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BLOSSOM MUSIC FESTIVAL S
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THE CLEVELAND ORCHES ST TRA
sunday August 10
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM The Cleveland Orchestra Jeffrey Kahane, conductor Peter Otto, violin
Mendelssohn, in a 19th-century lithograph based on a painting by Edward Magnus
The essence of the beautiful is unity in variety. 窶認elix Mendelssohn
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2014 Blossom Festival
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BLOSSOM MUSIC FESTIVAL
Sunday evening, August 10, 2014, at 7:00 p.m.
THE CLEVEL AND ORCHESTRA J E F F R E Y K A H A N E , conductor
IGOR STRAVINSKY
Suite from Pulcinella
F. JOSEPH HAYDN
Violin Concerto in C major, H.VIIa:1
(1882-1971)
(1732-1809)
1. Allegro moderato 2. Adagio 3. Finale: Presto PETER OTTO, violin
INTERMISSION FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847)
MENDELSSOHN
“Scherzo” and “Nocturne” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Opus 61 Symphony No. 4 (“Italian”) in A major, Opus 90 1. 2. 3. 4.
Allegro vivace Andante con moto Con moto moderato Saltarello: Presto
Peter Otto’s solo appearance with The Cleveland Orchestra is made possible by a gift to the Orchestra’s Guest Artist Fund from Mr. and Mrs. William C. Zekan. This concert is dedicated to Jeanette Grasselli Brown and Glenn R. Brown in recognition of their extraordinary generosity in support of The Cleveland Orchestra’s 2013-14 Annual Fund. With this concert, The Cleveland Orchestra gratefully honors The Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation for their generous support. Media Partner: The Plain Dealer
Blossom Music Festival
Program: August 10
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Jeffrey Kahane Equally at home at the keyboard or on the podium, American musician Jeffrey Kahane enjoys an international reputation as a versatile artist. He has served as music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra since 1997. As a pianist, he first performed with The Cleveland Orchestra in April 1991, and his most recent appearance was in July 2011. He makes his Cleveland Orchestra conducting debut with this evening’s concert. A native of Los Angeles and graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Jeff rey Kahane began playing piano at age five, and guitar at age 10. He later studied piano with Jakob Gimpel and Howard Weisel. Mr. Kahane was a finalist at the 1981 Van Cliburn Competition, and won first prize at the 1983 Rubinstein Competition. He received an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1983 and the first Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award in 1987. Mr. Kahane earned a master’s degree in classics from the University of Colorado in 2011. Jeffrey Kahane made his conducting debut at the Oregon Bach Festival in 1988. Since then, he has led the orchestras of Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, St. Paul, and San Francisco, as well as the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Camerata Salzburg, and the New World Symphony. He recently announced the completion of his tenure with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra at the end of two decades with the 2016-17 season; at that time, he will have served twenty years as music director. He has also served as music director of the Colorado Symphony (2005-10) and Santa Rosa Symphony (1995-2006). Jeffrey Kahane received ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming in 2007 for his work in Los Angeles and Denver. As a pianist, Mr. Kahane performs recitals, in concerts with major North American orchestras, at summer festivals, and in chamber music appearances. His collaborative partners have included Joshua Bell, Daniel Hope, Yo-Yo Ma, Thomas Quasthoff, and Dawn Upshaw, along with the Emerson and Takács quartets. Mr. Kahane records as a pianist and conductor with Decca/Argo, Deutsche Grammophone, Hänssler Records, Nonesuch, RCA, Sony, Telarc, and Virgin Records — in repertoire ranging from Gershwin, Bernstein, and Schoenfield to Strauss, Schubert, and Bach. Jeffrey Kahane resides in Santa Rosa with his wife, Martha. Their son Gabriel is a composer, pianist, and singer/songwriter; their daughter Annie is a dancer and poet.
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Conductor
Blossom Music Festival
Suite from Pulcinella
composed 1921-22, from the ballet score created in 1919-20
by Igor Stravinsky to be reminiscent of his revolutionary The Rite of Spring will find in his later Pulcinella a startling — and perhaps refreshing — surprise. Both works were written for the same impresario, Sergei Diaghilev (1872-1929) and for the same dance company, the Ballets Russes. However, with Pulcinella, Diaghilev had an utterly different intention. Here, he wanted Stravinsky to work with melodies from the 18th-century composer Giovanni Pergolesi (1710-1736) and craft for the company something of a blending of old and new. Scholars later discovered that many of the melodies Stravinsky used were actually not by Pergolesi, but that fact does not change the spirit of the work. It is, in every measure, a fond recollection of an earlier time. The ballet Pulcinella premiered at the Paris Opera on May 15, 1920. Soon afterward, Stravinsky set about creating an orchestral suite so that the music could be heard even in the absence of dancers. This reworking of the original score called for a smaller orchestra with most of the usual instruments (omitting clarinet and tuba), but using fewer of each, so as to keep the substance light. The suite premiered with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on December 22, 1922. Two decades later, Stravinsky further revised the suite and published it again; the two versions differ more in the number and arrangement of movements than in broader musical concepts. In either suite, one finds much characterful use of the orchestra, particularly oboe and brass. Elegant, courtly moods appear in close order with jolly, boisterous ones. Overall, the suite exhibits more effervescence than one is accustomed to finding in Stravinsky’s music. The movements are as follows:
THOSE EXPECTING A BALLET SCORE
by
IGOR
STRAVINSKY born June 17, 1882 Oranienbaum, near St. Petersburg died April 6, 1971 New York
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Blossom Festival 2014
Sinfonia (Overture) Serenata Scherzino Tarantella Toccata Gavotte with two variations Vivo Menuetto Finale
About the Music
—Betsy Schwarm © 2014
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Violin Concerto No. 1 in C major, H.VIIa:1 composed 1765
by
F. Joseph
HAYDN
born March 31, 1732 Rohrau, Austria died May 31, 1809 Vienna
I T W A S A C O N T R A C T that hardly any modern composer would accept — seven days a week at the whim of the employer, no vacations, and no ownership of what one might compose (those rights passed immediately to the employer). Nonetheless, Joseph Haydn jumped at the chance. It was 1761, and for nearly a decade he had been seeking exactly such a position. Moreover, the employer in question — the aristocratic Esterházy family — was widely famed for its love of music. Not only would every note Haydn composed and played receive an eager audience, but also, the Esterházys hired only the best. So it was both a compliment to Haydn to receive the job offer and also an incentive, knowing that the family’s orchestra and other instrumentalists would be up to tackling whatever new music he wrote. One of those colleagues was Italian-born violinist/composer Luigi Tomasini (1741-1808), who for much of Haydn’s five decades with the Esterházys served as concertmaster. In his personal catalog of his own works, Haydn noted that his Violin Concerto No. 1 was written in 1765 “for Luigi.” That fact marks Tomasini as one of the finest players of the time, with mastery of both nimble, showy passages and also flowing, sustained lines. The latter may not sound particularly difficult. However, to maintain pitch and tone smoothly through long passages of time is no less challenging than flashier pyrotechnics. Tomasini, it seems, could manage both extremes. The opening movement is bright and cheerful of mood, with the orchestra introducing melodies that are soon elaborated upon by the soloist. In the second movement, moods are serene and restful, with the orchestra spending much of its time providing a pizzicato (“plucked” string) accompaniment to the soloist’s song-like theme. High spirits return in the final movement, bouncing along in a lively triple meter and demanding of the soloist both quick fingers and rapid bow-work. Haydn’s showcase for Tomasini makes a strong statement about the Italian’s talents — and provides ample opportunity to demonstrate the artistry of any soloist who plays it.
—Betsy Schwarm © 2014
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About the Music
The Cleveland Orchestra
Peter Otto
First Associate Concertmaster The Cleveland Orchestra
Peter Otto enjoys a multi-faceted career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician, and teacher. He was appointed first associate concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra in 2007 by Franz Welser-Möst, and has regularly appeared as concerto soloist with the Orchestra, including performances of Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade with conductor Marin Alsop, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with Baroque specialist Nicholas McGegan, and Mozart’s “Haffner” Serenade with Franz Welser-Möst. Additionally, Mr. Otto has appeared as a soloist with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Heidelberg Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Rostockiensis, National Youth Orchestra of Germany, and the Cleveland Philharmonic. He has also appeared as guest concertmaster of the Nashville Symphony and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Recital and chamber music performances have included engagements with the Heidelberger Fruehling Festival, Kultur unter alten Daechern Festival in northeast Germany, MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) Miami as part of Art Basel in Miami, MOCA Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Pulitzer Contemporary Music Festival in Saint Louis (where in June 2012 he led a performance of George Crumb’s Black Angels for electric string quartet). In May 2012, he appeared as the featured violin soloist in Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, a play by Tom Stoppard with music by André Previn, a collaborative presentation of Cleveland Play House and The Cleveland Orchestra. Mr. Otto is a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Piano Trio, with pianist Joela Jones and cellist Richard Weiss. Other recital and chamber music partners include Orli Shaham, Yehonatan Berick, Jennifer Montone, Andre Emilianoff, Judith Gordon, and Peter Henderson. Mr. Otto has performed live on national radio stations such as Germany’s NDR, Deutschlandfunk Berlin, and Cleveland’s WCLV ideastream. His honors include top prizes in the Max Rostal International Violin Competition in Berlin and the Kingsville Young Performers Competition in Texas. Major teachers have included Christiane Hutcap, Vera Kramarova, and Lewis Kaplan. Other significant musical influences were Roman Nodel, Igor Ozim, and Felix Galimir. Peter Otto has served as a faculty member of the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, Cactus Pear Music Festival, Innsbrook Music Festival, and the Kent/Blossom Music Festival. He is a frequent guest at the New World Symphony in Miami, America’s orchestral training academy, leading masterclasses and coaching sessions to aspiring instrumental musicians. Currently, Peter Otto is an adjunct professor of violin at Cleveland State University. Mr. Otto performs on a violin by G.B. Guadagnini from the year 1769. Blossom Music Festival
Soloist
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Selections from A Midsummer Night’s Dream composed in 1842, based on ideas from his overture from 1826
by
Felix
MENDELSSOHN born February 3, 1809 Hamburg died November 4, 1847 Leipzig
S H A K E S P E A R E ’ S A Midsummer Night’s Dream was long a part of Mendelssohn’s life. Having read much Shakespeare in German translation as a boy, he composed his beloved concert overture on the subject in 1826 when he was just seventeen years old. Half a lifetime later, in 1842, he received a request from the Prussian emperor, Frederick Wilhelm IV, for a full set of music to accompany an upcoming performance of the play at the royal theater in Berlin. Mendelssohn responded with twelve short pieces based largely on themes from the earlier overture. These new creations ranged from a lullaby for Titania, the fairy queen, and a wedding march, which became so popular that we all know it today, played at real weddings and especially in movies or television. Also among the additions are the two selections featured on this evening’s program — the agile fairy-music of the Scherzo and the drowsy, horn-rich sounds of the Nocturne. Taken together, they perfectly recaptured the magical spirit of the original overture. The incidental music as a whole premiered in Berlin on October 14, 1843. —Betsy Schwarm © 2014 Betsy Schwarm spent twenty years as a classical radio announcer and producer. She currently teaches music at Metropolitan State College of Denver and serves as recording engineer for Colorado’s Central City Opera.
The British artist Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) created illustrations for an acclaimed Edwardian edition of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream published in 1908.
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About the Music
The Cleveland Orchestra
Symphony No. 4 (“Italian”) in A major, Opus 90 composed 1832-33
A T T H E A G E O F 2 1 , Felix Mendelssohn toured Italy in 1830-
by
Felix
MENDELSSOHN born February 3, 1809 Hamburg died November 4, 1847 Leipzig
Blossom Festival 2014
31. He had come south (from Germany and England) to enjoy the climate and the art, both of which he apparently found to be quite satisfactory. The region’s music, though, was a different story. In letters to friends and relatives, Mendelssohn gave his view of the situation. “I have not heard a single note worth remembering,” he wrote. “In Naples, the music is most inferior.” Later, he described the orchestras in Rome as “unbelievably bad.” Despite these negative reactions, or perhaps in hopes of erasing them, Mendelssohn began composing his Italian Symphony while still on tour. The piece was completed in the autumn of 1832, on a commission from the London Philharmonic Society, and the composer conducted the premiere in London on May 13, 1833. The symphony was a tremendous success. One enthusiastic critic lauded it as “a composition that will endure for ages,” and Mendelssohn himself called it “the jolliest piece I have so far written . . . and the most mature thing I have ever done.” It has remained as one of his most endearing and enduring compositions. The extroverted opening movement seems suff used with radiant conviviality. The reverent second movement almost certainly recalls Rome during Holy Week, for Mendelssohn’s letters reveal that he was impressed by the religious processions he witnessed there. The third movement offers a graceful minuet distantly reminiscent of Mozart. With the final movement, Mendelssohn blends two frantic folk dance styles, the saltarello and the tarantella. Different in rhythmic structure, the dances are alike in general character. Both are wild and swirling, abundantly energetic, almost frenetic, and utterly, irrepressibly Italian. In this uninhibited finale, Mendelssohn, so deeply displeased with Italian concert music, showed his lasting delight in the nation’s folk music. He also proved to Italians that their native music could be used to great effect in an orchestral composition (even though it might take a German to prove the point). —Betsy Schwarm © 2014
About the Music
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THE CLEVELAND ORCH
OrchestraNews M.U.S.I.C.I.A.N S.A.L.U.T.E
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
The Musical Arts Association gratefully acknowledges the artistry and dedication of all the musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra. In addition to rehearsals and concerts throughout the year, many musicians donate performance time in support of community engagement, fundraising, education, and audience development activities. We are pleased to recognize these musicians, listed below, who have volunteered for such events and presentations during the 201213 and 2013-14 seasons. Mark Atherton Martha Baldwin Charles Bernard Katherine Bormann Lisa Boyko Charles Carleton John Clouser Hans Clebsch Kathleen Collins Patrick Connolly Ralph Curry Alan DeMattia Maximilian Dimoff Elayna Duitman Bryan Dumm Tanya Ell Kim Gomez David Alan Harrell Miho Hashizume Shachar Israel Joela Jones Richard King Alicia Koelz Stanley Konopka Mark Kosower Paul Kushious Massimo La Rosa Jung-Min Amy Lee Mary Lynch Thomas Mansbacher Takako Masame Eli Matthews Jesse McCormick Daniel McKelway
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA E CLEVELAND O30RCHESTRA A THE CLEVELAND ORCHE
News
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Sonja Braaten Molloy Eliesha Nelson Chul-In Park Joanna Patterson Zakany Alexandra Preucil William Preucil Lynne Ramsey Jeffrey Rathbun Jeanne Preucil Rose Stephen Rose Frank Rosenwein Michael Sachs Marisela Sager Jonathan Sherwin Sae Shiragami Emma Shook Joshua Smith Saeran St. Christopher Barrick Stees Richard Stout Jack Sutte Kevin Switalski Brian Thornton Isabel Trautwein Lembi Veskimets Robert Walters Carolyn Gadiel Warner Stephen Warner Richard Weiss Beth Woodside Robert Woolfrey Paul Yancich Derek Zadinsky Jeffrey Zehngut
Benefit performance on August 13 tells story of musical inspiration On Wednesday, August 13, the Women’s Committee of The Cleveland Orchestra presents a special evening featuring Orchestra cellist Brian Thornton, who will perform and share his story about his teacher, Lev Aronson. Aronson survived torture and loss in Nazi concentration camps before coming to America to become a beloved and inspiring teacher. He served as principal cello of the Dallas Symphony for many years, and taught and mentored many top cellists through his fiery teaching style. Wednesday evening’s benefit event is led by honorary chairs Audrey and Albert Ratner and takes place at the Mayfield Sand Ridge Club in South Euclid. A reception and silent auction begins at 5:30 p.m., with performance and dinner to follow. Tickets start at $150 per person. All proceeds benefit The Cleveland Orchestra. For further information or to make reservations, please email Barbara Wolfort at barbwolfort@gmail.com.
Comings and goings
As a courtesy to the performers onstage and the entire audience, late-arriving patrons in the Pavilion cannot be seated until the first break in the musical program.
Orchestra News
Blossom Music Festival
HE CLEVELAND O30RCHESTRA RA THE CLEVELAND ORCHE
OrchestraNews
News
Welser-Möst leads special Vienna Philharmonic concert in Sarajevo to commemorate anniversary of World War I
Orchestra News
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THE CLEVELAND ORCH
Blossom Music Festival
Franz Welser-Möst led a commemorative concert of the Vienna Philharmonic in the atrium of Sarajevo’s rebuilt City Hall on June 28, 100 years after the assassinations of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie in that city began a series of events that resulted in the outbreak of World War I — and the start of a war-torn century for Sarajevo itself. A giant screen was erected to broadcast the concert for a crowd gathered outside on the opposite side of the Miljacka River. Broadcasters for Eurovision relayed the concert to more than 40 countries across Europe. “This is a very symbolic day in a very symbolic location,” said Clemens Hellsberg, the outgoing president of the Philharmonic. “We wanted it to be not a view back into history, but a view into the future, after the catastrophe of war.” In choosing the Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ as part of the concert, Welser-Möst said, “we wished to express the hope that war should never happen on the soil of Europe again.” Welser-Möst continued, saying that he and the Philharmonic saw themselves performing in this special concert a similar role of reconciliation that conductor Daniel Barenboim has sought with his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, whose mixture of Israeli and Arab players also work to surmount the hatreds and divisions of the past.
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
Earlier this year, The Cleveland Orchestra announced a new group called The Circle, welcoming young professionals ages 21-40. The group is designed for those who share a love of music and an interest in supporting The Cleveland Orchestra in a new and dynamic way. The Circle provides members exclusive access to the Orchestra, with opportunities to meet musicians, and socialize at Severance Hall and at Blossom Music Festival events. Memberships include bi-monthly concert tickets along with opportunities to attend social gatherings to network with friends and cultural business leaders of Northeast Ohio. The objectives of The Circle are to increase engagement opportunities for young people ages 21-40 and to help develop future volunteer community leaders and arts advocates. The Circle was launched at a Cleveland Orchestra concert in January, and is continuing to grow. Plans for future events are posted on the orchestra’s website, including concerts, get-togethers, and more. Cost of membership in The Circle is $15 per month for one membership and $20 per month for two memberships and includes bi-monthly tickets. New members join for a minimum of six months. For additional information, visit clevelandorchestra.com or send an email to thecircle@clevelandorchestra.com.
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
Cleveland Orchestra group for networking and socializing of dynamic young professionals continues to grow
EXPERIENCE MORE BLOSSOM! See a full listing of 2014 Blossom Music Festival concerts on pages 36-37 of the Festival Book.
August 16 Saturday
Yo-Yo Ma most celebrated musicians comes to Blossom for one night only. Experience Yo-Yo Ma’s gifted artistry in Edward Elgar’s great Cello Concerto, filled with majestic melody and longing, mixed with soul-stirring passion and gripping drama. Blossom favorite Jahja Ling leads this special evening. ONE OF THE WORLD’S
August 23 Saturday
Carmina Burana Experience one of the most popular masterpieces of the 20th century in Carl Orff ’s compelling tale for chorus, orchestra, and soloists. Infused with spirited rhythms, catchy melodies, and songs of love, lust, and drink — amidst the recurring change of seasons and the never-ending wheels of fortune and fate. With the Blossom Festival Chorus.
O FOR TUNA!
August 30 Saturday
Family FunFest fun for the whole family! Bring the kids and share the magical experience of Blossom and live symphonic music. A fun-filled concert featuring tunes from The Little Mermaid, The Wizard of Oz, Frozen, and more. Featuring great familyfriendly activities and a post-concert fireworks show!
L ABOR DAY WE E KE ND