Thu 1/9
The Cleveland Orchestra invited listeners to imagine 1920s Paris — and travel there via a carefully crafted program. Of course, we accepted.
It was a delight to listen January 9 as that fabled era came to life under the guidance of guest conductor Stéphane Denève at Severance Music Center. We heard three pieces from the free-flying high-stepping jazz age, plus one that evoked it.
Our trip began, fittingly, with the making of a world, in this case, Darius Milhaud’s 1923 La création du monde, Op. 81. Instrumental soloists punctuated the surreal landscape Milhaud sketched out and emphasized the work’s dramatic and balletic elements. Perhaps its harmonious and melodious solos weren’t intended as a musical rebuke to Igor Stravinsky’s harsh 1913 Rite of Spring, but it sounded like it. I know which world I’d prefer.
Guillaume Connesson’s A Kind of Trane, featuring saxophone soloist Steven Banks, came next. Connesson’s 2015 work, while modern, fit smoothly into the sensory-heavy Parisian vibe. The composer’s note revealed that the work with parts for alto and soprano sax was “conceived as a tribute to the great jazz saxophonist John Coltrane.” As played with nuance, skill, and passion by Banks and the orchestra, it certainly was.
After three bows, during the extended standing ovation, Banks responded to our demand with an encore: a meditative and beautiful musical version of The Lord’s Prayer. (Banks has a YouTube version here).
After intermission, it was back to Paris and the 1920s with another lyric work for ballet, this time Francis Poulenc’s five-part 1923 Suite from Les biches (the does). Again, it was easy to envision (and wish for ballet dancers) as the “relatively” simple and direct composition moved from convivial melodies to a “Rag-Mazurka” and concluded with a celebration that wove elements of the suite together.
Ah, and then, it was time for the 1928 work made famous on film and stage: George Gershwin’s An American in Paris. It was magical, as ever. Props especially to the percussionists who mimicked the famous Paris taxi cab horns. I couldn’t see from where I sat exactly what they played (program says “taxi horns”), but the trumpet-style sounds worked and brought back those welcome, garish, attention-grabbing noises that still greet visitors and mean “Paris! You’re in Paris now.”
Before the concert the free lecture in Reinberger Chamber Hall by Dr. Michael Strasser before the performance gave us all a chance to understand more about the era that produced the three French pieces and inspired Connesson’s tribute to Coltrane.
Bottom Line: Under the leadership of conductor Denève this Cleveland Orchestra program coalesced into a true celebration of music, French or not.
[Written by Laura Kennelly]