comments found in the regular program.
Next up? July 22 at 8 p.m. Jahja Ling conducts pieces by Rossini (“Overture to The Barber of Seville) and Paganini (“Violin Concerto No. 1 with Eli Matthews as soloist). As a bonus, at 7 p.m., an hour before, the Kent /Blossom Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Charles Latshaw, will play Dvorak’s “Symphony No. 9: From the New World. For tickets go to clevelandorchestra.com or call 800-686-1141.
[Written by Laura Kennelly]
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223