Sat 8/28
Vinay Parameswaran was called in to conduct Saturday evening’s final classical concert of the 2021 summer season at Blossom Music Center in substitution of Elim Chan, who was unable to appear due to travel restrictions.
In his role as Associate Conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, Vinay Parameswaran leads the Cleveland Orchestra in several dozen concerts each season at Severance Hall, Blossom Music Festival, and on tour. He also serves as music director of the Cleveland Youth Orchestra. Mr. Parameswaran’s charm, ebullience and ardent depth of musicality have made him a favorite among both musicians and audiences in Cleveland.
Mr. Parameswaran seems as comfortable conducting the popular annual free concert in celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King as he does the straight-ahead classical work of the greatest composers and symphonies that define European musical literature.
His presence at the podium Saturday evening seemed almost divinely preordained. The trajectory of the program ran from the overture to Beethoven’s 1807 adaptation of the tragic tale of Roman general, Caius Marcius Coriolanus (based on Heirich Joseph von Collin’s 1804 Coriolann), to a visceral and compelling performance by pianist Jonathan Biss of Caroline Shaw’s concerto Watermark, commissioned by Biss to be inspired by Beethoven’s Third Piano concerto. The evening ended with an eloquent performance of Elgar’s Enigma Variations.
The opening of Beethoven’s Coriolan was bold and impactful. The powerful first chords represent the combat and struggle of the protagonist/warrior. The overture tells the saga of Gaius Marcius Coriolanus, the Roman general who was exiled after falling out of favor with his Roman countrymen. The general convinces the Volsci to attack the Eternal City. Coriolanus’ mother pleads with him to end the siege; finally, humiliated, he kills himself, a tragic hero.
The symphony was coaxed by Parameswaran into an opulent intensification, prior to introducing an opposing lyrical theme as the voice of Coriolanus’ mother, beseeching his mercy. Instigated by the string section, the brass could be heard supporting the main melody as the drama unfolds in less than ten minutes with an overture that ends in quiet remorse and surrender.
George Szell conducted and recorded a famous version of Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture. If he were still alive, he would surely be overjoyed with Parameswaran’s interpretation and rendition.
Under Parameswaran’s watchful nuance, the second piece of the program featured a masterful performance by Jonathan Biss. Biss is renowned for his virtuoso accomplishments as a pianist as well as for his erudition as a Beethoven scholar and lecturer. I’ve taken several of Biss’ Coursera courses and am a fan of his prose, having read and reread his kindle edition of Beethoven’s Shadow, I enjoyed his audiobook Unquiet: My Life With Beethoven, and have greatly admired his many past performances with the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall and at Akron’s Tuesday Musical Association.
His performance on Saturday evening was his debut with the Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Music Center, but he is a frequent soloist with the Orchestra at Severance Hall. Biss seemed happy to keep company with Vinay Parameswaran and this astounding orchestra. Caroline Shaw’s composition shared some commonalities with Beethoven’s sonata but felt more influenced than replicated. The multifaceted Watermark nods to its predecessor, but stands on its own as a vibrant and illustrious composition. Jonathan Biss gave a legendary performance and displayed the intricacies of Ms. Shaw’s vision, with sometimes delicate and tender undertones, and more often, powerful lavishness while staying in unison with Maestro Parameswaran and his venerable symphony orchestra.
Caroline Shaw won the Pulitzer Prize for Music for her Partita for 8 Voices at the age of 30, the youngest person ever to receive the prestigious award. Watermark ‘s success should solidify her future as a stellar composer. Shaw’s vision and vitality ought to guarantee audiences decades of artistry and accomplishment.
Edward Elgar composed his Variations on an Original Theme at the age of 42 at his wife Alice’s urging, after she heard him “doodling” the theme at the piano. He playfully dedicated variations on the theme to Alice and his closest friends “…to my friends pictured within” and gave them the title Variations on an original theme, Op.36 — no mention of “Enigma”, though the word appeared in pencil on Elgar’s score. After its London premiere the same year, Variations achieved immense popularity and established Elgar’s international reputation.
Under Vinay Parameswaran’s guidance, the second half of Saturday evening’s program displayed distinctive and unique character arcs, propelling each of the variations. Maestro Parameswaran seemed the perfect conductor for Elgar’s masterpiece, the composition perfectly paired to Parameswaran’s magnetic style, always compelling, often exuberant, full of charm and surprises, recurrently moving and heartfelt. The piece felt fresh and breezy under his guardianship.
Audiences have yearned for a sense of normalcy coming out of the lifestyle constraints of a pandemic, but Parameswaran and rhe Cleveland Orchestra always deliver remarkable and exceptional work. The Conductor’s effervescence and charm are contagious and kept the audience on their feet, begging for more through numerous ovations.
[Written by Lisa Debenedictis]