Reviews: A collection of random reviews of events

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 09/25/08

The season-opening evening began with a 13-minute piece of new music for piano and orchestra by George Benjamin. In this case, the new music was very new. Conductor Franz Welser-Most noted in the concert preview Thursday night that the score wasn't delivered until August. That didn't seem to matter as guest soloist, the brilliant Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and the orchestra (especially the timpani) shifted so swiftly from one musical location to another that it took a second to be sure where sounds originated. Benjamin's brief work seems to point to the confusing barrage of sounds city life brings today.

It's an insightful comment about what our ears process now. The evening's next work, Symphony No. 7 in E major by Anton Bruckner reflected the composer's ability to isolate orchestral structures into discrete units (like Benjamin) as well as his respect for Wagner (great brass parts well-played). To add extra interest, there were cameras everywhere (including right next to the instrumentalists) because Thursday and Friday night's performances were being recorded for a DVD and for presentation on PBS. They didn't seem to turn to the audience, however: too bad, we missed our chance for greatness.

Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Cleveland Orchestra @ Blossom 8/8 Except for the Olivier Messiaen "And I Await the Resurrection of the Dead" (overheard comments ranged from a wry "What did you think of that?" to "I hated that") the huge Blossom Festival audience seemed to heartily approve Conductor Franz Welser-Most's Cleveland Orchestra program slated for its European tour (Salzburg, Lucerne, Milan, and Turin, Aug. 17 to Sept. 3). The Messiaen's spooky growly phrases made the title's resurrection sound like a really creepy, but a carefully controlled, event (European audiences may love it). A fragment from Franz Schubert's uncompleted last symphony, reworked by Brian Newbould and titled "Andante in B minor," opened the concert with lyric melody. Antonin Dvorak's "New World" Symphony (No. 9) followed intermission. The Old West never

sounded better as the orchestra brought out a nostalgic and sweeping picture of a time and an era captured by panoramic 19th-century painters Cole, Bierstadt, and Church (the America of imagination, promise, mountains and red sunsets). Johann Strauss, Jr.'s sweeping "carpe diem" call (the "Emperor Waltz") provided a built-in encore for the Orchestra's last appearance this summer at Blossom. Never fear, however, there's still plenty of time to picnic. Next at Blossom:

Saturday (Aug. 16), the Empire Brass; Sunday (Aug. 17) will see the Blossom Festival Orchestra playing Blossom Favorites (Sousa, Anderson and more). On Aug. 24 it's "A Bernstein Celebration" and on Aug. 30 and 31 it's "Blossom Night at the Movies." But the summer still seemed to go by too fast--. From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly

lkennellyATgmail.com

I Hate Hamlet @ Shakespeare at Stan Hywet 8/9

[Above: "I Hate Hamlet" Darren Kelly as Barrymore and Dede Klein as his long lost love.]

Despite thunder, rain gusts, and a fine drizzle the marvelous cast of "I Hate Hamlet" persevered, frolicking around the outdoor stage (wearing tights and other revealing garb) and putting on one heck of a show for the hardy crowd that came (some fortified with strong drink) to celebrate the bard and the actors who bring his works to life. Stephen Skiles seems to channel John Ritter as he played Andrew Rally, the hapless TV actor who agrees to be Hamlet in a NYC Shakespeare in the Park production. Rally, who has rented the New York apartment where John Barrymore (he's Drew's grandfather) once lived, discovers (to his initial dismay) that the legendary "Hamlet" actor still "lives" there. Barrymore played with comic dash and bravado by Daren Kelly turns into both an acting and life coach for the still-living actor. Lara Mielcarek as the Felicia the gushing realtor, Tess Burgler as the buxom (and virginal) sweetie who drives Rally a bit nuts, and Scott Shriner as Gary the Hollywood agent who tries to get our hero to give up this silly acting stuff add to the fun. But it is Dede Klein as Lillian, the older and still-beautiful woman who once had a fling with

Barrymore, who really makes the audience (and the ghost) sit up and take notice. Advice No. 1: It's worth the trip. Additional performances are next week (Aug. 14-17). Advice No. 2: Bring a blanket, an umbrella, a poncho, a picnic basket and a drink (mosquito spray is provided). From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Time For Three & Cleveland Pops Orchestra @ Blossom 8/10

Classical musicians gone wild? When Time for Three joined the Cleveland Pops at Blossom Sunday night we heard the ear-thrilling music that results when this highly-trained trio (they met at the Curtis Institute) fiddles around. Chief fiddlers Zach De Pue and Nick Kendall plus Ranaan Meyer on double bass, showed the natural relationship between humor, wit, and classical music without neglecting technique. At one

point both violinists played one instrument (with two bows) and at another the three played hits from "Fiddler on the Roof" all at the same time. It wasn't all giggles: De Pue found the keening heartbreak in "Shenandoah," Kendall proved that fingers can fly faster than the mind, and Meyer (who draped himself all over the bass like a musical python) took the bass to original sonic places. While the trio stuck to the program, sort of, the jazzy riffs and frolics from Bach to gypsy outstripped my note-taking abilities in the dark. The Cleveland Pops, led by the ever-lively and upbeat Carl Topilow, treated us to fine versions of John Williams' movie music, an Irving Berlin medley, football fight songs, and a Josef Strauss polka that required the enthusiastic audience to join in with "Hey" at the appropriate time. This was the Pops' first Blossom appearance; surely it won't be the last.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly

lkennellyATgmail.com

L'Etoile (The Star) @ Ohio Light Opera (Wooster) 7/16 Good laughs. Call it opera-bouffe or call it farce, this delightful version of the 1877 French operetta by Chabrier (music) and Leterrier and Vanloo (libretto) owes a lot to the witty translation by Robert Ackart and Gene Boucher. Director Julie Wright has got the ridiculous story camped up just right. Jack Beetle (King Ouf) and David Kelleher-Flight (his astrologer/adviser) play off each other perfectly in this story about a king who needs to execute someone every year as part of the royal birthday celebration. That may not sound funny, but it works out that way, especially when the intended executionee has already captured the heart of the princess who is being brought to town to marry King Ouf. Yeah, it's a kinda familiar plot, but the music's great and the cast is too. This show (worth the drive) repeats 7/26 (8PM), 8/1 (8PM), and 8/6 (2PM).

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Cleveland Orchestra @ Blossom Music Center 7/19 Conductor Andris

Nelsons led The Cleveland Orchestra in a trio of popular Russian works

that didn't wilt despite heat, humidity and [our] familiarity. The

highlight of the evening came early when soloist Julia Fischer stunned

and thrilled (yes, really) with an intense, articulate, and passionate

interpretation of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major. After the

first movement half the crowd (and Blossom was packed) jumped up and

applauded.

[There's something about that ending that calls for it, but often

classical music audiences stifle the "yay" impulse until the end of

the work. Why bother? Go ahead, show some feeling!] But the young (b.

1983) German violinist's Cleveland Orchestra debut performance brought

such life to the concerto that it was easy to imagine that she was

communicating essential information from her to the world and/or

channeling what the composer heard in his head as he wrote. Nelsons

and the orchestra brought eerie life to Mussorgsky's Night on Bald

Mountain (playing an edition re-worked by Rimsky-Korsakov).

Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, especially the jazzy (first movement)

and a meticulously pizzicato (third movement) ended a terrific

evening--an evening marred only by the odors of slightly burned onions

(or grease) from the vendor stands dotting the grounds and the people

behind me who brought candies (candies are OK) in a crinkly cellophane

bag (Aunt Crabby suggests cloth next time!).

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Cleveland Orchestra @ Blossom 7/12 Despite a frog-strangling cloud-burst only two hours before the concert, it was a perfect evening for music under the stars. Assistant Conductor Jayce Ogren opened The Cleveland Orchestra concert with a refreshing version of Rossini's "Overture to 'Semiramide'" that made me want to hear the whole opera. Guest conductor Giancarlo Guerrero conducted the rest of the lengthy program (antsy folks started leaving at 10PM -- poor them, they missed a vibrant rendition of Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio espagnol) that was highlighted by a dashingly powerful performance by soloist Kirill Gerstein of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 (made notorious in the film, Shine). The Orchestra also wound its way (its way being beautiful, competent, and mesmerizing at times) through the intricacies of Beethoven's "Symphony No. 2 in D major, Opus 36." Conductor Guerrero eschewed a score (except for the Rachmaninoff) and, consequently, often seemed more an instrument of the orchestra than just a time-keeper. The next summer fix of classical music is set for July 19 at 8PM when guest Julia Fischer solos in Tchaikovsky's "Violin Concerto" with the Orchestra, led by Andris Nelsons. Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 and Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain are also on the program.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Bravo Broadway @ Blossom 7/13 They tried, they really did, but mostly, it didn't work when The Cleveland Orchestra and chorus plus guest soloists Susan Egan, Capathia Jenkins, Rob Evan and Doug LaBrecque showcased [fairly] contemporary Broadway musicals. When the Orchestra opened with a medley from the rock opera Jesus Christ, Superstar by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, the evening sounded promising, but once the amplified vocals began, it tanked (at least from where I was sitting, midway in the pavilion). Musicals that sound good in small theatres (like many of those on Broadway) don't always work elsewhere, but the main problem was the sound system, amplified and echoing so much that the Orchestra couldn't be heard over the too-loud vocals and insistent rock beat. It's possible that the show also reflects the relative poverty (music wise) of current Broadway hits compared to past glory days. Best of show? Egan's "Good Morning, Baltimore" from "Hairspray" showed plenty of tuneful spunk as did Jenkins' powerhouse version of a song from "Dreamgirls" (we were told she almost had the Jennifer Hudson movie role--she'd have been great). LaBrecque invested the familiar POTO "Music of the Night" with passion and romance (a neat trick). The costume changes added color and sass. Another good point came at concert's end with a bouncy rendition of "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" (is Hair the granddaddy of rock musicals?) that brought the chorus (in tie-dyed tees) handing flowers out to the audience. I think it would have sounded better if I'd had the sense to bring a blanket, a bottle of wine, and sit on the lawn. Anyone out there want to write in and let me know?

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Our hero with admirers

The Desert Song @ Ohio Light Opera (Wooster) 6/21 This operetta has a lot going for it. Not just the romance of a mysterious lover who sweeps one away to the threat of unlawful passion in the desert (will dear Margot, our virtuous heroine, end up in a harem?), but the ear-delighting melodies of Sigmund Romberg make this show work. The cast and orchestra present fetching versions of "One alone," "The desert song," and "Then you will know" (which reminds one a bit disconcertingly of Disney's Enchanted) and the plot doesn't really get in the way (unless you try to understand it). Oh, who cares? It's operetta. And director Ted Christopher understands that, as evidenced by well-paced performances by Dennis Jesse (as the nerdy Pierre and his alter-ego, The Red Shadow) and Amanda Kingston (as Margot) and the ensemble cast. More performances of this classic from 1926 are set for July 6 (2 p.m.); July 10 (2 p.m.), July 12 (8 p.m.); July 18 (2 p.m.); July 24 (2 p.m.); July 26 (2 p.m.); July 30 (8 p.m.) and Aug. 9 (2 p.m.).

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

"Three Big Guys from School" (Reeder, Jesse and Mackus)

The Mikado @ Ohio Light Opera (Wooster) 6/24 The dynamic trio made up of Ko-Ko (the Lord High Executioner), Pooh-Bah, and Pish-Tush played by Frederick Reeder (also stage director), Dennis Jesse, and Boyd Mackus, respectively, brought life to this production, bouncing jokes and comic reactions against each other in this latest version of Gilbert & Sullivan's masterpiece. Additions to "I've got a little list" included jokes about the orchestra and conductor as well as

local events. The richness of Sullivan's score, including the beautiful "The sun, whose rays are all ablaze," as sung by Karla Hughes's Yum-Yum, shines above the slapstick (not that there's anything wrong with slapstick!). Hughes gets extra "best in show" points for valiantly singing for 15 minutes or so while her right hand was stuck in her costume after a quick onstage change into a fancy wedding kimono. Despite serious struggles trying to wave her fan (BTW: good fan action throughout for men and women) with her hand wrapped into her sleeve lining, she finally ripped viciously at the offending piece of material and emerged victorious and (seemingly) unflapped. It's times like that which make live theatre live. More "Mikado" will be served July 3 (2 p.m.); July 5 (8 p.m.); July 13 (2 p.m.); July 18 (8 p.m.); Aug. 1 (2 p.m.) and Aug. 7 (2 p.m.).

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Ado Annie and Will share a big kiss

Oklahoma @ Ohio Light Opera (Wooster) 6/20 The Ohio Light Opera in Wooster makes a terrific summer destination for musical theatre fans who enjoy a drive through the summer countryside. Oklahoma kicked off the season last week (the only "modern" piece in the eight-show schedule). Set and lighting designers usually get mentioned last in reviews, but Tymberley Wittrig and Shannon Schweitzer deserve high praise. A simple, huge sky hovered behind the actors. Changing lights reflected the time of day and paid homage to Oklahoma's outstanding scenic feature--"the big sky" [sorry, Montana, it's bigger than yours]. The sprightly ensemble cast showed off fine voices and the best dancing seen in several years. Diana Becker's tuneful Laurey moved with lithe grace and Nathan Brian sang winningly as her beau, Curly. Of course the best parts in the musical are the comic roles of Ado Annie (Amanda Opuszynski), Aunt Eller (Carissa Kett) and Ail Hakim (Jon Gerhard) and they were handled with delicious bounciness (Opuszynski), spunk (Kett) and slapstick (Gerhard). Quibbles: Since the folk in Oklahoma have emigrated from Missouri, why do some cast members sound like refugees from Gone with the Wind? And, will someone (please) fix the lyrics in the title song? How hard could it be to change the "wind comes right behind the rain" to the meteorologically accurate "rain comes right behind the wind?" Think updraft. OTOH, it's nice to know that even Rodgers and Hammerstein aren't always perfect. This former Texan gives the whole cast gold stars for getting "cain't" right. And, yes, providing a summer evening's entertainment to an enthusiastic full house.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 5/15 Visiting conductor Osmo Vanska led the Cleveland Orchestra in a technically treacherous (but oft raucously loud) clarinet concerto programmed between two lushly gorgeous works for orchestra. Aaron Copland's "Clarinet Concerto" (splashily played by Franklin Cohen who worked so hard to get his groove on he had to wear a little neck strap so he wouldn't drop his clarinet) proved shrill and loud, but since it was a work composed for Benny Goodman that jazzy sound was just part of the show. The program-opening Sibelius "Symphony No. 3" seemed to trace the arc of a day--beginning with soft melodies, lute-like strings, bird calls and then rising as the sun came up and the work day began and finally falling with echoing brass welcoming in the shadows of fast-falling night. (Yeah, I really liked it). The closing work, a Suite from Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake," served as a reminder of the ballet (but the dancers were missed). Certain passages, especially harp and violin duets, approached magic. The excerpts were chosen by conductor Vanska, who carried the orchestra with him for this work and the others with vigorous "whole-body" conducting that made the concert easy to follow, surely for the orchestra, and most certainly from the audience.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 5/8

Thursday's program reminded me of why I got hooked on classical music in the first place. Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade" (Symphonic Suite after The Thousand-and-One Nights) easily spins its web around the imagination, from the first eerily high-pitched and melodic notes from the violin (which set the theme) to the dashing all brass and percussion storm passages to the plaintive woodwinds and the lush and refreshing harp (notes falling like water in a fountain). The Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by Hans Graf, made the much-played old recording I first heard the piece on sound like the pale imitation of reality it was.The orchestra's expansive performance featured numerous compelling solos; it also made me hear the piece with fresh (and grateful) feeling. To begin the evening, the orchestra swept into an almost Disneyesque mood with the sweetness and vigor of Anatoli Liadov's "Kikimora," whose name means "creature of the night"--thus fitting into the fantasy mode. Orchestra member Desmond Hoebig's thoughtful and lovely solo work in Dvorak's "Cello Concerto in B minor" (a work with "bird calls" and echoes of Dvorak's mentor, Brahms) reinforced the impression that the program was devoted to fantasy and pure pleasure. At one point, Hoebig turned to concertmaster William Preucil (who would later have an exhausting solo stint in "Scheherazade") and

the two played a striking duet that highlighted the concerto's pathos and beauty.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly

lkennellyATgmail.com

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 5/1

Either the Cleveland Orchestra is having a very unfortunate run of bad luck or there's a jinx similar to the one attached to theatre productions of "Macbeth" (where the superstitious refuse to say the play's name)--at any rate the second visiting artist in a row (violinist Janine Jansen) canceled at the last minute. What makes the event surprising is the depth of talent ready and waiting to play a major work with a major orchestra. Stefan Jackiw stepped in to play (a different work) and impressed the audience with a cool (he played with eyes shut, connected to the orchestra only by sound most of the time) and polished performance of Mozart's "Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K.216. To open the program, guest conductor Sir Andrew Davis led his own very splendid transcription of J.S. Bach's "Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582," a work originally written for organ. From the opening bounce of the theme then repeated, amplified, and echoed as it shifted from section to section and back, the arrangement gave new and fine life to

the original. The evening concluded with Cesar Franck's Symphony in D minor, a fittingly springlike work that moved from a somber opening movement to a joyous conclusion.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Brooklyn: The Musical @ Baldwin-Wallace College 4/25

This slight musical (a more tuneful and hopeful "Rent) is moving to Playhouse Square's 14th Street Theatre this weekend (May 1-3). Go see it. I stayed awake for the whole performance (which didn't start until 10:30PM in the Berea venue) and that's saying a lot from someone who prefers an earlier show time. What makes it fun is not the simple story (troupe of street musicians trying to earn tips by putting on a play about a girl born in Paris who travels to Brooklyn to find her father) or the OK songs (sometimes, as with "Love Fell Like Rain" or "Magic Man," very appealing). The show's real strength is its young cast, all of whom exhibit a wholesome sexy energy that translates into a real "feel good" evening. It's double cast with one exception, Miss Malika Petty. It's easy to see why.

Petty, with a flippant prance (anyone remember Pearl Bailey?) and a sexy stance (what Eartha Kitt must have been like in the day), is mesmerizing as Paradice, a pop singer whose comically world-weary take on life contrasts with that of the angelic Brooklyn (a fetching Cassie Okenka). Stephen DiBlasi (soulful street singer narrator), Mike Russo (Taylor, Brooklyn's Vietnam vet father who never got over the war), and Cathy Prince (Brooklyn's gorgeous young mother) work beautifully together to keep this Victoria Bussert-directed gem moving and musical. The alternate cast looks equally good (quite a few veterans of last fall's lauded "Phantom of the Opera" at B-W). The show's a Playhouse Square production created in collaboration with the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music. It's professional in every way and a true delight (and one of the shows starts at 10PM so if you're really into that late show thing—here's your chance).

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

La Boheme @ Opera Cleveland 4/26

Rats. Even in this lovely Playhouse Square production of the Puccini classic, Mimi dies. But before she did, the lively cast headed by an enchanting Melody Moore as Mimi and Mark Panuccio as Rodolfo, brought a little slice of opera heaven to the State Theatre at Playhouse Square. Director Tomer Zvulun kept things sprightly with a pace that emphasized the zany frat house exchanges between the "guys" in the chilly Latin Quarter garret where the story opens and closes.(I never realized before that the lasting love in this opera is between the bohemian guys who support and tease each other as they aim for "artistic greatness." The women are incidental, really.) Laura Pedersen did a brilliant job both vocally and dramatically as she brought out the sweetly airheaded quality of Musetta, that outrageous flirt. The whole cast, including the Oberlin Choristers and the bustling chorus made the Cafe Momus scene memorably chaotic. The supertitles made it clear that there's probably no other opera with more inane dialogue attached to such heavenly music. Dean Williamson conducted the orchestra, which showed outstanding playing of this complex score. Everyone around me loved the opera--and my impression was that many were new to opera, especially the young voice I heard behind me saying in surprise "This is really good."

From Cool Cleveland contributior Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 4/24

It's easy to forget that musicians -- makers of heavenly sound -- are also athletes. But when a program has to be changed at the last minute, as was the case this week when Pierre-Laurent Aimard was instructed by his physician not to play the scheduled Bartok Second Piano Concerto lest he cause further damage to injured muscles, it becomes a disappointing fact of life. Aimard and Tamara Stefanovich did join for a duo-piano performance of Peter Eotvos's Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, a percussive work which showed off their fast fingers. Eotvos, who was guest conductor, also led the orchestra in a romantic and evocative performance of Zoltan Kodaly's "Dances of Galanta" and in Bartok's "Concerto for Orchestra." The Bartok concerto offered a reminder of his "Bluebeard's Castle" heard earlier this season and, indeed, seemed a scrapbook of the composer's musical life with passages suggesting the dark clown at the circus (you know, the scary ones) and others shimmering with mystery and majesty. The orchestra, as ever, sounded wonderful -- even with many of the first chairs evidently taking the night off (if they were a sports team, we'd have to congratulate the team because the bench is so deep--excellence in every chair).

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Anne Sofie von Otter @ Oberlin College Finney Chapel 4/23 Anne Sofie von Otter, the world-renowned Swedish mezzo soprano with a sunny warm voice, and recital partner pianist Bengt Forsberg delighted a Finney Chapel crowd of college students and seniors in this Oberlin College's Artist Recital Series performance. The gifted duo turned the chapel into a cozy, musical parlor with a feast of lovely songs--most celebrating summer (an emotion easily shared with the winter-weary audience). Scandinavian composers such as Nielsen, Sibelius, and Grieg as well as those by less-familiar names (in the United States) such as Wilhelm Peterson-Berger and Sigurd von Koch took up the first half of the program; works from the Austro-German song tradition made up the second half with a compelling Korngold piano work and vocal works by Mahler, Brahms, and Richard Strauss (the latter's "Die Nacht" called forth moonlit yearning also heard in the composer's opera, "Salome"--do you suppose Strauss was an insomniac?). Perhaps the most fun came during the encores when von Otter sang popular works (including the jazz piece, "My April Heart") in ways that turned them fresh. And who knew that Tom Waits' gritty and lovely farewell "Take it with me" ("Phone's off the hook/no one knows where we are") could sound so richly embellished?

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Apollo's Fire @ St. Paul's Church 4/11

The ensemble conducted by Jeannette Sorrell played on the concept of "Fire" with sparkling renditions of Franz Joseph Haydn's "Fire" Symphony (No. 59 in A Major) and Mozart's passionately spiritual Symphony No. 40 in G minor, but the evening turned really hot with show-stopping solos from Idomeneo and Lucio Silla by soprano Amanda Forsythe. Forsythe's beautiful lyric coloratura truly soared (seemingly) heavenward.

The entranced and appreciative audience kept calling her back to tell her they loved the performance. Lucky for us, Apollo's Fire was recording that night and will make a CD based on this offering so not only can we hear it again, so can you if you missed it. (Since we were cautioned to be quiet due to the recording equipment suspended near us, no one breathed and no cells phones went off during the performances--but between pieces it sounded like a sick ward with everyone releasing the coughs and sniffles they'd been holding in.) Summer's delightful "Countryside Concerts" are next up for Apollo's Fire with master fiddler David Greenberg, soprano Sandra Simon and hammered-dulcimer diva Tina Bergmann holding a Cape Breton-type "Scottish Snap" festival in the Baroque Music Barn (Hunting Valley) and the Happy Days Visitor Center (Cuyahoga Valley National Park) May 3 through June 4.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Cleveland Orchestra & Chorus @ Severance Hall 4/10

Robert Porco conducted the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus in two famous works in Severance Hall Thursday night that glory in the human voice's beauty and flexibility. I was happily disconcerted when I realized that the opening work, Leonard Bernstein's marvelous "Chichester Psalms," began with a dance rhythm similar to "That's How You Know" in "Enchanted" (a [really, yes it was] charming Disney film about a cartoon princess who gets hurtled into a real New York City). Both shared in the joyful noise celebrating life when all is well. Countertenor Paul Flight sung the second-movement pastoral solo (young King David) with such clarity, sincerity, and subtle force that I didn't miss the usual little boy soloist in the part.

Ralph Vaughn Williams' "A Sea Symphony" followed. There are few beginnings more thrilling than the large opening shout with the chorus: "Behold, the sea ---." It's a very British piece celebrating the ocean itself (historic source of British wealth and power and a whole musical tradition of sea songs and symphonies). Soprano soloist Measha Brueggergosman immersed herself in the piece; she gave a nuanced and glowingly evocative interpretation full of passion and fire (fashion note: her hot pink evening gown was tres glam). Baritone soloist Brian Mulligan sang competently, but more formally (more like a recital), losing a chance to indulge in the Walt Whitmanesque mullings the work encompasses. It may have been where I was sitting, but the orchestra sometimes seemed too loud though, of course, as always, it sounded great. It was a marvelous evening for those of us who love listening to the very fine Cleveland Orchestra Chorus.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall, 3/20

Bold outlines, brassy fandangos, and energetic music-making stood out Thursday night at the Cleveland Orchestra's last concert before this week's Miami concert gig (where they are now, playing the same program we heard first in Cleveland). World-famous violinist Midori (she of the single name, like Madonna or Cher) offered an athletic performance of Tchaikovsky's "Violin Concerto in D major, Opus 35" that showed off her justly renowned mastery of her nearly 300-year old Guarnerius del Gesu violin. Her performance, glittery as her stunning black and silver gown, seemed to lack heart, however, and the collaboration between violin and orchestra didn't seem as strong as it might have been (and probably will be with repetition). But who knows? The good-sized crowd seemed very appreciative and gave a sustained and enthusiastic standing ovation.

Guest conductor Giancarlo Guerrero also led the orchestra in Roberto Sierra's "Fandangos for Orchestra" (imagine Roman legions marching to a bullfight) and Ravel's transcription of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" (originally piano pieces). The Ravel fleshes out the piano version and allows for more color and nuance in passages that range from all-out percussion (especially the bass drum) to cathedral-holy (and spooky) winds. The orchestra made much of it though at times it sounded too like the Sierra piece that opened the program; all heat and brassiness brought to the fore. Next up in Cleveland on April 10-12: the fabulous Cleveland Orchestra Chorus (led by Robert Porco) with Leonard Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms" and Ralph Vaughn Williams' "A Sea Symphony"--both not to be missed.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Oberlin Opera@Oberlin College 3/12

The Coronation of Poppea @ Oberlin Opera Theatre It's extremely difficult to pull off early operas, but the Oberlin Conservatory of Music production of Claudio Monteverdi's "The Coronation of Poppea" (with libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busenello) goes a long way toward translating the1642 opera originally written to appeal to the Venice smart set. It's a racy, superficial soap opera of an opera and Jonathan Field directs it that way.

Poppea is the Emperor Nero's mistress and it's the straight-forward story of how she got rid of Nero's wife, Ottavia (and, as a by-product, of the philosopher Seneca). Field (who can always be counted on to keep audiences alert) worked with a double cast, except for Ottone (fantastic counter-tenor Nathan Medley). Much of the action turns on Ottone who has a passion for Poppea (but ends up with Drusilla, who has always loved him). The night I was there Elias Traverse and Alexandra Becerra as Nero and Poppea were delightful as they managed to sing the demanding vocal parts and turn up the sexual heat at the same time (at one point in an S&M routine with kinky outfits with Nero blindfolded and Poppea tickling him with a whip).

Elizabeth Zharoff's Drusilla stole the show. Her bright manner and mesmerizing energy combined with a lovely lyric soprano were a delight as she chased the oft-tormented Ottone, sung with baroque perfection by Medley. John Harper's deep-voiced and stately Seneca sounded fine, but the script gives him so long to poison himself that one wanted to give him a stronger potion. The chorus behind him while he asked for cup after cup of poison kept us amused because they spoofed the whole political scene (and kinda reminded me of the Fox news feeding frenzy going on at the time over the now ex-governor of New York). Conductor Stephen Stubbs, who also played the chitarrone, led the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra in a nuanced and lovely performance. It was an over-the-top show that would still play well in Venice.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 3/13 Classical fantasy ruled Thursday night when Ilan Volkov swept into Severance Hall to conduct Tchaikovsky's Fantasy-Overture, Opus 18 ( "The Tempest") and Ravel's "Daphnis and Chloe" and (sandwiched in the middle of these sweepingly emotional and dramatic pieces) Eino Tamberg's Trumpet Concerto No. 1. "The Tempest," with shimmering violins and the rumble of low brasses, brought to mind the crashing of the sea and, of course, Shakespeare's play (and the TV Series "Lost") about castaways on an island kingdom. "Daphnis and Chloe" began with sweet melodies chasing each other like pastel shepherds and shepherdesses on an 18th-century vase, but once the wild dance that ends the piece began the flutes and clarinets played so wildly that one knew the sheep they watched must have felt confused by all the partying. Tamberg's Trumpet Concerto gave the Michael Sachs, Principal Trumpet of the Orchestra, free reign to show off his considerable skill, finesse, and (whew) energy in a non-stop 15-minute tour-de-force. It was the sort of program -- full of fire and dash and drama -- that always brightens spirits.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 3/6 Although the Thursday March 6 performance was not cancelled outright -- as was the following Saturday's thanks to a near blizzard -- the Cleveland Orchestra still had bad luck. During Olivier Messiaen's "And I Await the Resurrection of the Dead" a faint extra sound permeated the hall. It was audible where I sat and, according to another, also in the upper tier. Of course, it wasn't as obvious at the beginning as it was later because the Messiaen work (first on the program) enjoys unusual combinations of woodwinds, brass, and percussion (including some cool bells) that sound in unexpected patterns and tonalities.

It was fun to see those instruments being played for a change because the usual screen of strings across the front rows was absent; there are no strings in this piece. But after intermission the high-pitched whine became more obvious. What was causing it? Who knows? It might have been a renegade hearing aid or it might have been due to the lights (someone thought it came on only when they were dimmed). But the net result was that the mood of Gustav Mahler's nostalgic "The Song of the Earth" or "Das Lied von der Erde" -- sounds better in German doesn't it? Classier?

It was interrupted twice when conductor Franz Welser-Most stopped, turned to the audience and commented on it. The usually affable conductor appeared very upset with us the second time when the sound didn't stop. The soloists, tenor Jonas Kaufmann and baritone Christopher Maltman, sang with confidence even though at times the orchestra smothered their voices. Well, perhaps it all made sense in the end since the text of Mahler's work concerned the meaning of human life and a sense of weariness with it all. That buzz might have been the spirit of the composer laughing at us.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

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Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 2/28

Is art truly imposing form on nature? Eighteenth-century poet Alexander Pope might have sighed with impatience at the Cleveland Orchestra's opening work for this concert--the loose-jointed but beautifully articulated Apeiron by Johannes Maria Staud (b. 1974). Lovely passages dribbled everywhere, but the work as a whole seemed to go nowhere (yes, I expect shape). Still as the evening progressed, after works by Beethoven and Brahms, works which seemed to gather up all the scattered notes left onstage and turn them into gold, Pope might have sighed with joy. It isn't fair to judge on first hearing, so it's probably enough to say that Apeiron had flashes of excitement, singing harp and rumbling brass, and that since Staud is the latest Daniel R. Lewis Young Composer Fellow with the Orchestra, we will hear more from him the future.

Although the orchestra also played Brahms's last lovely Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Opus 98, with its legendary beauty and their legendary skill (led briskly by conductor Franz Welser-Most), it was the exquisite shaping and directing of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 by veteran pianist Alfred Brendel that completely wowed us all. Brendel's command of the keyboard, his presence-- vibrant and energetic as ever (this is his last appearance here, his first was in 1971)--showed how "soul" is not limited to pop music. Singing along with the music, Brendel revealed the heart that beats within Beethoven's great concerto with the loving touch of life-long acquaintance and the grace of a master of his art. There was form here and art aplenty and the audience responded with passionate applause and thanks for one more night of pure music.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall, 2/14/08 Bartok, Bluebeard's Castle

Never take a first date to Hungarian composer Bela Bartok's one-act opera, "Bluebeard's Castle." True, the spooky music, the sighs (produced by brass players breathing hard into their mouthpieces), and growing tension egged on by vibrating strings, and groaning organ, makes hand-holding seem a good idea. But the libretto by Bela Balazs encourages dropping that tender hand and swearing off love forever.

This is not to say that the Cleveland Orchestra (under the subtle baton of guest conductor Pierre Boulez) and the soloists didn't produce the most magic of evenings in this concert production. It was fabulous. Bluebeard, darkly voiced bass-baritone John Relyea, and his latest bride, gorgeously lyric and hysteric (in the proper dramatic places) mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung cast a spell--needing neither scenery nor costumes to keep us in thrall. The point of this one-act opera seems to be that it's dangerous to trust in true, impetuous love or delve into the dark recesses of a spouse's mind.

Some things are best kept secret--at least in the Edgar Allen Poe-ish world of "Bluebeard's Castle." Narrator Eors Kisfalduy opened the opera with a few chilling words. He called to us in Hungarian (yes, there were surtitles) that sounded like poetry, but his voice and manner made it clear that tragedy was coming. ("The music sounds, the fire burns, let the play begin."). [Note to self: learn Hungarian—gorgeous language.]

DeYoung as the bride, Judith, projects lyric freshness in dulcet tones of sweetness and light as the opera begins. Harps accompany her early questions as she teases her new husband to "open up that stuffy old castle" so she can make it "nice." He's just a "bad boy" and she will change him for the better--she's sure. Later, the harp is quiet; her questions press, ratcheting up the tension meter as she faces the tragic consequences her error brings her. Relyea's richly sonorous and sexy Bluebeard, who says "Kiss me" and "stop asking questions," manages to simultaneously urge her to him and acknowledge that he knows there's no saving her--from him. It's said that violent dramatic action is more horrible when left to the imagination: this fine presentation proved it so, leaving memories of near-perfect singing and contemplation of searing psycho-drama.

To open the program, before all the zombie-bride madness, the orchestra played "Sinfonietta," a charming work by Moravian composer Leos Janacek. It's a light and lovely piece for brass and percussion (with good solo spots for e-flat clarinet, trombone and flute) that evokes the spark and polish and the charm of a village filled with folk music and band concerts. The "Sinfonietta" was charming, but it was "Bluebeard" that kept the post-concert conversation going all the way home.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Review, Cleveland Orchestra 2/07/08

If you want to "get" modernism (at least musical modernism) then there's no better master than French conductor Pierre Boulez to direct the musical proceedings. Thursday night Boulez convincingly shaped, disassembled, and re-shaped three modernist approaches to symphonic music. That J. S. Bach's Fugue (Ricercata) from Musical Offering hardly qualifies as "modern" didn't matter since Anton Webern's 1934-35 transcription made it so. As each instrument passed the music, note by note at first, around the orchestra, Bach's work appeared in surprising ways. It had something of the magic process that sculptors claim they follow when they remove everything from a block of stone except the figure hidden inside. Alban Berg's Violin Concerto, played with fervor and feeling by soloist Leonidas Kavakos and the orchestra, again revealed the architecture that lies within.

The work, it turns out, is a tribute to that classic poetic inspiration, a beautiful woman dying young (think Love Story, but in this case it was Alma Mahler's daughter). To conclude what turned out to a ravishingly beautiful evening, Boulez led The Cleveland Orchestra (in good form as usual -- and perhaps a bit tanner after a sojourn in Florida) in a romantic (and still modern) Pelleas and Melisande, Arnold Schoenberg's symphonic poem. It's a work with great dramatic sweeps of beauty that reminded me of Brahms (the enlightening pre-concert lecture by Michael Strasser pointed out Schoenberg's debt to the Romantic icon). This work, too, ended with the death of a beautiful woman -- Melisande. Looking around the concert hall afterwards, however, it appeared that all the real beautiful people were doing just fine, thanks, and very happy that the Boulez-Cleveland Orchestra team made such magnificent music together.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Christmas Vespers: Music of Michael Praetorius

Apollo's Fire

Koch International Classics

Pop this CD in the player and delightful evocations of great and cold stone churches kept warm by the light of faith and sweaty bodies fill sonic spaces. From the opening Advent chorale “Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland,” with voices bright and defiant against the dark, to the festive trumpeters and joyous ending, “Christmas Vespers” magically evokes the truth of the album liner’s quotation from Martin Luther: “Music is a precious gift of God. When I hear music, joy bubbles up inside of me.” (And, let’s face it folks, if it can make fiery Luther happy just imagine what it can do for those with more cheerful temperaments.) This selection of highlights from 17th-century church music by Michael Praetorius was intended, writes Jeannette Sorrell, founder and conductor of Apollo’s Fire, to present highlights from typical Lutheran Advent and Christmas Vespers service.

And it succeeds. This recording made from 2005 performances features the mighty players of period instruments of the Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestra, Apollo’s Musettes, Apollo’s Singers, the Oberlin Choristers, and the Children’s Choirs of St. Paul’s Church. There’s a true sense of seasonal fun and joy here that won’t wear out quickly (or ever, perhaps). Even the smallest touches show genius and a desire to bring the 17th-century alive to the 21st. One example? The translation of “O puer optime” [referring to Jesus] as “O best boy” [in “Dulci Jubilo”]. The casual confidence of that translation speaks volumes about the winning approach Sorrell brings to music that was once “pop.” Apollo, god of poetry, music, and insistent lover, would be proud--heck, it’s probably on his iPod right now.

Cleveland Orchestra, 11/27 Visiting conductor James Conlon led a spot-on bang-up concert by the Cleveland Orchestra from the opening bars of Ravel's creepy Tim ["Corpse Bride"] Burton-style "La Valse" to the skippy happy ending of Beethoven's "Leonore" Overture No. 3. Every one-two-three step in "La Valse" seemed to crunch over the metaphorical bones of the dying society (just before World War I) that Ravel envisioned. The violins played faster and faster as the macabre undercurrent became more insistent ("Bolero" shows a similar obsession with pattern, only happy and sexy). One wanted to hand each instrumentalist a little white sweat towel after it was over. Debussy's "La Mer" followed, allowing us all a cool, enchanting wash in the sea (and showing again just how effective a pattern can be). After intermission Jonathan Biss (seemingly) allowed Beethoven's great Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major to inhabit his musical soul. His supple, urgent treatment, working in synch with the orchestra, was thrilling, beautiful--all good things from a soloist who spun pianistic gold from his own rich talents. Conlon conducted the final piece from memory to close a wonderful concert whose memory can probably serve as cheery corrective to too many renditions to hokey holiday songs played over too-loud PA systems. (Why can't we shop in peace? Not even the grocery store? Sorry, off topic.)

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

A Midsummer Night's Dream @ Oberlin College 11/14 How can one not love an opera that exploits the comic possibilities of a beautiful woman enchanted by an ass? The Oberlin Conservatory of Music production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Benjamin Britten's take on the Shakespeare classic, actually made Tytania's choice to love Bottom (the transformed man with a donkey's head) reasonable, given the nature of Oberon. But then, they were fairies, capable of enchantments both light and dark. Countertenor Nathan Medley with a vocal flair that belied his creepy, crouchy Oberon, King of the Fairies, set the story in motion by causing his Queen, Tytania, to fall madly in love with a humble workman/ actor, Bottom (played with comic genius by Joseph Barron). As Tytania, Olivia Savage (the night we saw it) looked queenly and sang her part with graceful flourish. The lovers lost in the forest (the whole plot is too complicated to give here) were appropriately ditzy; their quartet after a night in the forest (we see them magically changed into skimpy pjs) was nothing short of ravishing. Kudos to Sophie Wingland as Helena, Kimiko Glynn as Hermai, Benjamin von Reiche as Lysander, and Jeffrey Hill as Demetrius.

Barron, Chad Grossman, Elias Traverse, Colin Levin, Jason Eck and Doug Balkin as the actors who put on the very funny "play within a play" in Act III deserve special praise for capturing the silliness and earnestness of amateur theatricals. Bridget-Michaele Reischl conducted the always-good Oberlin Orchestra and Jonathan Field directed this blissfully romantic production. Just before the opera ended fairie sprites passed out glow lights to the audience, turning the whole area into a dreamscape of colored bubbles and, for an instant, including us all in the magic of music and story.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennelly@gmail.com

West Side Story at 50 @ Severance Hall 11/3 Dr. Richard Kogan took posthumous psychoanalysis (a universal sport of historians, literary and musical scholars) to new levels Saturday in"West Side Story at 50," an engrossing lecture/recital subtitled: The Mind and Music of Leonard Bernstein). An appreciative audience that included quite a few shrinks (the event benefited the Cleveland Psychoanalytic Center) listened to Kogan assert that Bernstein is (so far) the greatest American composer and then listened some more as the Juilliard-trained pianist proved his point on the Steinway grand in a nearly sold-out Reinberger Chamber Hall when he played arrangements of the "Symphonic Dances" from West Side Story and of Bernstein's Symphony #2, "The Age of Anxiety" with insight and feeling. Kogan (a Harvard-trained psychiatrist with a private practice in New York City) described the charismatic Bernstein as a quasi-tragic figure torn between his drive to write immortal music (something best done in solitude) and his drive to be the center of attention and beloved by everyone (and, in Bernstein's case that included his wife of many years plus the young man he temporarily left her for). The event turned into a giant party afterwards as patrons chatted with the multi-talented Kogan and enjoyed drinks and desserts in the Smith Lobby.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Tosca @ Opera Cleveland 10/18

Tosca @ Opera Cleveland 10/19 Maria Callas may have been the only woman who could make Puccini's fiery Italian partisan Tosca into a believable woman. Tosca, who even her lover Cavaradossi knew could not be trusted with a secret, is a passionate woman given to impulsive actions. When she strikes a bargain with the wicked chief of police Scarpia (who is torturing Cavaradossi) to save her lover she can't restrain herself from stabbing the chief with his dinner knife. Of course, the opera ends with just about everyone dead, but in the Opera Cleveland production (and despite some fine voices) it's hard to believe that these characters really cared that much.

Dramatic pace aside, however, Brenda Harris (as Tosca) shows a lyric soprano that soars sweetly in one of the opera's most famous arias "Vissi d'arte" ("I lived for art") and Alfredo Portilla (as Cavaradossi) takes advantage of his opportunity to shine vocally in his farewell to life ("E lucevan le stelle"--all about the stars and beautiful life). Gordon Hawkins as Scarpia seems properly gluttonous as the man who wants his dinner and then Tosca, in that order. Peter Strummer works the comic part of the Sacristan as well as anyone could (and it's more a fault of the opera's structure that his opera buffo role doesn't serve as a foil to the tragedy that is about to take place--you can't have a relief of tension before tension has built up).

The chorus (including a parade of choristers) and the orchestra handled their parts with aplomb. At times all the gestures toward Roman Catholic ritual (primarily in Act I) seemed heavy-handed (and inaccurate), but other than that, this last production of the first season of Opera Cleveland provides a good reason to visit Playhouse Square. The remaining performance is at 8PM Saturday, Oct. 27 at the State Theatre.

Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure @ Cleveland Play House 10/17 The spookiest parts of this amalgam of memorable bits from the career of the great (and fictional) Sherlock Holmes turned out to be just before the curtain rose: the lights were cut, throwing us into blackness, a grinding and puffing noise filled the theatre and one felt surrounded by 19th-century soot, grime and desperation. The play by Steven Dietz, based on the1899 original by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and William Gillette, depended too much, however, on the audience being as familiar with the stories about Holmes as, say, the audience at a Harry Potter film is with Rowling's novels. Although the action picked up in the second act, the necessary exposition (not enough) in the first act grew sleep-inducing. Christian Kohn's Holmes made it clear that Holmes was not an especially pleasant person to be around. One wished that Moriarty (winningly played by Timothy Crowe) would dispatch Holmes and get it over with. Krista Hoeppner as Irene Adler and Catherine Lynn Davis as Madge Larrabee were a welcome foil to Holmes and a spark of light and life onstage.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

The Drowsy Chaperone @ Playhouse Square 10/16

Hooray! This is one of the silliest musicals around. It made for a delightful evening (with no intermission except for one for our "host," the Man in the Chair, who eats a Nutri-Grain bar right in our faces) that left people around me wearing big grins at show's end. With a plot that's merely a thin excuse to string together hair-raising, split-second choreography with jokes, tap dance, gorgeous costumes and sets (the latter includes an life-size airplane in mock tribute to "Miss Saigon" piloted by Fran Jaye's outrageous aviatrix, "Trix"), it's really worth getting up off the couch (even after a tough day) and going out to see. The cast sparkles: the "Man in Chair" a winsome Jonathan Crombie, who shares his favorite musical ["The Drowsy Chaperone"] via a record; Mrs. Tottendale, Georgia Engel who looks and acts as marvelously ditzy as she did on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Everybody Loves Raymond"); Robert Dorfman as Underling, the servant who becomes quite irreplaceable; Lorain native Cliff Bemis as a righteously pompous Feldzieg the producer; Marla Mindelle as Kitty the airhead wanna-be Broadway STAR; Gangsters #1 and #2 played by Paul Riopelle and Peter Riopelle who work in amazing comic [and cosmic] harmony, George as the Best Man who dances like a house afire; James Moye as Aldolpho the Latin Lover who gets trapped, and the dashing Mark Ledbetter as the dashing groom-to-be all circle around Andrea Chamberlain's delicious Janet (who may be a bride and is certainly a STAR!) and the Drowsy Chaperone herself (who is also a STAR!) played by Nancy Opel. If you think this review is frenetic, wait til you see "The Drowsy Chaperone"--a romp not to be missed.

Details: Thru 10/28, Palace Theatre. http://www.playhousesquare.com

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 10/11

You know how some things are so good that even when they are bad they are good? That's what it's like listening to our own world-class orchestra in Severance Hall. Perfectionists might quibble that Franz Welser-Most led the CleOrchestra in a too-break-neck pace Thursday night in Mahler's Symphony, No. 2 (the "Resurrection" symphony). And maybe they are right, but all the over-the-top elements were finely, funly "over the top." The organ booming in to add to the furious sound after it seemed no more would be possible, the quiet sound of the choir moving across the stage like the whisper of fog rising slowly from behind the instrumentalists, the purity of soloists Malin Hartelius and Bernarda Fink and, of course, the genius of Mahler himself (sorry to sound like such a groupie) which is hard to suppress, ignore, or smother brought flashes of fire and power to this performance.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

http://www.coolcleveland.com/index.php?n=Main.Current

Apollo's Fire@St. Paul's, October 5, Cool Cleveland

Before J. S. Bach enjoyed icon status [something he never did in his lifetime], he was just a family guy trying to get a job. At least that's the idea behind last week's sprightly (and fun) Apollo's Fire concert titled "The Competition: Bach vs. the Others." What with actors jumping out from audience seats and the ensemble's enchanting musical airs and graces, no one slept through this Baroque fest. The humidity played goblin at times, making tuning instruments difficult. At one point director Jeannette Sorrell turned to the audience and said (in character) "The orchestra [of Leipzig] was famous for taking a long time to tune."

Turns out that Bach was the Leipzig Town Council's fourth choice in 1723 for the post of what we would call town "Music Director." Apollo's Fire first played works by the far more popular at the time composers G. P. Telemann, Christoph Graupner, and J. F. Fasch. And in between pieces comically delightful actors Paul Floriano and George Roth, dressed in period clothes (gorgeous fabrics and elaborate wigs) acted the roles of perplexed officials of Leipzig and [later] the composers. The audience was included in the deliberations and at one point several ladies were invited to dance (one of them regrets she had to decline since she was not wearing her dancing shoes). It was an invigorating evening that showed Bach wasn't the only talented person writing during the Baroque period. The final "contest entry": Bach's "Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major" won hands down, though Telemann's "Concerto in D Major" gave it serious competition, especially with clever work by the strings. Bach's "contest entry" still enjoys winning popularity today, especially the melodic "Air" which has become famous (after 19th-century adjustments) as "Air on a G-string."

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Chanticleer at Oberlin College's Artist Recital Series concert Oct. 3, 2007

Chanticleer enthralled the Finney Chapel audience as the San Francisco-based male ensemble filled the space with glorious music for the first concert of the 2007-2008 Artist Recital Series at Oberlin College. Their dozen voices moved with grace in a cappella music from the Renaissance (in works both sacred and secular) to works written for Chanticleer, such as Steven Stucky’s "Cradle Songs"--an amalgam of airs from Brazil, Poland and Tobago. The last section of the program was devoted their classic repertoire (now on CDs) such as pure-toned, tear-wrenching gospels and salaciously funny folk tunes. It’s near-astonishing to hear such carefully shaded, dead-on pitch-perfect singing. From the sopranos, who combined power with lightness, to the basses who maintained a vibrating, low-voiced presence, total vocal perfection was the rule. Music Director Joseph H. Jennings must be credited with bringing out the best from these extraordinary performers who graciously provided three encores for an enthusiastic audience. Oberlin alum, tenor Todd Wedge (now with his second year in the group) spoke briefly from the stage (as did most of the ensemble as they took turns introducing various segments) saying it was great to be back. Indeed it was and it was great to be sitting in the audience too.

XXX END

"Man of La Mancha," The Cleveland Play House, September 19, 2007

Review of Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom, August 25, 2007

The Cleveland Orchestra@Blossom, 8/25

The evening began with frog-strangling rains an hour before the concert started and ended with a calm full moon peeking through clouds. In between, The Cleveland Orchestra in its last summer 2007 appearance sounded its usual lushly beautiful self. Opening the program, conductor Ward Stare cut a neat figure in a lapel-less white jacket (OK, it's a fashion note, but it's so LA) as he conducted Samuel Barber's "Essay No. 2, Opus 17." Under Stare's conducting the Cleveland Orchestra set forth Barber's whimsical lyric in a finely articulated, romantic evocation. Stare, appointed American Symphony

Orchestra League Conducting Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic by music director Esa-Pekka Salonen, looks to be a great choice--lucky LA.

Next, Ukrainian Valeriy Sokolov, a whiz-kid of 21, showed keen technical mastery as soloist in Jean Sibelius's "Violin Concerto in D minor, Opus 47," conducted by Aspen Festival's David Zinman. The lonely and angst-ridden aspects of Sibelius's work seemed more glossed over than felt, but time should add the requisite nostalgia to the promising young violinist's interpretation.

To conclude the concert, the Orchestra happily romped around in the musical toy box that is Edward Elgar's "Variations on an Original Theme. Elgar's piece is called the "Enigma" because its fourteen variations are supposed to mean something--at least according to the legend that's grown up around it. The only clear meaning was "If you don't like this part, stick around because in a minute it will change."

At concert's end Zinman recognized departing associate concertmaster Ellen dePasquale, second clarinet Daniel Gilbert (going to the University of Michigan), and acting principal trombone Steven Witser (to become principal in the LA Symphony). Waves of applause were sent their way during many bows.

The audience also gave dePasquale a sustained standing ovation when the night began as she took her place as concertmaster. A sizable portion of Cleveland Orchestra audiences (including this one) regret her departure and wish her well in future endeavors.

The Blossom Concert season is not completely over. Labor Day weekend (Sept. 1 and 2 at 8:30 p.m.) the Blossom Festival Orchestra presents film clips and music with "Rodgers & Hammerstein on Stage and Screen."

Cool Cleveland, Review of Chopin, Brahms, Wagner at Blossom, August 18, 2007 (also see here for whole Cool Cleveland blog)

Cool Cleveland, Review of A Little Night Music, Opera Cleveland, August 10, 2007

'A Little Night Music' @ Cleveland Play House 8/10

It was all (bitter) sweetness and light at Opera Cleveland's "A Little Night Music." The smart Stephen Sondheim score sounded like, well, Sondheim--talky and witty. Partners, married or otherwise, changed (sometimes this meant finding a new love; sometimes merely adjusting the balance of power). It was all very Swedish and sophisticated, especially the second act which took place during a summer weekend in the country that involved picnics, running about under the trees, and what seemed to be full male nudity.

Director Paul Gurgol set the large and nicely balanced cast on a leisurely pace. Fredrika Armfeldt (played by Lucy Anders) and Madame Armfeldt (Kathleen Huber) held the story together as a granddaughter and grandmother who were both much wiser than anyone else. Marla Berg (as actress Desirée Armfeldt) sang the well-known "Send in the Clowns" as if she meant it (and she gets points for competing with well-known versions by Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand and the like bouncing around in listeners' ears). Near the end of the second act Jodi Brinkman as Petra the maid summed up Sondheim's "carpe diem" theme with a wryly humorous "The Miller's Son." A smartly dressed and voiced chorus introduced the action and commented on it. The dancers, choreographed by Michael Medcalf were (as usual) splendid.

Erhard Rom's set was simple, but gorgeous. Lit by a never-setting peach-tinted sun and (often) draped with leaves and vines hanging beguilingly from the ceiling, it was enchanting eye candy--best yet for Opera Cleveland. Betsy Burleigh conducted an outstanding ensemble of musicians outstandingly (but of course). The house was full; the audience seemed delighted with this very romantic night music.

Laura Kennelly, Cool Cleveland, August 2007

Cool Cleveland, Review of Gershwin at Blossom, July 28, 2007

Review of Princess Ida, Ohio Light Opera, Wooster, July 24, 2007

Princess Ida@ Ohio Light Opera, Wooster, 7/24OK, so today satirizing women's education is not the "hot" topic it might have been in 1884 when Gilbert and Sullivan's Princess Ida premiered in London's Savoy Theatre. No matter, the Ohio Light Opera production which opened July 24 is still funny, the costumes are great, and the score by Sullivan is one of his most enchanting.Princess Ida (played as delightfully bossy by Suzanne Woods) has set up a women's college where everything male is rejected. (Even the hymn books are called "her" books.) She rejects the wedding her father King Gama (wonderfully zany Ted Christopher) has planned for her with King Hildebrand's son, Hilarion. Although I had trouble understanding all the lyrics, it was easy to get the idea. Jack Beetle as Hilarion was perfectly clear (and perfectly funny) explaining that when he was betrothed as a two-year-old to the one-year old Princess Ida he didn't object--but that was because, he pointed out, he couldn't talk yet. Of course the lovers do make peace while stomping over everything the establishment of the time probably revered including sentimental poet Tennyson (the original creator of the character), war, academics, baroque composer Handel, and even Gilbert himself (who said the grouchy King Gamma was a self-portrait).

The last performance of the OLO season is August 11. If you can only go to one production, I suggest seeing the G&S The Pirates of Penzance. It's the most fully-realized show this season, with the best over-all cast, and it perfectly captures the light-hearted fun that G&S at their best creates.

Laura Kennelly, LKennellyATgmail.com [Photo above shows Ted Christopher as King Gama (center) from the Ohio Light Opera production of Princess Ida. Matt Dilyard photo.]

Cool ClevelandReview of The Cleveland Orchestra, Blossom, July 14 & 15, 2007

Cool ClevelandReview of Benjamin Britten's Turn of the Screw, Drury Theatre, July 11

"If women didn't marry fools and blockheads they would all be single." Hmm. How can one not love an operetta with lines like these (unless, of course, one is a fool or a blockhead)? The Ohio Light Opera production of Der Vogelhändler ["the birdseller"] comes to life with quips such as the above by worldly-wise Princess Marie (sung by a delightfully adult Julie Wright). Although the story is on the surface about the budding love between villager Christel (sung by perky Robin Farnsley) and the obtuse wandering birdseller Adam (Josh Kohl), it's also about married love as personified by Princess Marie and Prince Karl Ludwig (Boyd Mackus, a performer who just gets better and better).

Wright and Mackus, both in fine fine voice, pretend to be "commoners," and intervene (a bit like gods and goddesses in more classical works) in Village Square doings. Christel wants Adam to be the Royal Menagerie Keeper so they can be together. Adam thinks she's in love with the Prince and so on (you get the drift).

Act II, set in the Royal Place, shows more sass than the life in Act I's village (ho-hum). Helped a lot by identical white "fro" wigs on the ladies, the Act II courtiers flutter around with a funny gossipy "Listen, have you heard?" The sleazy professors who examine Adam for the post of Keeper prove what we've always suspected--certifying oral exams can be rigged. [The picture above shows Adam and the professors.]

Overall, though, the mood of this 1891 work with music by Carl Zeller and lyrics by M. West and L. Held proves to be sweet as its signature song, "Roses in the Tyrol." Director Ted Christopher (who evoked a similar feeling in another current Light Opera production, "The Student Prince") gets many points for creating a great "date operetta" that will likely encourage one to feel great about love--fools and blockheads of either sex notwithstanding.

Other performances are July 6 (2PM), 13 (8PM), 19 (8PM), 21 (2PM), 26 (2PM), August 3 (8PM) and 7 (2PM) at the College of Wooster's Freedlander Theatre, 329 E. University St., Wooster.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

Pirates of Penzance @ Ohio Light Opera 6/26

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