Sat 7/3
Blossom Music Festival is back! The Cleveland Orchestra kicked off the July 4th weekend with a joyful concert on Saturday (7/3) and Sunday (7/4). It’s easy to forget how rich and lush the full orchestra sounds, even playing outdoors. It was wonderful to be reminded.
Opening night (July 3), the happy crowd on the lawn and in the pavilion lent an air of excitement to the first big orchestra concert in over a year. Most stayed afterwards to enjoy the fireworks on what turned out to be a perfect summer night. The Blossom grounds, the orchestra’s summer home in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, looked even more beautiful than ever (maybe a year off benefitted it) and the parking lots were packed.
The music? First (and off the official program), “The Star-Spangled Banner” (with most orchestra members playing by memory and while standing) and audience members providing the vocals.
The official program, conducted by Brett Mitchell, was an eclectic mix drawn from various traditions. It began with a spirited rendition of the overture to Leonard Bernstein’s Candide. One might argue that the musical — based on Voltaire’s cynical take on human nature — had nothing to do with July 4th, but that one would not be me because it’s a favorite piece so who cares?
This was followed by works by under-celebrated African American composers. The first was Mary D. Watkins’ meditative “Soul of Remembrance” from Five Movements in Color. Next came Concerto in One Movement by the better-known Florence Price, with a fine and dramatic presentation by pianist Michelle Cann. The last work was Adolphus Hailstork’s “An American Fanfare.” One hopes works by these composers will continue to be heard in coming seasons.
Then the concert returned to the old standbys — a selection from Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, followed by Tchaikovsky’s “Overture: The Year 1812” (with alarmingly loud and flashing cannon fire just offstage). John Philip Sousa’s traditional “The Stars and Stripes Forever” completed the program.
Bottom Line: The featured works — old standbys and new, all well-played — served as a backdrop to what seemed the most stunning and memorable element of all: people gathering to celebrate and enjoy The Cleveland Orchestra’s return and our common heritage, and (we hope) the beginning of the end to Covid restrictions.
[Written by Laura Kennelly]