THE THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA FRANZ WELSER-MÖST CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA FRANZ WELSER-MÖST FRANZ WELSER-MÖST
JULY-AUGUST 2016 JULY-AUGUST JULY-AUGUST 2016 2016
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Welcome from the Executive Director Welcome the Executive Director Welcome from from the Executive Director Welcome to our third season of Summers@Severance concerts Welcome to our third season of Summers@Severance concerts here in University Circle, the cultural center of Cleveland. As Welcome to our third of Summers@Severance concerts here incounterpoint University Circle, the cultural center of Cleveland. As urban toseason Blossom’s bucolic performances, Sumhere University sponsored Circle, the by cultural center of Cleveland. As urbanincounterpoint to Blossom’s bucolic performances, Summers@Severance, Thompson Hine, celebrates the urban counterpoint to Blossom’s bucolic performances, Summers@Severance, sponsored by Thompson Hine, cele brates the year-round vitality of The Cleveland Orchestra and our home mers@Severance, sponsored by Thompson Hine, cele brates the year-round vitality of The Cleveland Orchestra and our home neighborhood. year-round vitality of The Cleveland Orchestra and our home neighborhood. In the months preceding my move to Cleveland, I heard from neighborhood. the preceding my move Cleveland, I heard from one ofmonths this city’s great treasures — to University Circle. Surroundmany people about In In the months preceding myarea move Cleveland, I heard from abouthome one ofat this city’s great — University Circle. Surroundmany ing thepeople Orchestra’s Severance Hall,treasures this is to among America’s great conabout one of this city’s great treasures — University Circle. Surroundmany people ing the Orchestra’s home at Severance Hall, this area is venues. among America’s greattoo concentrations of cultural attractions and performing arts It is, perhaps, ing Orchestra’s home at Severance Hall, this and area is venues. among greattoo concentrations of attractions and performing arts It is, perhaps, easythe to take forcultural granted, but the concentration level of theAmerica’s artistic, cultural, centrations of cultural attractions and performing arts venues. It is, perhaps, too easy to take for granted, but the concentration and level of the artistic, cultural, educational, medical, research, gastronomical, and natural resources here are, in easy to take for granted, but the concentration and level ofresources the great artistic, cultural, educational, medical, research, gastronomical, natural here are, my experience, unrivaled. Compare all of theseand with any of the arts citiesinof educational, medical, research, gastronomical, and natural are, my experience, unrivaled. Compare all of these with any ofresources the value, greathere arts citiesin of the world, and Cleveland more than holds its own — in quality, interest, and my unrivaled. Compare of these with any of theofvalue, great arts cities of the experience, world, andaCleveland more than all holds its own —the in quality, interest, activity. With Frank Gehry building undulating to north Severance Halland the world, and Cleveland more than holds its own — in quality, value, interest, and activity. With agrowth Frank Gehry building undulating to the north workforce of Severance Hall and the recent of Uptown to match the cosmopolitan that this activity. With agrowth Frank Gehry building undulating to the north workforce ofOrchestra Severance Hall and the hub recent of from Uptown to match the cosmopolitan that this cultural now gathers around the globe, The Cleveland today and the recent growth of Uptown to match the cosmopolitan workforce that this cultural hub now gathers from around the globe, The Cleveland Orchestra today finds its home of eighty-five years to be an impressive and worldly destination. cultural now gathers from around The Cleveland Orchestra today finds its hub home of eighty-five years to bethe an globe, impressive and worldly destination. Thereits is,home in fact, feeling of years newfound and pride throughout Northfinds ofaeighty-five to be confidence an impressive and worldly destination. ThereOhio is, in—fact, a feeling confidence and enjoying pride throughout east a rejoicing in of thenewfound rediscovery of civic gems renewed Northand There is, in—fact, a feeling newfound confidence and pride throughout Northeast Ohio a rejoicing inAof the rediscovery ofCleveland civic gems enjoying renewed and much-deserved acclaim. series of storied institutions are showcasing east Ohio —with a rejoicing inAthe rediscovery ofCleveland civic creating gemsinstitutions enjoying renewed and much-deserved acclaim. series of storied are showcasing themselves 100th anniversaries this decade, a wellspring of new much-deserved acclaim. A series of storied Cleveland institutions are showcasing themselves with 100th anniversaries this decade, creating a wellspring of new community pride. This resurgence was underlined this summer with the Cavaliers’ themselves with 100th this decade, creating a wellspring ofCavaliers’ newhalf community pride. This anniversaries resurgence was underlined this summer with the unprecedented comeback in the NBA finals — to bring home a championship community This resurgence was underlined this on summer with the Cavaliers’ unprecedented in the NBA finals — to bring home a championship half a century inpride. the comeback making. The vibrant community spirit display during the reunprecedented comeback in NBA community finals —heralds to bring home a championship half a century in theturnout making. vibrant spirita on display during the record-breaking forThe thethe victory parade new chapter for Northeast a century making. community spirita on display during the record-breaking turnout forThe the parade heralds new chapter for Northeast Ohio, one in ofthe togetherness on vibrant avictory new scale. cord-breaking turnout for the parade heralds a new chapter for Northeast Ohio, one of togetherness on avictory new scale. Just theof Cavs reached deeper to unlock Ohio,asone togetherness on a new scale. untapped levels in their playing — and Just as the Cavs reached to unlock—untapped levelsOrchestra in their playing — and inspired everyone across deeper our community The Cleveland also strives Just as the Cavs reached deeper to unlock untapped levels in their playing — and inspired everyone across our community — The Cleveland Orchestra also strives each year to serve the people of Northeast Ohio with excellence in everything we inspired across our community — Ohio The Cleveland Orchestra also strives eachfrom yeareveryone to servemusic-making the people of to Northeast with excellence in everything we do, onstage collaborative partnerships serving more people each yearonstage to servemusic-making the people of to Northeast Ohio with excellence in everything we do, from collaborative partnerships more people than ever before, from inspiring community programs for newserving generations to mudo, to collaborative partnerships more people thanfrom everonstage before, music-making from inspiring community programs for newserving generations to musical presentations second to none in the world. than ever before, from inspiring community programs for new generations to musical presentations second to none in the world. to beat Summers@Severance’s casual invitation to great art — cool drinks on It’s sicalhard presentations second to none in the world. hardevening, to beat Summers@Severance’s invitation great artinspired — cool conversadrinks on It’s a warm exhilarating music in acasual stunning concerttohall, and hard to beat Summers@Severance’s casual invitation to great art — cool It’s a warm evening, exhilarating music in a stunning concert hall, and inspired conversations lit by sunset on the terrace. Alongside the Orchestra’s summer home atdrinks Blos- on a warm evening, exhilarating music in a stunning concert hall, and conversations by to sunset on terrace. Alongside summer home at Blossom, Ilitlike think ofthe these three concerts atthe theOrchestra’s sun-filled steps ofinspired Severance Hall as tions by sunset terrace. Alongside Orchestra’s summer home at about. Blossom,kind Ilitlike thinkon ofthe these three concerts atthe thein sun-filled steps of Severance Hall as the ofto rewarding indulgences that summer Ohio is supposed to be all som, I early, likeoftorewarding think of with these three concerts at thewith steps of Severance Hall as the kind indulgences that summer insun-filled Ohio supposed to be about. Come stay late the friends you came andisnew ones you areallmeeting the kind of rewarding indulgences that summer in Ohio is supposed to be all about. Come early, stay late with the friends you came with and new ones you are meeting tonight. Summer is for music! Come early, stay late with the friends you came with and new ones you are meeting tonight. Summer is for music! tonight. Summer is for music!
André Gremillet André Gremillet André Gremillet Summers@Severance Summers@Severance Summers@Severance
Welcome: Summers@Severance Welcome: Summers@Severance Welcome: Summers@Severance
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It’s It’s time time for for a a new new identity. identity. One One that that tells tells the the story story of of creativity creativity in in Ohio Ohio and and illustrates illustrates it. it.
Expression Expression is is an an essential essential need. need. By By better better illustrating illustrating our our story, story, we we can can better better help help you you express express yours. yours.
Complete Complete the the story story at at oac.ohio.gov/identity. oac.ohio.gov/identity. 30 EAST BROAD STREET, 33RD FLOOR, COLUMBUS, OHIO 43215-3414 | 614-466-2613 30 EAST BROAD STREET, 33RD FLOOR, COLUMBUS, OHIO 43215-3414 | 614-466-2613 OAC.OHIO.GOV | @OHIOARTSCOUNCIL| #ARTSOHIO OAC.OHIO.GOV | @OHIOARTSCOUNCIL| #ARTSOHIO
July 8 July 22 August 12 at 7 p.m.
JULY-AUGUST 2016
Table of Contents 3
Copyright © 2016 by The Cleveland Orchestra Eric Sellen, Program Book Editor e-mail: esellen@clevelandorchestra.com
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Program book advertising is sold through Live Publishing Company at 216-721-1800.
Stars of Tomorrow
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Mozart & More
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Concert Program: July 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Contestants and Concertos . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32-A > Cooper Competition Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Conductor: Jahja Ling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Competition Judges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Concert Program: August 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conductor: Bernard Labadie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . About the Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Soloists: Gauvin / Sachs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Program Book Wayfinding
AUGUST 12
Summers@Severance
Concert Program: July 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Music Director: Franz Welser-Möst . . . . . . . . . . . About the Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Soloists: Snouffer / Burton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cleveland Orchestra Chorus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
JULY 22
The Cleveland Orchestra is proud to have its home, Severance Hall, located on the campus of Case Western Reserve University, with whom it has a long history of collaboration and partnership.
Franz & Brahms German Requiem
32 The Cleveland Orchestra is grateful to the following organizations for their ongoing generous support of The Cleveland Orchestra: National Endowment for the Arts, the State of Ohio and Ohio Arts Council, and to the residents of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. The Cleveland Orchestra is proud of its long-term partnership with Kent State University, made possible in part through generous funding from the State of Ohio.
Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 About the Orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Cleveland Orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 About Summers@Severance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 By the Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Building Future Audiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 News: Public Square / “At Home” in Hough . . . . 42 Musical Arts Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Get Involved — Volunteering, Make Music, and More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Guest Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
JULY 8
Program books for Cleveland Orchestra concerts are produced by The Cleveland Orchestra and are distributed free to attending audience members.
Welcome
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Your Role . . . in The Cleveland Orchestra’s Future Generations of Clevelanders have supported the Orchestra and enjoyed its concerts. Tens of thousands have learned to love music through its education programs, celebrated important events with its music, and shared in its musicmaking — at school, at Severance Hall, at Blossom, downtown at Public Square, on the radio, and with family and friends. Ticket sales cover less than half the cost of presenting The Cleveland Orchestra’s season each year. To sustain its activities here in Northeast Ohio, the Orchestra has undertaken the most ambitious fundraising campaign in our history: the Sound for the Centennial Campaign. By making a donation, you can make a crucial difference in helping to ensure that future generations will continue to enjoy the Orchestra’s performances, education programs, and community activities and partnerships. To make a gift to The Cleveland Orchestra, please visit us online, or call 216-231-7562.
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clevelandorchestra.com
The Cleveland Orchestra
of its founding in 2018, The Cleveland Orchestra is undergoing a new transformation and renaissance. Under the leadership of Franz Welser-Möst, entering his fifteenth year as the ensemble’s music director with the upcoming 2016-17 season, The Cleveland Orchestra is acknowledged among the world’s very best orchestras. With Welser-Möst, the ensemble’s musicians, board of directors, staff, volunteers, and hometown are working together on a set of enhanced goals for the 21st century — to continue the Orchestra’s legendary command of musical excellence, to renew its focus on fully serving the communities where it performs through concerts, engagement, and music education, to develop the youngest audience of any orchestra, to build on its tradition of community support and financial strength, and to move forward into the Orchestra’s next century with an unshakeable commitment to innovation and a fearless pursuit of success. The Cleveland Orchestra divides its time each year across concert seasons at home in Cleveland’s Severance Hall and each summer at Blossom Music Center. Additional portions of the year are devoted to touring and to a series of innovative and intensive performance residencies. These include an annual set of concerts and education programs and partnerships in Miami, Florida, a recurring residency at Vienna’s Musikverein, and regular appearances at Switzerland’s Lucerne Festival, at New York’s Lincoln Center Festival, and at Indiana University. Each year since 1989, The Cleveland Orchestra Musical Excellence. The Cleveland Orchestra has presented a free concert in downtown Cleveland. The 27th free performance downhas long been committed to the pursuit of musical town takes place this summer on Friday eveexcellence in everything that it does. The Orchesning, July 29, in partnership with Cuyahoga tra’s ongoing collaboration with Welser-Möst is Arts & Culture, and celebrates the reopening of a redesigned and renovated Public Square. widely-acknowledged among the best orchestraconductor partnerships of today. Performances of standard repertoire and new works are unrivalled at home, in residencies around the globe, on tour across North America and Europe, and through recordings, telecasts, and radio and internet broadcasts. Its longstanding championship of new composers and commissioning of new works helps audiences experience music as a living language that grows and evolves with each new generation. Performances with Baroque specialists, recording projects of varying repertoire and in different locations, fruitful re-examinations and juxtapositions of the standard repertoire, PHOTO BY ROGER MASTROIANNI
AS IT NEARS THE CENTENNIAL
Summers@Severance
The Cleveland Orchestra
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and acclaimed collaborations in 20thand collaborations 20thand acclaimed 21st-century masterworksintogether and acclaimed collaborations in 20thand 21st-century together help finetune andmasterworks enable The Cleveland and 21st-century masterworks together help finetune and to enable The Cleveland Orchestra’s ability give musical perforhelp finetune and enable The Cleveland Orchestra’s ability to give musical performances second to none in the world. Orchestra’s ability to give musical performances secondthe to Community. none in the world. Serving Programs mances second to none in the world. Serving thecommunity Community. Programs for students and engagement Serving the Community. for students and community engagement activities have long been part of Programs the Orfor students and community activities have long been partengagement of the Orchestra’s commitment to serving Cleveactivities have long been part of the Orchestra’s to serving Cleveland and commitment surrounding communities, and chestra’s commitment to serving Cleveland surrounding communities, and have and more recently been extended to its land and surrounding communities, and have more been All extended to its touring andrecently residencies. are being crehave more been All extended to creits touring andrecently residencies. areto being ated connect touring and residencies. All areto being created connect people to music Franz Welser-Möst ated to connect people to music Franz Welser-Möst in the concert people to music Franz Welser-Möst in theinconcert hall, classin theinconcert hall, classrooms, and in hall, in rooms, classand in everyday lives. rooms, and in everyday lives. Recent seasons everyday lives. Recent seasons have seen Recent seasons havelaunch seen of the have seen“Atof launch athe unique launch athe unique “Atof Home” neighaborhood unique “At Home” neighresiHome” neighborhood residency program, borhood dency program, designedresito dency program, designed to bring the Orchestra and Northeast Ohio designedOhio to bring thein Orchestra andAdditionally, Northeast together new ways. a new bring the Orchestra and Northeast Ohio together in new ways. Additionally, a new Make Music! initiative is underway, chamtogether in new ways. Additionally, a new Make Music! initiative is underway, championed by Franz Welser-Möst in advocacy Make Music! initiative is underway, championed by Franzof Welser-Möst in advocacy for the benefits direct participation in pioned by Franz Welser-Möst in advocacy for the benefits of direct participation making music for people of all ages. in for theFuture benefits ofpeople direct participation in making musicAudiences. for of all ages.on the Standing making music for people of all ages. Future Audiences. Standing of more than nine decadeson ofthe shoulders Future Audiences. Standing on of more than nine decades ofthe shoulders presenting quality music education proof more than nine decades of inshoulders presenting quality music education programs, the Orchestra made national and presenting quality music education programs, the Orchestra national and international headlines made through the creation grams, the Orchestra made national and international headlines through the creation of its Center for Future Audiences in 2010. ternational headlines through the creation of its Center for Future Audiences in 2010. Established with a significant endowment of itsfrom Center for Future Audiences in 2010. Established a significant endowment gift thewith Maltz Family Foundation, the Established with a significant endowment gift from the Maltz Family Foundation, Center is designed to provide ongoing the gift from thethe Maltz Family Foundation, the Center isfor designed to provide ongoing work funding Orchestra’s continuing Center is designed to provide ongoing funding for the Orchestra’s continuing work funding for the Orchestra’s continuing work
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to develop interest in classical music among to develop interest classical music18s among young people. Thein flagship “Under to develop interest in classical music among youngprogram people. has Theseen flagship “Under 18s Free” unparalleled sucyoung people. The flagship “Under 18s Free”inprogram hasattendance seen unparalleled success increasing and interest Free” program has seen unparalleled suc- of cess in increasing attendance and interest — with 20% of attendees now comprised cess in increasing attendance and interest — with 20% ofage attendees now comprised of concertgoers 25 and under. — with 20% ofage attendees now comprised concertgoers 25 and under. Innovative Programming. The of concertgoers age 25 and Innovative Programming. The Orchestra wasunder. among the first Cleveland Innovative Programming. The Orchestra was among the first Cleveland orchestras American heard on a regular Orchestra was among the first Cleveland American orchestras heard on aitsregular series of radio broadcasts, and SeverAmerican orchestras heard on regular series of radio broadcasts, Severance Hall home was one ofand theaits first conseries of radio broadcasts, and its Severancehalls Hall in home was one of with the first concert the world built recording ance Hall in home was one of with the Today, first concert broadcasting halls the world built recording and capabilities. cert halls inOrchestra the world built with recording and broadcasting capabilities. Today, Cleveland concerts are preand broadcasting capabilities. Today, Cleveland areapresented in aOrchestra variety ofconcerts formats for variety Cleveland areapresented in aOrchestra variety ofconcerts formats for variety of audiences — including popular Friday sented in a variety of formats for a variety of audiences — including popular Friday night concerts (mixing onstage symof audiences — including popular Friday night concerts (mixing onstage symphonic works with post-concert entertainnight (mixing onstage symphonicconcerts works with post-concert entertainment), film scores performed live by the phonic works with post-concert entertainment), film scores performed live the Orchestra, collaborations with popbyand ment), film scores performed live by the Orchestra, collaborations withpresentapop and jazz singers, ballet and opera Orchestra, collaborations with pop and jazz singers, ballet and opera presentations, and standard repertoire juxtaposed jazz singers, ballet and opera presentations, and standard repertoire juxtaposed in meaningful contexts with new and tions, and standard repertoire juxtaposed in meaningful contexts with new and older works. Franz Welser-Möst’s creative in meaningful contexts with new older works. Franz creative vision has given theWelser-Möst’s Orchestra an and unolder works. Franz Welser-Möst’s creative vision has given the Orchestra an unequaled opportunity to explore music as a vision has given the Orchestra an unequaled opportunity explore music and as a universal language ofto communication equaled explore music and as a universalopportunity language ofto communication understanding. universal language of communication understanding. An Enduring Tradition of Com-and understanding. An Enduring Tradition of ComOrchesmunity Support. The Cleveland An Enduring Tradition of ComThe Cleveland Orchesmunity Support. tra was born in Cleveland, created by a The Cleveland Orchesmunity Support. tra was born in Cleveland, created by a in group of visionary citizens who believed tra was born in Cleveland, created a in group of visionary citizens who believed the power of music and aspired to by having group of visionary citizens who believed the best power of music andofaspired to havingin the performances great orchestral the power of music andofaspired to having the best performances great orchestral music possible anywhere. Generations of the best performances of great orchestral music possible anywhere. Generations Clevelanders have supported this visionof music possible anywhere. Generations of Clevelanders have supported this visionHunand enjoyed the Orchestra’s concerts. Clevelanders have supported thisto vision and enjoyed the Orchestra’s concerts. Hundreds of thousands have learned love and enjoyed the Orchestra’s concerts. dreds of thousands have learned to love music through its education programs Hunand dreds thousands have learned music of through its education programs and celebrated important events withto itslove music. music through its education programs and celebrated important events with its music. While strong ticket sales cover just under celebrated important events with its music. While strong ticket sales cover just under half of each season’s costs, it is the generosWhile ticket sales cover under half ofstrong each season’s costs, it is just the generoshalf of each season’s costs, it is the generos-
About the Orchestra About the Orchestra About the Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra
PHOTO BY PHOTO ROGER BY PHOTO MASTROIANNI ROGER BY MASTROIANNI ROGER MASTROIANNI
ity of thousands each year that drives the ity of thousands each that drives the Orchestra forward andyear sustains its extraority of thousands each year that drives the Orchestra forward and sustains its extraordinary tradition of excellence onstage, in Orchestra forward and sustains its extraordinary tradition of excellence onstage, in the classroom, and for the community. dinary tradition of excellence onstage, in the classroom, and for the community. Evolving Greatness. The Cleveland the classroom, and for the community. Evolving Greatness. The Over Cleveland Orchestra was founded in 1918. the Evolving Greatness. Thequickly Cleveland Orchestra was founded in 1918. Over the ensuing decades, the Orch estra Orchestra was founded in 1918. Over ensuing decades, the Orch estra quickly grew from a fine regional organizationthe to ensuing decades, the Orch estra symphony quicklyto grew from a fine organization being one of the regional most admired grew a fine organization to beingfrom one of the regional most admired symphony orchestras in world. Seven music direcbeing one of the most admired symphony orchestras in world. Seven music directors have guided and shaped the ensemorchestras in and the world. Seven music directors have guided and shaped the ensemble’s growth sound: Nikolai Soko loff, tors guided and shaped theSoko ensemble’shave growth and sound: Nikolai loff, 1918-33; Artur Rodzinski, 1933-43; Erich ble’s growth and sound: Nikolai Soko loff, 1918-33; Artur Rodzinski, 1933-43; Erich Leinsdorf, 1943-46; George Szell, 19461918-33; Artur Rodzinski, 1933-43; Erich Leins dorf,Maazel, 1943-46; GeorgeChristoph Szell, 194670; Lorin 1972-82; von Leins dorf,Maazel, 1943-46; George Szell,Welser194670; Lorin 1972-82; von Dohnányi, 1984-2002; andChristoph Franz 70; Lorin Maazel, 1972-82; Christoph von Dohnányi, 1984-2002; and Franz WelserMöst, since 2002. Dohnányi, 1984-2002; and Franz WelserMöst, The since 2002. in 1931 of Severance Hall opening Möst, since 2002. permanent opening in 1931 of Severance as theThe Orchestra’s home, withHall The opening in 1931 of Severance as the Orchestra’s permanent withHall later acoustic refinements andhome, remodeling as the Orchestra’s permanent home, with later acoustic refinements and remodeling later acoustic refinements and remodeling
of the hall under Szell’s guidance, brought a of the hall under Szell’s guidance, a special pride to the ensemble andbrought its homeof the hall under Szell’s guidance, brought specialaspride ensemble and its hometown, well to as the providing an enviable and a special to ensemble and its hometown, aspride well as the providing an enviable and intimate acoustic environment in which to town, as well as providing an enviable and intimate acoustic environment in which to develop and refine the Orchestra’s artistry. intimate acoustic environment in which to developperformances and refine thethroughout Orchestra’s artistry. Touring the Unitdevelop and thethroughout Orch estra’stoartistry. Touring the United Statesperformances and,refine beginning in 1957, Europe Touring performances throughout the United States and, beginning in 1957, to Europe and across the globe have confirmed Cleveed States and, beginning in 1957, to Europe and across globethe have confirmed Cleveland’s placethe among world’s top orchesand across globe have confirmed Cleveland’s placethe among the world’s top orchestras. Year-round performances became a land’s place among the world’s top orchestras. Year-round performances became a reality in 1968 with the opening of Blossom tras. Year-round performances became a reality Center, in 1968one withofthe of Blossom Music theopening most beautiful and reality in 1968 withofthe opening of Blossom Music Center, one the most concert beautiful and acoustically admired outdoor faciliMusic Center, one of the most beautiful and acoustically admired outdoor concert facilities in the United States. acoustically admired outdoor concert facilities inToday, the United States. concert performances, comties inToday, the United States. concert performances, community presentations, touring residencies, Today, concert performances, munity presentations, touring residencies, broadcasts, and recordings provide comaccess munity presentations, touring residencies, broadcasts, and recordings provide access to the Orchestra’s acclaimed artistry to an broadcasts, and recordings access to the Orchestra’s acclaimed artistry to an enthusiastic, generous, and provide broad constituto the Orchestra’s acclaimed artistry to an enthusiastic, generous, and broad constituency around the world. enthusiastic, generous, and broad constituency around the world. ency around the world.
Franz Welser-Möst leads a concert at John Adams High School. Through such In-School Performances and Education Concerts Severance Hall,Adams The Cleveland Orchestra has introduced morePerformances Franz Welser-Möst leads aatconcert at John High School. Through such In-School than 4 million young people to symphonic music over the past nine decades. and Education Concerts at Severance Hall, The Cleveland Orchestra has introduced morePerformances Franz Welser-Möst leads a concert at John Adams High School. Through such In-School than 4 million young people to symphonic music over the past nine decades. and Education Concerts at Severance Hall, The Cleveland Orchestra has introduced more than 4 million young people to symphonic music over the past nine decades.
Summers@Severance Summers@Severance Summers@Severance
About the Orchestra About the Orchestra About the Orchestra
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H E E TT H
C L L E E V V E E L L A A N N D D C
FRANZ WELSER-MÖST MUSIC DIREC TOR Kelvin Smith Family Chair MUSIC DIREC TOR FRANZ WELSER-MÖST Kelvin Smith Family Chair
FIRST VIOLINS William Preucil FIRST VIOLINS CONCERTMASTER William Preucil Blossom-Lee Chair CONCERTMASTER
Peter Otto Chair Blossom-Lee FIRST ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER Peter Otto Jung-Min Amy Lee FIRST ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER Jung-Min Amy Lee Gretchen D. and ASSOCIATE CONCERTMASTER
Ward Smith Chair Gretchen D. and Takako Masame Ward Smith Chair Paul and Lucille Jones Chair
Takako Masame Wei-Fang Gu Jones Chair Paul and Lucille Drs. Paul M. and Renate H. Wei-Fang Gu Duchesneau Chair Drs. Paul M. and Renate H.
Kim GomezChair Duchesneau Elizabeth and Leslie Kim Gomez Kondorossy Chair Elizabeth and Leslie
Chul-In Park Kondorossy Chair Harriet T. and David L. Chul-In Park Simon Chair Harriet T. and David L.
Miho SimonHashizume Chair Theodore Rautenberg Chair Miho Hashizume Jeanne Rose TheodorePreucil Rautenberg Chair Dr. Larry J.B. and Jeanne Preucil Rose Barbara S. Robinson Chair Dr. Larry J.B. and
Alicia Koelz Barbara S. Robinson Chair Oswald and Phyllis Lerner Alicia Koelz Gilroy Chair Oswald and Phyllis Lerner
Yu Yuan Gilroy Chair Patty and John Collinson Chair Yu Yuan Isabel Trautwein Patty and John Collinson Chair Trevor and Jennie Jones Chair Isabel Trautwein Mark TrevorDumm and Jennie Jones Chair Gladys B. Goetz Chair Mark Dumm Alexandra Preucil Gladys B. Goetz Chair Katherine Alexandra Bormann Preucil Analisé Denise Kukelhan Katherine Bormann Analisé Denise Kukelhan
SECOND VIOLINS * Stephen SECOND Rose VIOLINS Alfred M. and * Stephen Rose
Clara T. Rankin Chair Alfred M. and
2 Emilio Clara T.Llinás Rankin Chair James and Donna Emilio Llinás 21 Reid Chair Eli Matthews James and Donna Reid Chair Patricia M. Kozerefski and Eli Matthews 1 Richard J. Bogomolny Chair
Patricia M. Kozerefski and
Sonja Molloy RichardBraaten J. Bogomolny Chair Carolyn GadielMolloy Warner Sonja Braaten Elayna CarolynDuitman Gadiel Warner Ioana ElaynaMissits Duitman Jeffrey Zehngut Ioana Missits Vladimir Deninzon Jeffrey Zehngut Sae Shiragami Vladimir Deninzon Scott Weber Sae Shiragami Kathleen Collins Scott Weber Beth Woodside Kathleen Collins Emma Shook Beth Woodside Yun-Ting Lee Emma Shook Yun-Ting Lee VIOLAS Robert VIOLAS Vernon * Chaillé H. and * Robert Vernon Richard B. Tullis Chair Chaillé H. and
1 Lynne RichardRamsey B. Tullis Chair Charles M. and 1 Lynne Ramsey Janet G. Kimball Chair
Charles M. and
2 Stanley Konopka Janet G. Kimball Chair Mark Jackobs Stanley Konopka 2 Jean Wall Bennett Chair Mark Jackobs Arthur Klima Jean Wall Bennett Chair Richard Waugh Arthur Klima Lisa Boyko Richard Waugh Lembi Veskimets Lisa Boyko Eliesha Nelson Lembi Veskimets Joanna Eliesha Patterson Nelson Zakany Patrick Joanna Connolly Patterson Zakany Patrick Connolly
CELLOS Mark Kosower* CELLOS Louis D. Beaumont Mark Kosower1* Chair Richard Weiss Chair Louis D. Beaumont The GAR Foundation Richard Weiss 1 2 Chair Charles The GAR Bernard Foundation Chair Helen Weil Ross Chair Charles Bernard 2 Bryan Dumm Helen Weil Ross Chair Muriel and Noah Butkin Chair Bryan Dumm Tanya Muriel Ell and Noah Butkin Chair Thomas J. and Tanya Ell Judith Fay Gruber Chair Thomas J. and
Ralph Curry Judith Fay Gruber Chair Brian Ralph Thornton Curry William P. Blair III Chair Brian Thornton David Harrell WilliamAlan P. Blair III Chair Martha Baldwin David Alan Harrell Dane Johansen Martha Baldwin Paul DaneKushious Johansen Paul Kushious BASSES Maximilian Dimoff * BASSES Clarence T. Reinberger Chair * Maximilian Dimoff 2 Kevin Switalski Clarence T. Reinberger Chair 1 Scott Kevin Haigh Switalski 2 Mary E. and F.1 Joseph Scott Haigh Callahan Chair Mary E. and F. Joseph
Mark Atherton Callahan Chair Thomas Sperl Mark Atherton Henry Peyrebrune Thomas Sperl Charles Barr Memorial Chair Henry Peyrebrune Charles Carleton Charles Barr Memorial Chair Scott Dixon Charles Carleton Derek Zadinsky Scott Dixon Derek Zadinsky HARP Trina HARPStruble * Alice Chalifoux * Trina Struble Chair Alice Chalifoux Chair
This roster lists the fulltime members roster of Thelists Cleveland Orchestra. This the fulltime memThe and seating of musibersnumber of The Cleveland Orchestra. cians onstage varies depending on The number and seating of musithe being performed. cianspiece onstage varies depending on the piece being performed.
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The Musicians The Musicians
The Cleveland Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra
O O R R C C H H E E S S TT R R A A FLUTES Joshua FLUTESSmith * Elizabeth M. and* Joshua Smith
William C. Treuhaft Chair Elizabeth M. and
Saeran Christopher William St. C. Treuhaft Chair 2 Marisela Saeran St.Sager Christopher Austin B. and Ellen2 W. Chinn Chair Marisela Sager Mary Fink AustinKay B. and Ellen W. Chinn Chair Mary Kay Fink PICCOLO Mary Kay Fink PICCOLO Anne M. and Mary Kay Fink M. Roger Clapp Chair Anne M. and M. Roger Clapp Chair
OBOES Frank OBOESRosenwein * Edith S. Taplin Chair * Frank Rosenwein Corbin Edith S. Stair Taplin Chair 2 Jeffrey Corbin Rathbun Stair Everett D. and 2 Jeffrey Rathbun Eugenia S. McCurdy Chair Everett D. and Robert Eugenia Walters S. McCurdy Chair
Robert Walters ENGLISH HORN Robert Walters ENGLISH HORN Samuel C. and Robert Walters Bernette K. Jaffe Chair Samuel C. and Bernette K. Jaffe Chair
CLARINETS Robert Woolfrey CLARINETS Daniel Robert McKelway Woolfrey 2 Robert R. and 2 Daniel McKelway Vilma L. Kohn Chair Robert R. and
Linnea Vilma L.Nereim Kohn Chair Linnea E-FLAT Nereim CLARINET Daniel E-FLAT McKelway CLARINET Stanley L. and Daniel McKelway Eloise M. Morgan Chair Stanley L. and
Eloise M. Morgan Chair BASS CLARINET Linnea Nereim BASS CLARINET Linnea Nereim BASSOONS John Clouser * BASSOONS Louise Harkness*Ingalls Chair John Clouser Gareth Thomas Louise Harkness Ingalls Chair Barrick Stees 2 * Gareth Thomas Sandra L. Haslinger Barrick Stees 2 Chair Jonathan Sherwin Sandra L. Haslinger Chair Jonathan Sherwin CONTRABASSOON Jonathan Sherwin CONTRABASSOON Jonathan Sherwin
Summers@Severance Summers@Severance
HORNS Michael HORNS Mayhew § Knight Foundation Chair Michael Mayhew § Jesse KnightMcCormick Foundation Chair Robert B. Benyo Chair Jesse McCormick Hans RobertClebsch B. Benyo Chair Richard King Hans Clebsch Alan DeMattia Richard King Alan DeMattia TRUMPETS Michael Sachs * TRUMPETS Robert and Eunice*Podis Michael Sachs Weiskopf Chair Robert and Eunice Podis
Jack Sutte Weiskopf Chair 2 Lyle Jack Steelman Sutte James P. and Dolores D. 2 Lyle Steelman Storer Chair James P. and Dolores D. Michael Miller Storer Chair
Michael CORNETSMiller Michael CORNETSSachs * Mary Elizabeth and Michael Sachs *
G. Robert Klein Chair Mary Elizabeth and
Michael G. Robert Miller Klein Chair Michael Miller TROMBONES Massimo La Rosa* TROMBONES Gilbert W. and Massimo La Rosa*
Louise I. Humphrey Chair Gilbert W. and
Richard Stout Chair Louise I. Humphrey Alexander and Richard Stout Marianna C. McAfee Chair Alexander and
2 Shachar MariannaIsrael C. McAfee Chair Shachar Israel 2 BASS TROMBONE Thomas Klaber BASS TROMBONE Thomas Klaber EUPHONIUM AND BASS TRUMPET EUPHONIUM AND Richard Stout BASS TRUMPET Richard Stout TUBA Yasuhito Sugiyama* TUBA Nathalie C. Spence and * Yasuhito Sugiyama
Nathalie S. Boswell Chair Nathalie C. Spence and Nathalie S. Boswell Chair
TIMPANI Paul Yancich * TIMPANI Otto G. and Corinne * T. Voss Chair Paul Yancich 2 Tom Otto Freer G. and Corinne T. Voss Chair Mr. and Mrs.2 Richard K. Tom Freer Smucker Chair Mr. and Mrs. Richard K. Smucker Chair
The Musicians The Musicians
PERCUSSION Marc Damoulakis* PERCUSSION Margaret Allen Ireland*Chair Marc Damoulakis Donald MargaretMiller Allen Ireland Chair Tom Freer Donald Miller Thomas Sherwood Tom Freer Thomas Sherwood KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS Joela Jones *INSTRUMENTS KEYBOARD Rudolf Serkin * Joela Jones Chair Carolyn Gadiel Rudolf Serkin ChairWarner Marjory and Marc L. Carolyn Gadiel Warner Swartzbaugh Chair Marjory and Marc L. Swartzbaugh Chair
LIBRARIANS Robert O’Brien LIBRARIANS Joe and Marlene Toot Chair Robert O’Brien Donald Miller Toot Chair Joe and Marlene Donald Miller ENDOWED CHAIRS CURRENTLY UNOCCUPIED ENDOWED CHAIRS Sidney and DorisUNOCCUPIED Dworkin Chair CURRENTLY
Clara and George P. Bickford SidneyG. and Doris Dworkin ChairChair Dr. Jeanette Brown Clara G. andGrasselli George P. Bickford Chair and Dr. Glenn R. Brown Chair Dr. Jeanette Grasselli Brown Sunshine ChairR. Brown Chair and Dr. Glenn Robert Marcellus Sunshine Chair Chair George Marcellus Szell Memorial Robert ChairChair George Szell Memorial Chair
* Principal § Associate Principal Principal * 1§ 2 1
First Assistant Principal Associate Principal Assistant Principal First Assistant Principal on sabbatical leave Assistant Principal
*2 * on sabbatical leave
CONDUCTORS Christoph von Dohnányi CONDUCTORS MUSIC DIRECTOR LAUREATE Christoph von Dohnányi MUSIC Brett DIRECTOR MitchellLAUREATE ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR Brett Mitchell Elizabeth Ring and William Gwinn ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR
Mather Chair Elizabeth Ring and William Gwinn Mather Chair Robert Porco DIRECTOR OF CHORUSES
Robert Porco Frances P. and Chester C. DIRECTOR OF CHORUSES
Bolton Chair Frances P. and Chester C. Bolton Chair
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROGER MASTROIANNI
The Cleveland Orchestra
July 8 July 22 August 12 at 7 p.m.
JULY-AUGUST 2016 About Sum Sev THE BEFORE Happy Hour 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Socializing with drink specials and special drinks THE CONCERT The Cleveland Orchestra 7 p.m. THE AFTER Terrace at Sunset beginning immediately after the concert — music, drinks, and chatting with friends (new and old) MORE MUSIC Before and After with DJ MisterBradleyP (www.misterbradleyp.com) Summers@Severance
A gentle and warm summer evening . . . a sublime night of music hand-selected just for you . . . great drinks and conversation on the beautiful Front Terrace of Severance Hall. Join The Cleveland Orchestra for a special summertime experience hand-crafted for the enjoyment of all the senses. A casual comeas-you-are atmosphere surrounded by the stunning visual charm of “America’s most beautiful concert hall.” The evening starts early (if you wish) with a special Happy Hour — meet your friends or family before the concert to relax and start to unwind. Then feel the inspiration of great music performed by the incomparable Cleveland Orchestra in the perfect intimacy of Severance Hall. Afterwards, the Front Terrace beckons with a one-of-a-kind sunset, along with drink and dessert options, plus cooler evening breezes and DJ’d musical offerings. The perfect ending for a great evening. Set amidst the growing excitement of University Circle, the best “new” neighborhood in Northeast Ohio!
What It’s All About
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Brahms in 1889, from a series of photographs by C. Brasch
It is not in fact so hard to compose. But what is fabulously difficult is to leave the superfluous notes under the table. —Johannes Brahms
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The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz & Brahms: Brahms German Requiem
Severance Hall — Cleveland, Ohio Friday evening, July 8, 2016, at 7:00 p.m.
THE CLEVEL AND ORCHESTRA FRanz WelseR-Mös t, conductor richard strauss (1864-1949)
Death and Transfiguration, Opus 24 INTERMISSION
johannes brahms
(1833-1897)
A German Requiem, Opus 45
July 8
1. chorus: “Selig sind, die da Leid tragen” [Blessed are they that mourn] 2. chorus: “Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras” [For all flesh is like grass] 3. baritone solo and chorus: “Herr, lehre doch mich” [Lord, make me to know] 4. chorus: “Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen” [How lovely is your dwelling place] 5. soprano solo and chorus: “Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit” [You now have sorrow] 6. baritone solo and chorus: “Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt” [For here we have no eternal city] 7. chorus: “Selig sind die Toten” [Blessed are the dead] lauRen snouFFeR, soprano dashon buRton, bass-baritone cleveland oRchestRa choRus Robert Porco, director
The Cleveland Orchestra’s Summers@Severance series is sponsored by Thompson Hine LLP, a Cleveland Orchestra Partner in Excellence. Summers@Severance
July 8: Franz & Brahms
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July 8
INTRODUCING THE CONCERT
Death’s Sorrows, Life’s Transcendence M U S I C C A R R I E S M E A N I N G — A N D E M O T I O N . This evening’s concert, led by Franz Welser-Möst, features two works from the late 19th century. Each focuses on the meaning of life, the final value of an individual’s life, the joy (and sorrow) that life brings, the ups and downs of life’s journey. The concert begins with Richard Strauss’s tone poem Death and Transfiguration from 1890. Here Strauss deftly paints a beautiful and emotional portrait of a dying composer’s wonderings at the meaning of life. The man is without fear, but filled with questions about himself and what he has accomplished in his career. The music lovingly impells the questions to resolution and glorious quietude — the man is transfigured in death. (My father tells a story, of being “hooked” on this irresistible piece of music as a teenager, of playing a recording of it night after night after night in the weeks before shipping off to war in the middle of the last century. It was the music that drew him in, not Strauss’s story within it — and only much later did he marvel at his parents’ calm acceptance of the piece that their son was drawn to before facing the possibility of his own death. For many of us, music is an invaluable companion on life’s journey.) Brahms’s grave in Vienna. Next comes Johannes Brahms’s A German Requiem from the late 1860s. This achingly beautiful work, though called a requiem, features much that is joyful — the comfort that can be found for the living in having known and loved those whose time ends before our own. Brahms chose his own Biblical passages, purposefully sidestepping dogmatic faith and miracles (Jesus is not mentioned). Brahms, who cared about humanity and his friends much more than whatever God there may be, here poured out his heart, building on his own sorrow at the death of his mother. The emotional weight of this piece, which includes somber march-steps (the heartbeats of heartache) and menacing brass, also brings us great moments of repose and rest, of gladness and joy. —Eric Sellen
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Introducing the Music
The Cleveland Orchestra
July 8
Music Director Kelvin Smith Family Endowed Chair The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst is among today’s most distinguished conductors. The upcoming 2016-17 season marks his fifteenth year as music director of The Cleveland Orchestra, with the future of this acclaimed partnership now extending into the next decade. Under his direction, the New York Times has declared Cleveland to be the “best American orchestra“ due to its virtuosity, elegance of sound, variety of color, and chamber-like musical cohesion. The Cleveland Orchestra has been repeatedly praised for its innovative programming, support for new musical works, and for its recent success in semi-staged and staged opera productions. In addition to an unprecedented annual residency in Miami, Franz Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra are frequent guests at many prestigious concert halls and festivals, including the Salzburg Festival and the Lucerne Festival. The Cleveland Orchestra has been hugely successful in building up a new and, notably, a young audience through its groundbreaking programs involving students and by working closely with universities. As a guest conductor, Mr. Welser-Möst enjoys a close and productive relationship with the Vienna Philharmonic. Recent performances with the Philharmonic include critically-acclaimed opera productions at the Salzburg Festival (Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier in 2014 and Beethoven’s Fidelio in 2015) and a tour of Scandinavia, as well as appearances at New York’s Carnegie Hall, at the Lucerne Festival, and in concert at La Scala Milan. He has conducted the Philharmonic’s celebrated annual New Year’s Day concert twice, Summers@Severance
Music Director
viewed by millions worldwide. This past season, he led the Vienna Philharmonic in two weeks of subscription concerts, and will conduct a new production of Strauss’s Die Liebe der Danae with them this summer at the 2016 Salzburg Festival. Mr. Welser-Möst also maintains relationships with a number of other European orchestras, and the 2015-16 season included return engagements to Munich’s Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Zurich’s Tonhalle Orchestra. In December, he led the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic in the Nobel Prize concert in Stockholm and conducted the Filarmonica of La Scala Milan in a televised Christmas concert. This past season, he also made his long-anticipated debut with Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for two weeks of concerts. From 2010 to 2014, Franz Welser-Möst served as general music director of the Vienna State Opera. His partnership with the company included an acclaimed new production of Wagner’s Ring cycle and a series of critically-praised new productions, as well as performances of a wide range of other operas, particularly works by Wagner and Richard Strauss. Prior to his years with the Vienna State Opera, Mr. Welser-Möst led the Zurich Opera across a decade-long tenure, conducting more than forty new producP H OTO BY J E N N I F E R TAY LO R
Franz Welser-Möst
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tions and culminating in three seasons as general music director (2005-08). Franz Welser-Möst’s recordings and videos have won major awards, including a Gramophone Award, Diapason d’Or, Japanese Record Academy Award, and two Grammy nominations. The Salzburg Festival production he conducted of Der Rosenkavalier was awarded with the Echo Klassik 2015 for “best opera recording.“ With The Cleveland Orchestra, his recordings include DVD recordings of live performances of five of Bruckner’s symphonies and a recently-
released multi-DVD set of major works by Brahms, featuring Yefim Bronfman and Julia Fischer as soloists. For his talents and dedication, Mr. Welser-Möst has received honors that include the Vienna Philharmonic’s “Ring of Honor” for his longstanding personal and artistic relationship with the ensemble, as well as recognition from the Western Law Center for Disability Rights, honorary membership in the Vienna Singverein, appointment as an Academician of the European Academy of Yuste, a Decoration of Honor from the Republic of Austria for his artistic achievements, and the Kilenyi Medal from the Bruckner Society of America.
at left
Franz Welser-Möst was invited to lead the prestigious Nobel Prize Concert with the Stockholm Philharmonic in December 2015. Other recent accolades include being singled out in a year-end review of notable performers and performances in 2015 by Deutschland Radio.
Share your memories of tonight and join in the conversation online . . . facebook.com/clevelandorchestra twitter: @CleveOrchestra instagram: @CleveOrch #SummersSeverance
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Music Director
The Cleveland Orchestra
July 8
Death and Transfiguration, Opus 24 [Tod und Verklärung] composed in 1888-89
by
Richard
STRAUSS born June 11, 1864 Munich died September 8, 1949 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria
Summers@Severance
“ D E A T H H A S D E A L T me the first hard blow, has given me the first sign,” Strauss said late in August 1949. “So much for me to do still — but I believe that some of the things that I wanted and initiated have fallen on fruitful ground.” The 85-year-old composer, soon after conducting the Moonlight Interlude from his opera Capriccio for a radio concert in mid-July, had suffered a series of heart attacks and been confined to bed. “Funny thing, Alice,” he is said to have remarked to his daughter-in-law shortly before his death, “dying is just the way I composed it in Death and Transfiguration.” And for Richard Strauss, it probably was. Strauss had begun writing Death and Transfiguration (in German, Tod und Verklärung) more than 60 years earlier, in August 1888, almost immediately after setting aside the completed score of his first orchestral tone poem, Don Juan. Exactly what stimulated the 24-year-old composer to create Death and Transfiguration — based on a scenario of his own devising — we do not know. But even at such an early age, Strauss was wrestling with what his own legacy might be. Here, in this tone poem, he seems to be contemplating the connection between death and an after-life. Yet Strauss was, at least in later years, largely agnostic or atheist — and his dreams of after-life rested as much on the practical considerations of reputation and admiration of his work, as on anything spiritual. His constant striving in life was for artistic achievement. In 1894, four years after the premiere, Strauss wrote his own explanation for Death and Transfiguration, which clearly follows the musical contours of the work: “It was six years ago that it occurred to me to present in the form of a tone poem the dying hours of a man who had striven towards the highest idealistic aims, maybe indeed those of an artist. The sick man lies in bed, asleep, with heavy irregular breathing; friendly dreams conjure a smile on the features of the deeply suffering man; he wakes up; he is once more racked with horrible pain; his limbs shake with fever — as the attack passes and agonies subside, his thoughts wander through his past life; his childhood passes before him, the time of his youth with its strivings and passions and then, as the pains announce their return, there appears to him the fruit of his life’s path, the conception, the ideal which he has sought to realize, to present artistically, but which he has not been able to complete. . . . The hour of death approaches, About the Music
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Strauss was as acclaimed as a conductor during his lifetime as he was admired (or criticized) as a composer.
At a Glance Strauss composed the tone poem Tod und Verklärung (”Death and Transfiguration“) in 1888-89 and conducted its first performance on June 21, 1890, at the City Theater in Eisenach. Dedicated to Strauss’s friend Friederich Rosch, the score was published in 1890. The American premiere took place in New York on January 9, 1892, with Anton Seidl conducting the Philharmonic Society of New York. This work runs about 25 minutes in performance. Strauss scored it for 3 flutes, 2 oboes, english horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, tam-tam, 2 harps, and strings.
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the soul leaves the body and finds gloriously achieved — in everlasting time and space — those things which could not be fulfilled here on earth.” While Death and Transfiguration may at first seem to be cloaked in darkness, it uses the subject of dying merely as a point of departure (pun intended). The artist of Strauss’s imagination knows exactly what he has been striving to create in life. And the “dying artist’s sure struggle toward an ideal” in Death and Transfiguration concludes with a musical affirmation — of rest and redemption. In fact, the artistic struggle toward ideal fulfillment stayed with Strauss all of his life. He attempted many different musical forms. He alternated between the creative life of a composer and the toiling work of recreating the visions of others as a much-admired conductor. He worked as an administrator to fulfill those visions, but tired of the politics — only to find himself forced to work with the German Nazi government as a way of helping other artists. He moved from being a controversial young composer to being a conservative old one (with a difficult political past). He also always remembered his own youthful vision in Death and Transfiguration, from which he reused a theme a year before his death, in the song Im Abendrot (“At Sunset,” posthumously published as the last of his Four Last Songs). At the song’s end, he quotes the artist’s “ideal” theme under the words “How still the peace. So deep the close of evening. How tired we are of wandering! Is this perhaps death?” Like Death and Transfiguration, this is beautiful music that transcends earthly realities, letting our own joys (and sorrows) build to acceptance in the twilight of a day (or life) that darkness brings rest and reward.
—Eric Sellen © 2016 Eric Sellen serves as program book editor for The Cleveland Orchetsra.
About the Music
The Cleveland Orchestra
July 8
A German Requiem, Opus 45 composed in 1865-68
B R A H M S W A S B R O U G H T U P in Hamburg in the north Ger-
by
Johannes
BRAHMS born May 7, 1833 Hamburg died April 3, 1897 Vienna
Summers@Severance
man Lutheran tradition with a solid knowledge of the Bible, which remained with him all his life. Faith, however, was more elusive, and like Beethoven he came to devise his own personal view of ethics and spirituality, which in his case tended towards an ever deepening pessimism and a focus on the mystery of death. “Such a great man!” exclaimed Antonín Dvořák, “Such a great soul! And he believes in nothing.” But Brahms was not quite a nihilist. He armed himself with a stoicism that protected him from the worst vicissitudes of life but did not prevent him from dwelling on death as the end of all things. The Four Serious Songs (Opus 121), composed near the end of his life, are preoccupied with death while upholding love as greater than faith and hope, of which he never had a great store. The German Requiem belongs to a much earlier period in Brahms’s life, when his fame as a composer was already widespread and about to be enhanced yet further by the acclamation that greeted this very work. Though not indifferent to material success, he was more affected by the death of his mother in 1865, which seems to have prompted him to think deeply about a composition that had probably been lurking in the back of his mind for ten years — at least since the death of Robert Schumann, who played such an important part in Brahms’s early steps as a composer. At the time of Schumann’s death, Brahms had sketched a “funeral march” in 3/4 time, which seems to have been planned as part of a symphony in D minor, the first movement of which eventually took shape as the first movement of the First Piano Concerto. (This is not the only instance where Brahms began one thing, only to decide that the music he was working on was really better to be completed as something else; and, indeed, many composers have found themselves doing this.) It is widely assumed that the original march is the origin of the second movement of the Requiem, “Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras” [For all flesh is like grass], with its solemn, striding 3/4 pulse. The rest of the Requiem took shape in 1866 and 1867, and was publicly performed piecemeal, bit by bit. Although the fifth movement was still not composed, the performance in Bremen About the Music
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At a Glance Some of the musical ideas in Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem (“A German Requiem”) date to around 1854. In 1856, Brahms adapted some discarded ideas from his Piano Concerto in D minor as a choral setting in memory of Robert Schumann; a form of this eventually became the Requiem’s second movement. In 1861, he wrote down a list of Biblical texts that might serve as text for a larger work. He wrote movement 4 in 1865 and had also completed movements 1 and 2. He wrote movements 3, 6, and 7 in 1866. The first three movements were presented at a concert on December 1, 1867, in Vienna, under the direction of Johann von Herbeck. The six-movement Requiem — for orchestra, chorus, and solo baritone — was premiered on April 10, 1868, in Bremen, conducted by the composer. Brahms wrote the fifth movement (for soprano soloist and chorus) that summer; it was first performed on September 17, 1868, in Zurich. In its final form, the seven-movement A German Requiem was first performed as a whole on February 18, 1869, in Leipzig under the direction of Carl Reinecke.
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Cathedral on Good Friday 1868 was treated as the first full performance, and it was attended by all of Brahms’s keenest supporters and friends — Clara Schumann, Joseph Joachim, Albert Dietrich, and Brahms’s father, still living in Hamburg. Clara wrote soon afterwards: “The Requiem has taken hold of me as no sacred music ever did before. As I saw Johannes standing there, baton in hand, I could not help thinking of my dear Robert’s prophecy — ‘let him grasp the magic wand and write a work with orchestra and chorus’ — which is fulfilled today.” In memory of his mother, who had been a number of years older than his father, Brahms then composed the fifth movement with soprano solo, “Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit” [You now have sorrow] to complete the finalized seven-movement plan. The complete work was quickly performed all over Germany, in the Catholic south as well as in the Protestant north. L ANGUAGE AND MUSIC
Like Handel when composing Messiah, Brahms selected his texts entirely from the Bible. Other Requiems were settings of age-old Latin texts, most often designed for use in formal worship service. But Brahms instead appropriated the title “Requiem” for a choral work that meditated on comforting the living in the face of an all-consuming death. (Some of these same texts are found in Messiah also.) Brahms chose the texts with care, sometimes combining verses from different books of the Bible to form a single movement. Only the fourth and last movements treat a single biblical text. Isaiah, the Psalms, the New Testament, and Revelation are all drawn upon, with a single line from the Wisdom of Solomon in the Apocrypha: “But the righteous souls are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them.” The person of Christ plays no part in Brahms’s selection of texts, even though some texts are quoted from the gospels. There is no reference to judgement, vengeance, or Christ’s sacrifice. The emotional theme is more focused on the transience of life, the need for comfort, the reward for effort, and the hope of a happy resolution. The soprano solo, No. 5, is thought to be a direct tribute to Brahms’s mother, since it refers to a “mother’s comforts.” Schubert also wrote a “German Requiem” in his own spoken language, and Brahms later learned that his mentor Schumann had planned to write one. For Brahms, however, the choice of About the Music
The Cleveland Orchestra
language was as much about his own upbringing in the Lutheran tradition, in which the Bible was read and spoken in German. As precedents, he was quite conscious of Bach as a setter of biblical texts in the vernacular. In fact, the chorale from Bach’s Cantata No. 27 is the basis for the broad melody with which the chorus enter in unison in Brahms’s second movement, beginning with two steps up and two steps down. This pattern has already been outlined at the opening of the first movement, where the imitative entries announce Brahms’s instinctive feeling for counterpoint, not unlike that of Bach. The powerful fugue that concludes the third movement, over a continuously held low D, is a further tribute to Bach, and there is another vigorous fugue to conclude the sixth movement, on “Herr, du bist würdig” [Lord, you are worthy]. For a composer who had written little for chorus before this time, the Requiem is astonishingly assured and rewarding, as all choral singers will attest. The orchestration is equally assured. Leaving the violins quiet in the first movement allows the divided violas and cellos to glow and at the same time announces the seriousness of Brahms’s enterprise. (This rich sound comes back in support of the baritone solo at his first entry in the third movement.) Unusual for Brahms is the participation of harp, which adds color at the beginning and the end of the work and is part of the unusual sonority of the second movement. Here the timpani emphasize the march element, and the melody is outlined by high strings blending with high woodwinds. The entry of the chorus completes this complex picture, whose most memorable moment is the colossal crescendo that prepares for the return of the march tune and the chorale combined. This second movement is really in two parts, for it eventually abandons triple meter and strides forward with the positive statement from the basses “Die Erlöseten des Herrn werden wiederkommen” [Those redeemed in the Lord will return]. This is soon followed by the unmistakably happy tone of “Freude and Wonne” [Joy and gladness] from the sopranos, so that the movement concludes in high (but calm) spirits. The third movement similarly consists of many parts. After the steady tread of the baritone’s opening solo, with chorus response, the pulse loosens and a warmer color in the orchestration supports “Ach, wie gar nichts sind alle Menschen” [Truly all people are as nothing]. This is eventually taken over by the chorus alone at “Nun Herr, was soll ich mich trösten?” [Now, Lord, Summers@Severance
About the Music
Spiritually, Brahms didn’t believe in very much. Throughout his life, he armed himself with a Lutheran stoicism that protected him from the worst vicissitudes of life, but which did not prevent him dwelling on death as the end of all things. Ultimately, he believed that love was greater than faith and hope — but pessimism was more his mode than hope, regardless.
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Just the Facts This work runs about 70 minutes in performance. Brahms scored it for 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon (ad libitum), 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, harp (doubled, if possible), organ (ad libitum), and strings, plus mixed chorus and soprano and baritone soloists. The Cleveland Orchestra first performed Brahms’s A German Requiem in November 1925, first in Pittsburgh and then at home in Cleveland’s Masonic Hall; these performances were probably sung in English. The Orchestra’s next two performances of A German Requiem were during the 1943-44 season at Severance Hall: in November for a special “War Memorial Concert” and then again in January at a special concert in memory of Elisabeth Severance Allen Prentiss (1865-1944), the younger sister of John L. Severance. Music from it has been featured on other notable occasions — in 1990 for the 20th anniversary of the death of George Szell, in 1999 upon the death of Robert Shaw, and in September 2001 for a special tribute and remembrance concert at the time of the tragedy of 9/11.
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how shall I find comfort?], and the answer “Ich hoffe auf dich” [My hope is in you] announces the concluding fugue over a long held bass note. The fourth movement, for chorus, suggests the waltz rhythm of which Brahms was always fond, and it is no accident that the woodwinds’ first phrase is answered by the chorus as an exact inversion of the melody, nor that the most prominent word in the German text is “lieblich” [lovely], precisely describing the music itself. The tender side of Brahms’s genius is beautifully illustrated by this movement — and by the soprano solo that comes next. The fifth movement features the soprano soloist for the first and only time. The beauty of her opening line is not to be forgotten. The design of this movement is like one of Bach’s arias where the chorus intone a chorale (or something like it) in between the soloist’s phrases. By the end of the movement the chorus has moved into full support of the soprano and they conclude together in a quiet mood of consolation. The sixth movement is more dramatic, for the rather solemn phrases from the chorus give little warning of what is to come. The words do indeed threaten “Wir werden alle verwandelt” [We shall all be changed] but not until the sound of the “letzten Posaune” (the “last trumpet,” represented in the Lutheran Bible as a trombone) does the music bring in the clamorous victory of death, crowned with a long elaborate fugue in Handel’s manner on “Herr, Du bist würdig” [Lord, you are worthy]. After the extraordinary and exhausting climax of the preceeding music, the seventh movement resumes a more solemn spirit, returning gradually to the mood and the key of the opening movement, and ending with the same quiet cadence.
—Hugh Macdonald © 2016 Hugh Macdonald is Avis H. Blewett Professor Emeritus of Music at Washington University in St. Louis. He has written books on Beethoven, Berlioz, Bizet, and Scriabin.
About the Music
The Cleveland Orchestra
July 8
Lauren Snouffer
Dashon Burton
American soprano Lauren Snouffer made her Cleveland Orchestra debut in May 2015. Recognized for performances spanning music from the Baroque to modern — from Claudio Monteverdi and Johann Adolphe Hasse to György Ligeti and George Benjamin — she has appeared with the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society, Houston Ballet, Mercury Baroque, and Portland Baroque, as well as the orchestras of Baltimore, Florida, Houston, New York, San Antonio, and São Paulo. On the opera stage, Ms. Snouffer has performed with the Atlanta Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Opéra Royal de Versailles. A graduate of Rice University, the Juilliard School, and the Houston Grand Opera Studio, Lauren Snouffer received a 2013 Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation and a Richard F. Gold Career Grant from Houston Grand Opera, and was a grand finalist in the 2012 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
American bass-baritone Dashon Burton made his Cleveland Orchestra debut in May 2005 and most recently appeared here in July 2015. He began his studies at Case Western Reserve University, graduated from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and, in 2011, earned a master’s degree from Yale University’s Institute of Sacred Music. His performances have included engagements with the Bethlehem Bach, Carmel Bach, Cincinnati May, and Spoleto USA festivals, and with the orchestras of Baltimore, Charleston, Kansas City, and New Jersey, along with Copenhagen’s Le Concert Lorrain, Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society, Oratorio Society of New York, and the Yale Schola Cantorum. An advocate of new music, Mr. Burton has premiered works by William Brittelle, Christopher Cerrone, Judd Greenstein, and Caroline Shaw, among other composers. He is a founding member of Roomful of Teeth, an ensemble devoted to new compositions and winner of the 2013 Grammy for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble. For more information, visit www.dashonburton.com.
Summers@Severance
Guest Artists
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A German Requiem by Johannes Brahms 1. Chorus Selig sind, die da Leid tragen, denn sie sollen getröstet werden.
Blessed are they that have sorrow, for they shall be comforted. —matthew 5:4
Die mit Tränen säen, werden mit Freuden ernten. Sie gehen hin und weinen und tragen edlen Samen, und kommen mit Freuden und bringen ihre Garben.
They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy. They go forth and weep and carry precious seed and come with joy and bring their sheaves with them. —psalm 126:5,6
2. Chorus Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras und alle Herrlichkeit des Menschen wie des Grases Blumen. Das Gras ist verdorret und die Blume abgefallen.
For all flesh is like grass and the splendor of humanity is like the flower of the field. The grass withers and the flower falls. —i peter 1:24
So seid nun geduldig, lieben Brüder, bis auf die Zukunft des Herrn. Siehe, ein Ackermann wartet auf die köstliche Frucht der Erde, und ist geduldig darüber, bis er empfahe den Morgenregen und Abendregen. So seid geduldig.
So be patient, dear people until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient for it until receiving the morning rains and the evening rains. So be patient. —james 5:7
Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras und alle Herrlichkeit des Menschen wie des Grases Blumen. Das Gras ist verdorret und die Blume abgefallen. Aber des Herrn Wort bleibet in Ewigkeit.
For all flesh is like grass and the splendor of humanity is like the flower of the field. The grass withers and the flower falls. Yet, the word of the Lord stands for evermore. —i peter 1:24-25
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Sung Text
The Cleveland Orchestra
Die Erlöseten des Herrn werden wiederkommen, und gen Zion kommen mit Jauchzen; Freude, ewig Freude, wird über ihrem Haupte sein; Freude und Wonne werden sie ergreifen, und Schmerz und Seufzen wird weg müssen.
The redeemed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with rejoicing; Joy, eternal joy shall be upon their heads, joy and gladness will be theirs, and pain and suffering will flee away. —isaiah 35:10
3. Baritone Solo and Chorus Herr, lehre doch mich, dass ein Ende mit mir haben muss, und mein Leben ein Ziel hat, und ich davon muss. Siehe, meine Tage sind einer Handbreit vor Dir, und mein Leben ist wie nichts vor Dir.
Lord, let me know that I must have an end, that my life has a term, and that I must pass on. See, my days are as a hand’s breadth before you, and my life is as nothing before you.
Ach, wie gar nichts sind alle Menschen, die doch so sicher leben. Sie gehen daher wie ein Schemen, und machen ihnen viel vergebliche Unruhe; sie sammeln und wissen nicht, wer es kriegen wird. Nun Herr, wess soll ich mich trösten? Ich hoffe auf Dich.
Truly, all people are as nothing who live too sure of themselves. They go forth like shadows and give themselves great anxiety in vain, they heap up their wealth but do not know who will inherit it. Now, Lord, how shall I find comfort? My hope is in you. —psalm 39:4-7
Der Gerechten Seelen sind in Gottes Hand und keine Qual rühret sie an.
The righteous souls are in the hand of God and no torment touches them. —wisdom of solomon 3:1
P L E A S E T U R N PA G E Q U I E T LY
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Sung Text
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4. Chorus Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen, Herr Zebaoth! Meine Seele verlanget und sehnet sich mach den Vorhöfen des Herrn; Mein Leib und Seele freuen sich in dem lebendigen Gott. Wohl denen, die in Deinem Hause wohnen. die loben Dich immerdar.
How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord of Hosts! My soul longs and faints for the courts of the Lord. My body and soul rejoice in the living God. Blessed are they that dwell in your house, they praise you evermore. —psalm 84:1,2,4
5. Soprano Solo and Chorus Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit; aber ich will euch wiedersehen, und euer Herz soll sich freuen, und eure Freude soll niemand von euch nehmen.
You now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one shall take from you. —john 16:22
Ich will euch trösten, wie einen seine Mutter tröstet.
I will comfort you as a mother comforts. —isaiah 66:13
Sehet mich an: Ich habe eine kleine Zeit Muhe und Arbeit gehabt und habe grossen Trost funden.
Look on me: For a short time I have had sorrow and labor and have found great comfort. —ecclesiasticus 51:27
6. Baritone Solo and Chorus Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt, sondern die zukünftige suchen wir.
For we have here no lasting place to stay, rather we seek one for the future. —hebrews 13:14
Siehe, ich sage euch ein Geheimnis: Wir werden nicht alle entschlafen, wir werden aber alle verwandelt werden; und dasselbige plötzlich in einem Augenblick
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be transformed; and in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
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Sung Text
The Cleveland Orchestra
zu der Zeit der letzten Posaune. Denn es wird die Posaune schallen und die Toten werden auferstehen unverweslich; und wir werden verwandelt werden. Dann wird erfüllet werden das Wort, das geschrieben steht. Der Tod ist verschlungen in den Sieg. Tod, wo ist dein Stachel? Hölle, wo ist dein Sieg?
at the sound of the last trumpet. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be transformed. Then shall be fulfilled the word that is written. Death is swallowed up in victory. Death, where is your sting? Hell, where is your victory? —i corinthians 15:51,52,54,55
Herr, Du bist würdig zu nehmen Preis und Ehre und Kraft, denn Du hast alle Dinge geschaffen, und durch Deinen Willen haben sie das Wesen und sind geschaffen.
Lord, you are worthy to receive praise and glory and power, for you have created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. —revelations 4:11
7. Chorus Selig sind die Toten, die in dem Herrn sterben, von nun an. Ja, der Geist spricht, dass sie ruhen von ihrer Arbeit; denn ihre Werke folgen ihnen nach.
Blessed are the dead, who die believing in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the spirit, that they rest from their labors and their deeds are forever part of them. —revelations 14:13
German text adapted by Johannes Brahms from Martin Luther’s translation of the Bible.
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Sung Text
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July 8
Robert Porco
Director of Choruses Frances P. and Chester C. Bolton Endowed Chair The Cleveland Orchestra
Robert Porco became director of choruses for The Cleveland Orchestra in 1998. In addition to overseeing choral activities and preparing the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and the Blossom Festival Chorus for a variety of concert programs each season, Mr. Porco conducts the Orchestra’s annual series of Christmas concerts at Severance Hall and regularly conducts subscription concert programs both at Severance Hall and Blossom. He has also served as director of choruses for the Cincinnati May Festival since 1989. In 2011, Mr. Porco was honored by Chorus America with its annual Michael Korn Founders Award for a lifetime of significant contributions to the professional choral art. The Ohio native served as chairman of the choral department at Indiana University 1980-98, and in recent years has taught doctoral-level conducting at the school. As teacher and mentor, Mr. Porco has guided and influenced the development of hundreds of musicians, many of whom are now active as professional conductors, singers, or teachers. As a sought-after guest instructor and coach, he has taught at Harvard University, Westminster Choir College, and the University of Miami Frost School of Music.
Lisa Wong
Assistant Director of Choruses
Lisa Wong became assistant director of choruses for The Cleveland Orchestra with the 2010-11 season. In this capacity, she assists in preparing the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and Blossom Festival Chorus for performances each year. With the 2012-13 season, she took on the added position of director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus. In addition to her duties at Severance Hall, Ms. Wong is a faculty member at the College of Wooster, where she conducts the Wooster Chorus and the Wooster Singers and teaches courses in conducting and music education. She previously taught in public and private schools in New York, Pennsylvania, and Indiana, where she worked with the choral department of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (including directing the Chamber Choir of the Indiana University Children’s Choir). Active as a clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator, Ms. Wong holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from West Chester University and master’s and doctoral degrees in choral conducting from Indiana University.
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Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
The Cleveland Orchestra
July 8
Cleveland Orchestra Chorus Robert Porco, Director
Lisa Wong, Assistant Director Joela Jones, Principal Accompanist The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus is one of the few professionally-trained, all-volunteer choruses sponsored by a major American orchestra. Founded at the request of George Szell in 1952 and following in the footsteps of a number of earlier community choruses, the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus has sung in hundreds of performances at home, at Carnegie Hall, and on tour, as well as in more than a dozen recordings. Its members hail from nearly fifty Cleveland-area communities and together contribute over 15,000 volunteer hours to the Orchestra’s music-making each year. CHORUS — BRAHMS GERMAN REQUIEM sopranos
Lou Albertson Amy Foster Babinski Claudia Barriga Emily Bzdafka Julie A. Cajigas Kristine Caswelch Yu-Ching Ruby Chen Susan Cucuzza Karla Cummins Anna K. Dendy Emily Engle Lisa Rubin Falkenberg Anne Gartman Julia Halamek Lisa Hrusovsky Hope Klassen-Kay Kate Macy Megan Meyer Heather Morrison Julie Myers-Pruchenski Jennifer Heinert O’Leary Sarah Henley Osburn Lenore M. Pershing Roberta Privette Joy Marie Rivera Cassandra E. Rondinella Meghan Schatt Monica Schie Laura R. Seipert Carole Weinhardt Kiko Weinroth Anna E. White Mary Wilson Constance Wolfe
altos
Alexandria Albainy Emily Austin Debbie Bates Alissa L. Bodner Brianna Clifford Marilyn Eppich Amanda Evans Haley Gabriel Ann Marie Hardulak Laura Skelly Higgins Betty Huber Karen Hunt Sarah N. Hutchins Anney Jeandrevin Kate Klonowski Lucia Leszczuk Diana Martin Anna McMullen Karla McMullen Donna Miller Marta Perez-Stable Alanna M. Shadrake Ina Stanek-Michaelis Rachel Thibo Martha Cochran Truby Gina Ventre Maggie Fairman Williams Debra Yasinow Lynne Leutenberg Yulish
tenors
Vincent L. Briley Gerry C. Burdick Ross Downing Corey Hill* James Newby Peter Kvidera Adam Landry Tod Lawrence Alexander Looney Shawn Lopez Rohan Mandelia Tremaine B. Oatman Ryan Pennington Matthew Rizer Ted Rodenborn Lee Scantlebury James Storry Charles Tobias William Venable Michael Ward
basses
Christopher Aldrich Brian Bailey Jack Blazey Charles Carr Mario M. Clopton Dwyer Conklyn Nick Connavino Thomas Cucuzza Christopher Dewald Jeffrey Duber Thomas E. Evans Richard S. Falkenberg Kurtis B. Hoffman Bernard Hrusovsky Robert L. Jenkins Joshua Jones Joel Kincannon Tyler Mason Roger Mennell Robert Mitchell Tom Moormann Keith Norman Daniel Parsley John Riehl Steven Ross Thomas Shaw Stephen Stavnicky
Carolyn Dessin, Chair, Cleveland Orchestra Chorus Operating Committee Jill Harbaugh, Manager of Choruses
* Shari Bierman Singer Fellow
Summers@Severance
Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
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Stars of Tomorrow: Cooper Competition Stars of Tomorrow: Cooper Competition Stars of Tomorrow: Cooper Competition
Severance Hall — Cleveland, Ohio Friday evening, July 22, 2016,Ohio at 7:00 p.m. Severance Hall — Cleveland, Friday evening, July 22, 2016,Ohio at 7:00 p.m. Severance Hall — Cleveland, Friday evening, July 22, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. JAHJA LING, conductor JAHJA LING, conductor JAHJA LING, conductor
THE CLEVEL AND ORCHESTRA THE CLEVEL AND ORCHESTRA THE CLEVEL AND ORCHESTRA Thomas and Evon Cooper Thomas and Evon Cooper 2016 International Competition Thomas and Evon Cooper 2016 International Competition Final Concerto Round2016 International Competition Final Concerto Round
Final Concerto Round WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION FINAL ROUND PERFORMANCES Featuring three finalists FINAL ROUND PERFORMANCES and including one intermission. Featuring three finalists FINAL ROUND PERFORMANCES and including intermission. Featuring threeone finalists and DELIBERATIONS including one intermission. JURY JURY DELIBERATIONS JURY DELIBERATIONS WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT AND PRIZEANNOUNCEMENT CEREMONY WINNERS AND PRIZEANNOUNCEMENT CEREMONY WINNERS AND PRIZE CEREMONY
Judges Panel Robert Shannon, Chair Judges Panel Dag Achatz Robert Shannon, Chair Judges Panel Angela Cheng Dag Achatz Robert Shannon, Chair Alvin Chow Angela Cheng Dag Achatz Monique Duphil Alvin AngelaChow Cheng Stanislav Ioudenitch Monique Duphil Alvin Chow Lisa Nakamichi Stanislav Ioudenitch Monique Duphil Matti Raekallio Lisa Nakamichi Stanislav Ioudenitch Peter Takács Matti Raekallio Lisa Nakamichi Wu Ying Peter Takács Matti Raekallio Wu Ying Peter Takács Wu Ying
The finalists and their concerto selections will be announced late on the evening of July 20.concerto Watch for details at www.facebook.com/coopercompetition. TheWednesday, finalists and their selections will be announced late on the evening of Wednesday, July 20.concerto Watch for details at www.facebook.com/coopercompetition. The finalists and their selections will be announced late on the evening of Wednesday, July 20. Watch for details at www.facebook.com/coopercompetition.
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The Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition is presented a collaborative between the The Thomas as and Evon Cooper partnership International Competition Oberlin Conservatory Musicpartnership and The Cleveland Orchestra. is presented as a collaborative between the The Thomas and Evon of Cooper International Competition Oberlin Conservatory of Musicpartnership and The Cleveland is presented as a collaborative betweenOrchestra. the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and The Cleveland Orchestra. July 22: Cooper International Competition The Cleveland Orchestra July 22: Cooper International Competition The Cleveland Orchestra July 22: Cooper International Competition The Cleveland Orchestra
sergei rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18 1. Moderato 2. Adagio sostenuto 3. Allegro scherzando NATHAN LEE, piano
ludwig van beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Opus 58 1. Allegro moderato 2. Andante con moto 3. Rondo: Vivace EVREN OZEL, piano INTERMISSION
sergei rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18 1. Moderato 2. Adagio sostenuto 3. Allegro scherzando RYOTA YAMAZAKI, piano
July 22
INTERMISSION WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT AND PRIZE CEREMONY
The Cleveland Orchestra’s Summers@Severance series is sponsored by Thompson Hine LLP, a Cleveland Orchestra Partner in Excellence. Summers@Severance
July 22: Cooper International Competition
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July 22
Nathan Lee, 14
Sammamish, Washington Nathan Lee began playing piano at age 6 and currently studies under Sasha Starcevich. Lee’s recent achievements include earning first place in the 2015 e-Piano Junior International Competition and the 2013 MTNA National Junior Piano Performance Competition. He is also a winner of the Seattle Symphony Young Artist Auditions and the Seattle Young Artists Concerto Competition, where he was awarded the Festival Medal. Lee made his orchestral debut at age 9 with the Musikhochschule Münster Orchestra in Germany and has subsequently performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Coeur d’Alene Symphony, Philharmonia Northwest, Ashdod Symphony Orchestra (Israel), and Orquesta Filarmónica de la Universidad de Alicante (Spain), under the batons of Uri Segal, Ludovic Morlot, and Sergei Babayan, among others. Lee has given solo recitals in Italy, Korea, and America and has performed on the Three Generations Concert with Ilana Vered and Sasha Starcevich in Basilica di San Pietro and Sala dei Notari in Italy. He has played in masterclasses given by noted pianists including Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Sergei Babayan, Gary Graffman, Jerome Lowenthal, Peter Frankl, Ilana Vered, Sasha Korsantia, Christopher Elton, Joseph Kalichstein, Mikhail Petukhov, and John Perry. He participates in private and charity events regularly and has taken part in Seattle Symphony Opening Night Galas, sharing the stage with Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Lang Lang to raise funds for music education.
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July 22: Cooper Competition Finalist
The Cleveland Orchestra
July 22
Evren Ozel, 17
Minneapolis, Minnesota Evren Ozel began his musical education at MacPhail Center for Music and has studied piano with Paul Wirth, theory and composition with Sarah Miller, and conducting with Courtney Lewis. He has performed with several orchestras in the Midwest, including the Minnesota Orchestra. He was a first-prize winner in several state and regional piano, chamber music, and composition competitions. He participated in the Boston University Tanglewood Institute 2013, where he performed at Seiji Ozawa Hall in the Honors Recital as well as in a masterclass given by Lang Lang. In 2014, Ozel was a showcase artist on MPR’s Minnesota Varsity and received the fifth prize and the audience prize at the Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition that year. The following summer, he attended the Oxford Philomusica Piano Festival and Academy, where he played in masterclasses for Ferenc Rados, Menahem Pressler, and András Schiff. He has received merit scholarships from the Chopin Foundation of the United States for two consecutive years and was invited to perform on its concert series in Key Biscayne, Florida. In 2016, he was a National YoungArts Winner and also won first prize in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. He has performed twice on NPR’s From the Top. He studies at Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, Massachusetts, and at New England Conservatory.
Summers@Severance
July 22: Cooper Competition Finalist
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July 22
Ryota Yamazaki, 17 Koriyama, Japan
Ryota Yamazaki began his piano studies at age 7. By age 9, he won top honors for his age group at the PTNA Piano Competition of Japan, followed by a second prize in the same competition four years later — competing as a 13-year-old against performers as old as 26. Two years later, he earned the grand prize as a 15-year-old against competition of all ages — the youngest winner in the contest’s history. He earned performances in Tokyo, Okinawa, Osaka, and Tottori and also played Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto at the prizewinners’ concert in March and Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto in July 2015. Yamazaki won the gold medal in the junior division of the 2012 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition and was first-prize winner at the 2013 Yasuko Fukuda Scholarship Audition — the highest-level audition for young Japanese pianists. He has studied with Maki Yamamoto, Yuko Ninomiya, and William Grant Naboré, founder and artistic director of the International Piano Academy Lake Como.
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July 22: Cooper Competition Finalist
The Cleveland Orchestra
July 22
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18 composed 1900-01
R A C H M A N I N O F F was born into what had been a wealthy
by
Sergei
RACHMANINOFF born April 1, 1873 Semyonovo, Russia died March 28, 1943 Beverly Hills, California
Summers@Severance
family. Unfortunately, his spendthrift father had squandered much of their wealth, and the forced sale of estates triggered a move to St. Petersburg. One advantage of the relocation was that the artistically inclined young boy now found himself in Russia’s most musical city. Early piano lessons expanded into formal study of piano and composition at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, and later at the Moscow Conservatory, from which he graduated with honors in 1892. Various early successes followed, both as pianist and as composer. Yet the 1897 premiere of his First Symphony under the appalling leadership of a literally drunken conductor was, in Rachmaninoff’s own words, “a fiasco.” Beaten down by the merciless criticism, and utterly unwilling to risk further humiliation, he swore off composition in favor of performing as a pianist. Three years passed, years of success at the keyboard. Yet Rachmaninoff still held back from composition. At last, his family persuaded him to seek professional help. The young composer began frequent consultations with Dr. Nicolai Dahl, a pioneer in techniques of hypnotism, and, not incidentally, an avid amateur musician. Rachmaninoff later described the experience of his treatment: “I heard the same hypnotic formula repeated day after day while I lay half asleep in an armchair in Dahl’s study: ‘You will begin to write your concerto. You will work with great facility. The concerto will be of excellent quality.’ It was always the same, without interruption. Although it may sound incredible, this cure really helped me.” After three months of hypnotic sessions, he again found the courage to compose — and completed his Second Piano Concerto within a few months. Its premiere was given to great acclaim in Moscow on November 9, 1901, with the composer himself as soloist. A compositional career was reborn. In gratitude, Rachmaninoff dedicated the score to Dr. Dahl, perhaps the only hypnotist ever to earn such an honor from a major composer. As a virtuoso pianist, Rachmaninoff composed for the instrument not only according to his own tastes but also according to his own strengths. For later performers, the results are further complicated by the fact that Rachmaninoff was a tall and lanky man with an astonishing reach to his hands. Pianists July 22: Cooper International Competition
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At a Glance Rachmaninoff composed the second and third movements of his Second Piano Concerto in the summer and early autumn of 1900. This incomplete version was heard at a charity concert in Moscow on October 14, with the composer at the keyboard and Alexander Siloti conducting. Rachmaninoff finished composing the work’s opening movement the following spring. The completed concerto was premiered exactly one year after the earlier preview, on October 14, 1901; Rachmaninoff and Siloti performed with the orchestra of the Moscow Philharmonic Society. This concerto runs about 35 minutes in performance. Rachmaninoff scored it for an orchestra with pairs of woodwinds (2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons), 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, cymbals, bass drum, and strings.
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of small proportions need not apply, and even those of average size will find challenges. The great pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy observed in an interview with Gramophone magazine that for playing Rachmaninoff, he wishes his fingers were a centimeter longer. Moreover, as Rachmaninoff could play both quicksilver, lightning-fast runs and also strong and powerful chords with equal mastery, he includes both in his piano parts, requiring a highly varied technique. For the pianist, it is not music for the faint of heart, yet the rewards are worth the challenge for performers and audiences. The first movement of Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 2 opens with dark, paired chords for the soloist, building into stormy runs. Only belatedly does the orchestra join in with the first of the main melodies, rich and lyrical, while the soloist provides color and sparkle. As the movement develops, additional melodic themes appear, generally assertive in nature. By contrast, the second movement is gentle, sweetly romantic, like a candlelit dinner. Frequently, Rachmaninoff gives beautiful themes to the woodwinds, making this concerto especially satisfying for this central family in the orchestra. Drama returns in the final movement, with a march-like beat in the first bars, demanding runs for the soloist, and at last a grand, flowing melody to overlie those runs. Rachmaninoff builds a strong sense of motion that drives all the way to the final bars. More often than not, it is the orchestra — not the soloist — that has the melodies, while the soloist colors and underscores the action, drawing the eye and ear, even if it is with the orchestra that a listener is humming. In later years, Rachmaninoff’s reputation as a gifted craftsman of melodies led various songwriters of the 20th century to borrow his themes for their songs. Those familiar with pop music will find within this concerto the source material for “Full Moon and Empty Arms,” “Ever and Forever,” “If This is Goodbye,” and “This is My Kind of Love.” Of special interest may be the 1975 hit “All By Myself” by Eric Carmen, who is the nephew of Muriel Carmen, who served as a violist in The Cleveland Orchestra from 1951 to 1994. —Betsy Schwarm © 2016
July 22: Cooper International Competition
The Cleveland Orchestra
Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music. —Sergei Rachmaninoff
Summers@SeveranceJuly 22: 32-J
Cooper International Competition
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“The reason I joined The Circle was to connect with other young professionals who have a mutual appreciation for classical music. And going to a Cleveland Orchestra concert through my Circle membership was great the first time. I sat with a paleontologist and an architect. We spent the entire time together, and by the night’s end it felt like I’d just spent it with old friends.”
—Annie Weiss
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July 22
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Opus 58 composed 1805-06
L I K E M A N Y C O M P O S E R S before (and after), Beethoven wrote
by
Ludwig van
BEETHOVEN born December 16, 1770 Bonn died March 26, 1827 Vienna
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his concertos for piano and orchestra as vehicles for displaying his own dazzle as a performer. In those times — before radio and recordings and copyright, and when public concerts were less frequent than today — new music was all the rage. Composing your own ensured that you had fresh material to perform. Your biggest hits, from last year or last week, were meanwhile quickly appropriated by others through copied scores and with the best tunes arranged for street organ grinders and local wind ensembles. It is little wonder, then, that Mozart kept some scores under lock and key, and left the cadenzas for many of his concertos blank, so that only he could fill them in authentically with his own brand of extemporaneous perfection. Beethoven moved to Vienna at the age of 22 in 1792. He’d hoped to get to Europe’s musical capital sooner and to study with Mozart, but family circumstances had kept him at home in Bonn helping raise his two younger brothers (while tempering the boys’ alcoholic father). It was as a performer that Beethoven forged his reputation in Vienna, and within a year he was widely known as a red-hot piano virtuoso. This set the stage for writing his own concertos. For the first three, written between 1795 and 1802, he followed more or less in Mozart’s footsteps with the form. In the 1780s, Mozart had turned the concerto into a fully-realized and independent genre, sometimes churning out three or four each season. But whereas Mozart, over the course of thirty or more works for solo piano or violin, had developed the concerto into sublime products, Beethoven (ultimately creating just five works for piano and one for violin) strived to make the form individual and handmade again. Mozart created the molds and set the standards, and only occasionally over-filled or over-flowed them. Beethoven at first worked within and around those earlier definitions, but the thrust of his musical creativity eventually shattered tradition in order to offer up the first magnificently over-charged concertos of the Romantic 19th century. The Fourth Piano Concerto begins unexpectedly, with piano alone. While today we recognize this as unusual, it is probably impossible for us to understand how totally shocking it was for audiences at the premiere. Even though Mozart’s concertos July 22: Cooper International Competition
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At a Glance Beethoven composed his Fourth Piano Concerto in 1805-06 and served as both soloist and conductor in the work’s first performances, in March 1807 at a semi-private concert in the home of his patron Prince Lobkowitz, followed by the public premiere at the Vienna Akademie on December 22, 1808. The concerto was published in 1808 with a dedication to Beethoven’s pupil, the Archduke Rudolph. This concerto runs about 35 minutes in performance. Beethoven scored each of the movements differently: the first movement calls for flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, and strings, plus the solo piano; the second movement utilizes only piano and strings; and the finale augments the first-movement ensemble with 2 trumpets and timpani.
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had crystallized the form only twenty years earlier, musical audiences of the time knew the conventions and were expecting creativity within those boundaries. A concerto always started with an orchestral introduction. The beginning might be longer or shorter, noisy or quiet, but the concerto was ultimately an orchestral genre, with soloist as an invited guest. Here, with Beethoven’s Fourth Concerto, the soloist is instead placed fully in charge of the form — not just in the audience’s minds as the expected center of attention, but as full equal to the entire orchestra. Thus is the heroic 19th-century concerto born, in which the soloist became protagonist rather than mere dialogue partner, and the “conversation” between soloist and orchestra takes on a sense of combative clashing and argument far beyond the good-natured sparring that earlier concertos had offered as musical entertainment. Not only does the piano begin the concerto, but it starts with unusual gentleness and grace, and “warms up” only gradually. Indeed, the entire concerto seems much more of a personal statement from Beethoven, as soloist and overall composer, than any of his preceding concertos. The opening movement continues at length — at twenty minutes, it is at least a third longer than any that Mozart or Beethoven had previously created — alternating across the sections of sonata form between a deceptive, gentle playfulness and a more robust outlook. Then in the second movement, the orchestra and soloist almost seem to wander off into different concertos. The orchestra offers forceful stabs of sound, to which the piano repeatedly responds with introspective musings, as if thinking about something else entirely. Once the bewildered orchestra backs off, however, Beethoven allows the piano to be more or less alone onstage, as if deep in thought. Some sublimely heart-wrenching solo piano passages follow, including a cadenza for right hand alone, before the movement withers to silence. Without pause, we are suddenly in the third-movement finale. Finally, the orchestra and soloist are ready to enjoy playing together, and this joyful movement is a delightful rondo of invention and variations built around an initial short march tune. Beethoven carefully varies the lengths of each statement and its response, building up a wonderfully vibrant sense of fun and excitement. A brief cadenza allows a momentary spotlight on the soloist and then, just as at the beginning of the concerto, Beethoven also breaks convention at the end, with the solo part
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The Cleveland Orchestra
written through to the final chord in the final bar. Traditionally, the orchestra would have closed out the piece without the soloist, or with the soloist merely playing along with the tune at the end. (Beethoven’s Fourth isn’t entirely cutting edge in this respect, however, as Mozart had tried a “dual ending” in his last piano concerto.) In the context of listening to any of Beethoven’s five piano concertos and contemplating his innovations and evolution of the artform, it is occasionally worthwhile noting that there is a sixth piano concerto by Beethoven. This is an arrangement that he made (or helped supervise) of his own Violin Concerto, Opus 61, for a generous Italian publisher. Known as Opus 61a, it is infrequently programmed, few soloists have bothered to learn the part, and, admittedly, some portions of it don’t really work. It is, nonetheless, a strangely interesting work to hear in performance or recording — and one sure way for many modern listeners who feel too well-acquainted with Beethoven’s concertos to be startled again, as his audiences were, on hearing something unexpectedly familiar but different. —Eric Sellen © 2016
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July 22: Cooper International Competition
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OBERLIN COLLEGE & CONSERVATORY
ARTIST RECITAL SERIES 2016-17
A CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS AT OBERLIN SINCE 1878.
EDDIE DANIELS, CLARINET
With Darek Oles, bass; Alan Pasqua, piano; and Joe LaBarbera, drums
8 PM SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016
ZUKERMAN TRIO Performing Glière, Shostakovich, and Schubert
8 PM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016
ST. LAWRENCE STRING QUARTET Performing Haydn, Beethoven, and John Adams
8 PM FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2016
MASTER CLASSES WITH MARILYN HORNE
The legendary singer’s annual visit to work with conservatory students
8 PM FRIDAY AND 2 PM SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17 AND 19, 2017
TAFELMUSIK
Performing Bach’s The Circle of Creation
8 PM TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017
RICHARD GOODE, PIANO Performing Beethoven sonatas spanning the composer’s three style periods
4 PM SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2017
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
Featuring principal cellist Mark Kosower and principal oboist Frank Rosenwein as soloists, with music by Delius, Vaughan Williams, and Strauss
8 PM FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017
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Artists and dates are subject to change. Subscriptions and partial-season packages are available. For ticket information, call 800-371-0178 or visit oberlin.edu/artsguide.
July 22 July 22 July 22
The Thomas and Evon The Thomas and EvonCompetition Cooper International The Thomas and EvonCompetition Cooper International Presented by the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and The Cleveland OrchCooper International Competition Presented by the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and The Cleveland Orchestra, the Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition showcases Presented by the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and The Cleveland Orchestra, the promising Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition showcases the most young musicians from around the world. estra, the Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition showcases the most promising musicians fromin around the world. In 2016, thirty young participants ranging age from thirteen to the most promising young from— around the In 2016, thirty participants in age from thirteen to of eighteen vie for $40,000 inmusicians prizeranging money twice theworld. total purse In 2016, thirty participants ranging in age from thirteen to of eighteen vie for $40,000 in prize money — twice the total purse previous years — and the opportunity to perform a full concerto eighteen vie for $40,000 in prize money — twice the total purse previous — and the opportunity to perform full concerto with The years Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall. Inaaddition, the of top previous years — and the opportunity to perform a full concerto with The Cleveland receive Orchestra at Severance Hall. In to addition, the top three prizewinners full-tuition scholarships the Oberlin Conwith The Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall. In addition, the top three prizewinners receive full-tuition scholarships to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. three prizewinners receive full-tuition scholarships to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Cooper Competition for piano was held in 2010, The inaugural servatory of Music. Thecompetition inaugural Cooper Competition for piano wasand heldviolin in 2010, with the then alternating between piano The inaugural Cooper Competition for piano was held in 2010, with the competition then alternating between piano and violin since that time. Past champions include Italian pianist Leonardo with the competition then alternating between piano and violin since that time. Past champions includeLi, Italian Leonardo Colafelice and American pianist George whopianist won the Cooper Comsince thatattime. Past include Italian pianist Leonardo Colafelice and pianist George Li, who wonCareer the Cooper petition ageAmerican 14 andchampions was awarded an Avery Fisher GrantComColafelice and American pianist George Li, who won the Cooper petition at age 14 and was awarded an Avery Fisher Career GrantComin 2016. petition at age 14 and was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2016. For more information, visit oberlin.edu/cooper. in 2016. For more information, visit oberlin.edu/cooper. For more information, visit oberlin.edu/cooper.
Oberlin Conservatory of Music Oberlin Conservatory of Music Founded in 1865 and situated amid the intellectual vitality of Oberlin Oberlin Conservatory of Music Founded in 1865 and situated amid the intellectual vitality of Oberlin College, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music is the oldest continuously
Founded inconservatory 1865 andConservatory situated amidofand the intellectual vitality of Oberlin College, the Oberlin Music is themajor oldest continuously operating in America the only conservatory College, the Oberlin to Conservatory ofand Music is themajor oldestconservatory continuously operating conservatory in America only dedicated primarily the education of the undergraduate musicians. operating conservatory in America and the only major conservatory dedicated primarily to the education of undergraduate musicians. Hailed as a “national treasure” by the Washington Post, Oberlin was dedicated to the education ofPresident undergraduate musicians. Hailed as the aprimarily “national treasure” theby Washington Post, Oberlin was awarded National Medal ofby Arts Obama. HailedInasthe a “national treasure” theby Washington Post, Oberlin was awarded the National Medal ofby Arts President Obama. past decade alone, Oberlin student ensembles have awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Obama. In the past decade alone, Oberlin student ensembles have performed in important concert halls in New York City, Chicago, In theBeijing, past decade alone, Oberlin ensembles have performed in important concert halls instudent New City, Chicago, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Cleveland, andYork Washington D.C. performed in important concert halls in New City, Chicago, Shanghai, Beijing, Los andYork Washington D.C. the Oberlin graduates holdAngeles, key rolesCleveland, in major orchestras throughout Shanghai, Beijing, Los Angeles, Cleveland, and Washington D.C. the Oberlin graduates hold key roles in major orchestras throughout world, and many have attained national and international stature as Oberlin graduates hold key roles in major orchestras throughout world, and many have attained national and international staturethe as performers, conductors, and composers — among them Jennifer Koh, world, and many have Denk, attained nationalDeShong, and international stature as performers, conductors, and Elizabeth composers — among them Walker, Jennifer Koh, Steven Isserlis, Jeremy George performers, conductors, and composers — among them Jennifer Koh, Steven Isserlis, Jeremy Denk, Elizabeth DeShong, George Walker, Christopher Rouse, David Zinman, Robert Spano, and James Feddeck. Steven Isserlis, Jeremy Denk, Elizabeth DeShong, George Walker, Christopher Rouse, David Zinman, Robert Spano, andthe James Feddeck. Oberlin alumni are founders of ensembles spanning breadth of Christopher Rouse, Davideighth Zinman, Robert the Spano, andthe James Feddeck. Oberlin alumni are founders of ensembles spanning breadth of music genres, including blackbird, International ContempoOberlin alumni are founders of ensembles spanning the breadth of music genres, including eighth blackbird, the International Contemporary Ensemble, Apollo’s Fire, and the Miró and Pacifica string quartets. music genres, including eighth blackbird, the International Contemporary Ensemble, Apollo’s Fire, visit and oberlin.edu/con. the Miró and Pacifica string quartets. For more information, rary Ensemble, Apollo’s Fire, visit and oberlin.edu/con. the Miró and Pacifica string quartets. For more information, For more information, visit oberlin.edu/con. Summers@Severance Summers@Severance Summers@Severance
About the Competition About the Competition About the Competition
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THE THOMAS & EVON
COOPER INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION The Oberlin Conservatory of Music and The Cleveland Orchestra extend heartfelt thanks to
Thomas Cooper ’78 and Evon Cooper
for their generous support of the Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition
ROGER MASTROIANNI
www.oberlin.edu/cooper
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Jahja Ling The upcoming 2016-17 season marks Jahja Ling’s thirteenth and final year as music director of the San Diego Symphony. He maintains a career as an internationally renowned guest conductor and holds a long collaborative relationship with The Cleveland Orchestra, where he was a member of the conducting staff from 1984 to 2005. Mr. Ling was resident conductor of the Orchestra (1985-2002) and served as Blossom Festival Director for six seasons (2000-05). He has returned each year as a guest conductor; concerts in 2014 marked the 30th anniversary of his first conducting The Cleveland Orchestra. This is his sixth year in a row leading the Cooper Competition final round concert. Mr. Ling has conducted all of the major symphony orchestras of North America and many prominent ensembles across Europe and Asia. Acclaimed for his interpretation of works in the standard repertoire, he is also recognized for the breadth of contemporary music included in his programs. In 2013, he led the San Diego Symphony in concert at Carnegie Hall and on tour in China. Recent and upcoming guest conducting engagements feature performances on three continents. Jahja Ling’s commitment to working with and developing young musicians is evidenced by his involvement as founding music director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (1986-93) and the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra (1981-84), as well as work with the student orchestras of Curtis, Juilliard, SchleswigHolstein, Colburn, and Yale. Mr. Ling’s recordings include a range
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of works on labels including Telarc, Azica Records, and Continuum, featuring performances with the San Diego Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Taiwan Philharmonic, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (one of which was nominated for a Grammy Award). Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, of Chinese descent, Jahja Ling began to play the piano at age 4 and studied at the Jakarta School of Music. At age 17, he won the Jakarta Piano Competition and was awarded a Rockefeller grant to attend the Juilliard School. He continued his education at Yale, studying orchestra conducting under Otto-Werner Mueller and earning a doctor of musical arts degree. After Yale, he was awarded a Leonard Bernstein Fellowship to study at Tanglewood, where Bernstein became the most important mentor of his musical life. In addition to his years in Cleveland, and as a member of the conducting staff of the San Francisco Symphony, Mr. Ling served as music director of the Florida Orchestra (1988-2003) and was artistic director of the Taiwan Philharmonic (1998-2001). As a pianist, he won a bronze medal at the 1977 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Israel.
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July 22
Cooper International Competition Judges Robert Shannon (Competition Director
and Jury Chair) has presented solo recitals, ensemble concerts, and masterclasses throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. His repertoire ranges from Bach to Adams, and he has been noted for penetrating interpretations of recent American music. He has commissioned and premiered works by John Harbison, Charles Wuorinen, Carla Bley, and Steven Dembski, among others. Shannon’s recordings of sonatas by Charles Ives on Bridge Records have received acclaim worldwide. Shannon has performed regularly at the Grand Teton Music Festival, Festival Tibor Varga in Switzerland, Sacramento Festival of American Music, and as guest artist with the Chicago Contemporary Chamber Players. In recent seasons, he has appeared in London, Paris, Glasgow, Rome, Stuttgart, New York, San Francisco, Colombia, and Taiwan. He is professor of piano at the Oberlin Conservatory and director of the Division of Keyboard Studies, and founding director of the Oberlin International Piano Festival and Competition. A 1971 graduate of Oberlin College and Conservatory, he joined the Oberlin faculty in 1976.
Dag Achatz of Switzerland entered the Geneva Conservatory at age 8 and received his diploma with great distinction 10 years later. He won first prize in the Maria Canals International Music Competition in Barcelona and was a prize winner in the Bavarian Munich and the Viotti Competition in 36
Vercelli. He has played in more than twenty countries and in musical centers including London, Paris, Berlin, New York, Moscow, Vienna, and Tokyo. Achatz has been soloist with the radio orchestras of Stockholm, Munich, Paris, Stuttgart, Turin, Milan, and with l’Orchestre Pasdeloup of Paris, l’Orchestre de l’Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Dresden Staatskapelle, and the philharmonic orchestras of Stockholm, Oslo, Barcelona, and Lisbon. In recent years, he has participated in festivals including Montreux, Munich, Aixen-Provence, and Savonlinna in Finland. He has made more than twenty recordings for the BIS, CBS, EMI, and Melodiya labels.
Angela Cheng is a celebrated performer on stages around the world and has made regular guest appearances with nearly every orchestra in her Canadian homeland and many throughout the United States. At the invitation of Pinchas Zukerman, Cheng toured China with the Zukerman Chamber Players in 2009, and in subsequent seasons has participated in tours of the United States, Europe, and South America. She has also worked with the musician pedagogue Menahem Pressler. Cheng was a gold medalist of the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition and the first Canadian to win the Montreal International Piano Competition. Her debut recording of two Mozart concertos with Mario Bernardi and the CBC Vancouver Orchestra received glowing reviews. She has also recorded an album of
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The Cleveland Orchestra
works by Clara and Robert Schumann, and an all-Chopin album released by Universal Music Canada.
Alvin Chow has appeared throughout
North America and Asia as orchestral soloist and recitalist. He has performed at major venues including Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Weill Recital Hall in New York City, and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. He has performed extensively in duo-piano recitals with his wife, Angela Cheng, and his twin brother, Alan. A native of Miami, Chow graduated as co-valedictorian at the University of Maryland, where he was a student of Nelita True. He received the Victor Herbert Prize in Piano upon graduation from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Sascha Gorodnitzki. He held the Joseph Battista Memorial Scholarship at Indiana University as a student of Menahem Pressler. Chow received top prizes in the University of Maryland International Piano Competition and the New York Piano Teachers Congress International Piano Competition. He has presented masterclasses and lectures throughout the United States and abroad. He chairs the piano department at the Oberlin Conservatory.
Monique Duphil has been a professor at Oberlin since 1992. She made her debut at 15, with Orchestre de la Société des Concerts. She studied under Jean Doyen, Marguerite Long, and Joseph Calvet at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris. Her career was launched with prizes in four international competitions, including the Chopin Competition in Warsaw.
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Duphil has performed on five continents, playing in more than 2,000 recitals, chamber ensembles, and concerts with orchestras worldwide. She has been the featured soloist with dozens of orchestras, including The Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Warsaw, Bern, Münchner Symphoniker, Paris Orchestre Lamoureux, Caracas, Mexico City, Lima, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, Tokyo Metropolitan, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and Brisbane Symphony Orchestra. A distinguished chamber musician, Duphil has partnered with renowned artists including Pierre Fournier, Cho-Liang Lin, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Ruggiero Ricci, and Henryk Szeryng, and performed with the Musikverein Quartet, Salzburg Mozarteum Trio, and the Vienna, St. Petersburg, Haydn, Chester, and American string quartets. Duphil has recorded for the Polydor, Avila, Telefunken, Marco Polo, and Naxos labels.
Stanislav Ioudenitch is widely re-
garded for the individuality and musical conviction of his playing. His artistry earned him the gold medal at the 11th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, where he also earned the Steven De Groote Memorial Award for Best Performance of Chamber Music. A native of Uzbekistan, Ioudenitch has also won prizes at the Busoni, Kapell, Maria Callas, and New Orleans competitions, among other contests. A former student of Dmitri Bashkirov, he also studied with Leon Fleisher, Murray Perahia, Karl Ulrich Schnabel, William Grant Naboré, and Rosalyn Tureck at the International Piano Foundation in Como,
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Italy, today known as the International Piano Academy Lake Como. He subsequently became the youngest teacher ever invited to give masterclasses at the academy. A founding member of the Park Piano Trio, Ioudenitch has collaborated with many acclaimed performers and orchestras worldwide, including the Takács, Prazák, Borromeo, and Accorda quartets. His recordings include a Gold Medalist album from the 11th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition for Harmonia Mundi and Trois Mouvements de Petrouchka produced by Thomas Frost. He also appeared in Playing on the Edge, the Peabody Award-winning documentary for PBS about the 2001 Van Cliburn Competition, and in PBS’s Concerto series.
Lisa Nakamichi is the founding artistic
director of the annual Aloha International Piano Festival in Hawaii. She was awarded first prize in the Young Keyboard Artists Association in Michigan, the Japanese American Society Music Competition in New York, and the ABC Music Awards in Osaka, Japan, among many other competitive prizes. Nakamichi’s successful Tokyo solo debut recital, sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Culture, launched her career in Japan and led to a series of solo recitals and concerto performances throughout Japan and Europe and in major cities in the U.S. and Canada. Noted for her performances of Mozart works, Nakamichi is often invited to perform before dignitaries, ambassadors, and diplomats in Washington D.C. and Vienna. Since 2000, Nakamichi has served on the artists roster of the Japan Foundation for Regional Art Activities. She has visited prefectures throughout Japan as part of the foundation’s engagement programs, holding work-
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shops, masterclasses, and performances to promote regional development of arts and culture.
Matti Raekallio has performed com-
plete cycles of the 32 Beethoven sonatas, the 10 Scriabin sonatas, and the 9 Prokofiev sonatas, as well as an astounding 62 different piano concertos — including all of Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, and Prokofiev, in addition to rarities by Busoni, Szymanowski, and Lutoslawski. He is also active as a teacher, and will join the Oberlin Conservatory faculty beginning in the autumn of 2016, in addition to roles with the Juilliard School and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hanover, Germany. His students include several top prize winners in international piano competitions, among them the first-prize laureates in Leeds, AXA Dublin, London, Vienna (Beethoven), New York (Artists International), and Budapest (Liszt-Bartók). Raekallio’s doctorate at the Sibelius Academy in his native Finland focused on the history of piano fingering. He later became a member of an international research team that investigated pianists’ choice of fingering as a psychological process. He received the Léonie Sonning Foundation Grant (Denmark) in 1980 and was recipient of the five-year Artist Grant of the state of Finland three times.
Peter Takács has been hailed by the
New York Times as “a marvelous pianist.” He has earned widespread critical and audience acclaim for his penetrating and communicative musical interpretations. A native
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The Cleveland Orchestra
of Romania where his early studies were conducted in secrecy from the communist government, Takács eventually immigrated with his parents to Paris and was admitted to the Conservatoire de Paris. Upon his arrival in the United States, he continued his studies at Northwestern University, University of Illinois, and the Peabody Conservatory, where he completed his training with Leon Fleisher. Today, he is professor of piano at the Oberlin Conservatory, where he has taught since 1976. Takács has performed as a guest soloist with major orchestras around the world, and has earned many honors for his performances, including first prize in the William Kapell International Competition and the C.D. Jackson Award for Excellence in Chamber Music at the Tanglewood Music Center. Takács’s success as a professor at Oberlin is attested to by the accomplishments of his students, who have won top prizes in competitions in the United States, Canada, Europe, and South Africa. From October 2015 through January 2016, Takács played three acclaimed recitals of Beethoven sonatas at Carnegie Hall as the inaugural featured artist on Carnegie’s Key Pianists series.
was head of the piano department. He later became professor and department head at the Central Conservatory in Beijing. Wu Ying has performed in China and in the Czech Republic, Romania, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, France, and Greece. He played in a series of live concerts for the BBC and has appeared in recitals at the Enescu Festival in Romania and the Chopin Festival in Poland. He has collaborated with many orchestras in China and is featured on solo, chamber music, and concerto albums of those performances.
Wu Ying was born into a musical family in Shanghai. He graduated from the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna and in the same year became a faculty member at China’s Central Conservatory of Music, where he had also earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. In 1991, the Chinese State Council and the State Education Commission granted Wu Ying a Special Contribution Award. He served for 10 years as a faculty member of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where he
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1918
Seven music directors have led the Orchestra, including George Szell, Christoph von Dohnányi, and Franz Welser-Möst.
15th
1l1l 11l1 l1l1
The 2016-17 season will mark Franz Welser-Möst’s 15th year as music director.
SeveraNCe Hall, “america’s most beautiful concert hall,” opened in 1931 as the Orchestra’s permanent home.
40,000
each year
Over 40,000 young people attend Cleveland Orchestra concerts each year via programs funded by the Center for Future audiences, through student programs and Under 18s Free ticketing — making up 20% of audiences.
52%
Over half of The Cleveland Orchestra’s funding each year comes from thousands of generous donors and sponsors, who together make possible our concert presentations, community programs, and education initiatives.
4million
Likes on Facebook (as of June 15, 2016)
The Cleveland Orchestra has introduced over 4.1 million children in Northeast Ohio to symphonic music through concerts for children since 1918.
121,873
1931
150
concerts each year.
The Orchestra was founded in 1918 and performed its first concert on December 11.
The Cleveland Orchestra performs over
THE CLEVEL AND ORCHESTRA
BY THE NUMBERS
Building Audiences for the Future . . . Today! The Cleveland Orchestra is committed to developing interest in classical music among young people. To demonstrate our success, we are working to have the youngest audience of any orchestra. With the help of generous contributors, the Orchestra has expanded its discounted ticket offerings through several new programs. Since inaugurating these programs in 2011, student attendance has nearly doubled, now representing over 20% of those at Cleveland Orchestra concerts — with 40,000 young people attending each year through a variety of donor-subsidized ticket programs. U N D E R 1 8 s F R E E F O R FA M I L I E S
Introduced for Blossom Music Festival concerts in 2011, our Under 18s Free program for families now includes select Cleveland Orchestra concerts at Severance Hall each season. This program offers free tickets (one per regular-priced adult paid admission) to young people ages 7-17 on the Lawn at Blossom and to the Orchestra’s Fridays@7, Friday Morning at 11, and Sunday Afternoon at 3 concerts at Severance. STUDENT TICKET PROGRAMS
In the past four seasons, The Cleveland Orchestra’s Student Advantage Mem-
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bers, Frequent Fan Card holders, Student Ambassadors, and special offers for student groups attending together have been responsible for bringing more high school and college age students to Severance Hall and Blossom than ever before. The Orchestra’s ongoing Student Advantage Program provides opportunities for students to attend concerts at Severance Hall and Blossom through discounted ticket offers. Membership is free to join and rewards members with discounted ticket purchases. A record 7,500 students joined in the past year. A new Student Frequent Fan Card is available in conjunction with Student Advantage membership, offering unlimited single tickets (one per Fan Card holder) all season long. All of these programs are supported by The Cleveland Orchestra’s Center for Future Audiences and the Alexander and Sarah Cutler Fund for Student Audiences. The Center for Future Audiences was created with a $20 million lead endowment gift from the Maltz Family Foundation to develop new generations of audiences for Cleveland Orchestra concerts in Northeast Ohio.
Building Future Audiences
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orchestra news
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
Cleveland Orchestra returns to Public Square for annual free Cleveland event on July 29; concert features American music and fireworks The Cleveland Orchestra returns to Cleveland’s Public Square this summer for its 27th annual free downtown community concert, taking place on Friday evening, July 29. This year’s Star-Spangled Spectacular is brought to you by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, and sponsored by KeyBank. The concert celebrates the completion of renovations of Public Square and is the first large-scale public event being held in the new space. Led by guest conductor Loras John Schissel, The Cleveland Orchestra’s program features patriotic works and American favorites including works by John Philip Sousa, Rodgers & Hammerstein, and George Gershwin, and features guest soloist baritone Norman Garrett. The performance is capped off with a special fireworks display. As part of the Orchestra’s ongoing partnership with ideastream toward providing greater access to music and culture of the region, the Star-Spangled Spectacular performance will be broadcast live on radio stations WCPN (90.3 FM) and WCLV Classical (104.9 FM). “The Orchestra is greatly looking forward to sharing the annual Star-Spangled Spectacular concert with Northeast Ohio,” says André Gremillet, executive director of The Cleveland Orchestra. “This celebration is one of Cleveland’s great annual traditions, and is extra-special with this year’s reopening of the newly renovated and redesigned Public Square. We are grateful to the people of Cuyahoga County, who make this event possible through Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, and to sponsor KeyBank and our other producing partners who make this event possible, including the City of Cleveland for their collaborative effort in hosting this special concert. We are excited to bring Northeast Ohio together with music to celebrate this great city.” “We’re proud to be in our tenth year of supporting The Cleveland Orchestra’s annual free downtown concert,” says Karen Gahl-Mills, CEO and executive director of Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. “As we celebrate the tremendous redesign of Public Square, we hope this event will serve
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Star-Spangled Spectacular brought to you by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
as a reminder of the thousands of free events supported by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture that are available for the community each year.” About Cuyahoga Arts & Culture Cuyahoga Arts & Culture’s mission is to inspire and strengthen the community by investing in arts and culture. Cuyahoga County residents created Cuyahoga Arts & Culture in 2006 when they approved a tax on cigarettes to support arts and culture in our community. In 2015, the community affirmed its commitment to arts and culture by extending the tax through 2027. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture has invested more than $140 million in more than 300 organizations to support thousands of enriching arts and culture experiences in every corner of the county. For more information, visit cacgrants.org. Concert Start and Pre-Concert The concert begins at 9:00 p.m., with preconcert activities starting at 6:00 p.m. Admission is free, with special transportation options offered through RTA. Fireworks follow the concert, weather permitting.
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orchestra news
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
Cleveland Orchestra joins together with Cleveland Museum of Art for this summer’s neighborhood residency “At Home” in Hough Collaborations with community partners provide music and arts opportunities all summer long The Cleveland Orchestra is joining with the Cleve land Museum of Art to celebrate music and art in Hough, an historic neighborhood located be tween downtown Cleveland and University Circle. This collaborative work between two of Ohio’s premier cultural organizations is designed to cre ate and strengthen partnerships with local com munities to develop new and meaningful ways to enliven Northeast Ohio with arts and music. Both arts institutions are joining with Hough residents to celebrate music and art in the neighborhood throughout the summer. One highlight of the activities in Hough is a free public concert by The Cleveland Orchestra, led by Cleveland Orchestra associate conductor Brett Mitchell, on Thursday evening, August 11. The concert will be shared across Northeast Ohio via live broadcast on radio and online by idea tream® (via WCLV Classical 104.9 and ideastream’s website), and with a television rebroadcast later in August on WVIZ PBS. Neighborhood tickets for the free community concert are being distributed throughout Hough beginning on Monday, July 11, 2016. The concert takes place at East Professional Center (formerly East High School). In collaboration with the Hough community, the August 11 performance will also showcase visual and musical talents of neighborhood citizens, with a display of photography from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s yearlong centennial selfportrait project. The portraits on August 11 feature Hough residents, displayed with banners created by Hough community groups and Cleve land Museum of Art staff. An additional banner will be produced by community members during “A New Day in Hough,” an annual tradition started by the late councilwoman Fannie Lewis, taking place this year at League Park on August 6. “The Cleveland Orchestra is making music all summer long with our Hough community part ners,” says Joan Katz Napoli, the Orchestra’s direc Summers@Severance
This summer, both music and visual arts programs are taking place at Hough community centers to help demonstrate the power of the arts to enrich lives.
tor of education and community programs. “We have programs in four different centers to help teach the playing of musical instruments, for real handson experience and understanding. Its exciting and fun to watch the thrill of kids learn ing by doing.” To learn more, visit clevelandorchestra.com.
Cleveland Orchestra News
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PHOTOGRAPH BY ROGER MASTROIANNI
Summer Classics: Mozar t & More
Severance Hall — Cleveland, Ohio Friday evening, August 12, 2016, at 7:00 p.m.
THE CLEVEL AND ORCHESTRA BERNARD LABADIE, conductor wolfgang amadè mozart
(1756-1791)
johann sebastian bach
(1685-1750)
Chaconne from the ballet music, K367 for the opera Idomeneo “Exult in God in Every Land” Cantata BWV 51 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
aria: “Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen” recitative: “Wir beten zu dem Tempel an” aria: “Höchster, mache deine Güte” chorale: “Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren” finale: “Alleluja”
KARINA GAUVIN, soprano MICHAEL SACHS, trumpet george frideric handel
(1685-1759)
“Let the Bright Seraphim” from the oratorio Samson KARINA GAUVIN, soprano MICHAEL SACHS, trumpet
mozart
Symphony No. 29 in A major, K201 1. 2. 3. 4.
Allegro moderato Andante Menuetto: Allegretto — Trio Finale: Allegro con spirito
August 12
The Cleveland Orchestra’s Summers@Severance series is sponsored by Thompson Hine LLP, a Cleveland Orchestra Partner in Excellence. Summers@Severance
August 12: Mozart & More
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August 12
Bernard Labadie Canadian conductor Bernard Labadie is a specialist in Baroque and Classical repertoire. He serves as music director of Les Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Québec, founded by him in 1984 and 1985 respectively, with whom he regularly tours Canada, the United States, and Europe. They are frequent guests at the major venues and festivals and recent appearances have included the Salzburg Festival, New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, London’s Barbican Centre, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and the Philharmonie in Berlin. Mr. Labadie made his Cleveland Orchestra debut in April 2010. He is a regular guest with the major North American orchestras, and appears frequently with the orchestras of Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia, as well leading those of Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Montreal, San Francisco, St. Louis, Toronto, and Vancouver, and with the New World Symphony in Miami, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Los Angeles
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Chamber Orchestra. He also works regularly in Europe and Asia, with recent and upcoming engagements including the Bavarian Radio Symphony in Munich, Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France in Paris, and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Swedish Radio Orchestra, Finnish Radio Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, and Norwegian Chamber Orchestra An experienced opera conductor, Mr. Labadie was music director of L’Opéra de Québec (1994-2003) and L’Opéra de Montréal (2002-2006). Guest engagements have included Handel’s Orlando for Glimmerglass Opera, Mozart’s Così fan tutte at New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival, Handel’s Lucio Silla for Santa Fe Opera, and Mozart’s The Magic Flute with New York’s Metropolitan Opera and with Cincinnati Opera. Bernard Labadie’s discography includes albums on the ATMA, Brilliant Classics, Dorian, Hyperion, and Virgin Classics labels. He studied at the School of Music of Laval University in Quebec City, and the conservatories of Montreal and Quebec. His honors include being named an Officer of the Order of Canada and Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Québec.
August 12: Conductor
The Cleveland Orchestra
August 12
INTRODUCING THE CONCERT
Artistic Showcase, Classical Style B A R O Q U E A N D C L A S S I C A L . This final Summers@Severance concert of the
season takes us on a journey back to the 18th century — and samplings from three of the era’s greatest composers: Bach, Handel, and Mozart. The evening opens and closes with works by Mozart, from his first mature opera and then one of his first truly masterful symphonies. The ballet music from Idomeneo, premiered in 1780, offers a kind of overture for tonight’s concert — taken from the very ending of the opera, this joyous dance music celebrates that everything in the storyline has indeed ended happily. There is poise, contrast, and a vivid drive here, utterly delightful. In the middle of the concert are two works showcasing two soloists. In the space of a dozen years, in the 1730s and ’40s, both Bach and Handel composed spectacular works for soprano and trumpet, supported by strings, both with sacred texts, and both expressing celebration and joy. They had almost no knowledge of each other’s work, but they were experienced composers in their special fields and knew precisely how to exploit the glorious potential of the soprano voice and the trumpet’s specially brilliant qualities. Bach asks more of his trumpeter than Handel and prefers to interweave his soloists in constantly flowing counterpoint, while Handel creates a strikingly dramatic effect by having voice and trumpet stop the music dead and respond to each other, each bare and unaccompanied. The evening concludes with Mozart’s Symphony No. 29, from 1774. The composer was just 18 years old, but clearly, from the numbering, he’d already penned many a symphonic work. Here, however, his mature artistry rises to its full height, beyond classic exercises and drafts, to demonstrate just why — two-and-a-half centuries later — his name and music are synonymous with classical style and musical greatness. —Eric Sellen
Summers@Severance
Introducing the Music
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August 12
Chaconne, K367, from the opera Idomeneo composed 1780
T H E O P E R A Idomeneo is generally regarded as the first of
by
Wolfgang Amadè
MOZART born January 27, 1756 Salzburg died December 5, 1791 Vienna
Mozart’s stageworks to reveal his full dramatic genius. Commissioned by the Munich court, the 24-year-old Mozart, still feeling undervalued in Salzburg, was determined to make a strong impression, and he poured into this opera all the passion and resourcefulness at his command. The musicians were known to him, because he had worked with them in Mannheim before they were transferred to Munich. By general consent of the time, they were some of the finest musicians in Germany. Mozart was given a French libretto by Antoine Danchet, adapted by the Italian Gianbattista Varesco. This accounts for two French elements of the opera that were unusual in an Italian opera seria at that time — the chorus and the ballet. For the chorus, Mozart wrote some of his most powerfully expressive music, and for the ballet he composed a sequence of dances to be performed at the conclusion of the opera to celebrate the happy ending engineered by the gods. The first of the five ballet movements, the Chaconne takes its main theme from the hearty chorus that has just closed the opera. It is not based on a recurrent bass figure, which is what earlier composers, including Bach, would have understood as a “Chaconne.” It alternates loud sections marked “pour le ballet,” for all the dancers, with a “pas de deux” and a “pas seul” for the quieter sections. A middle slower section, marked Larghetto, comes between repetitions of ideas from the main “chaconne.” It is very rare for modern productions of the opera to include the ballet, so a chance to hear this music in a concert setting is more than welcome. —Hugh Macdonald © 2016
At a Glance Mozart composed his opera Idomeneo, re di Creta [Idomeneo, King of Crete], in 1780, utilizing a libretto adapted by Gianbattista Varesco from a French text from 1712 by Antoine Danchet. Mozart’s opera was commissioned by Karl The-
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About the Music
odor, Elector of Bavaria, and premiered in Munich on January 29, 1781. This ballet music runs about 8 minutes in performance. Mozart’s orchestratation calls for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings.
The Cleveland Orchestra
August 12
Cantata No. 51: “Exult in God in Every Land” composed 1727-31
T H I S C A N T A T A stands apart from the bulk of Bach’s church
by
Johann Sebastian
BACH
born March 21, 1685 Eisenach, Saxe-Eisenach, Germany died July 28, 1750 Leipzig
Summers@Severance
cantatas in requiring both a soprano soloist and a trumpet soloist, each of exceptional virtuosity. It must have been written for a festive occasion with particular performers in mind. And because none of the boy trebles in Bach’s church choirs would be likely to manage the range and breath control of the solo part, there is a strong possibility that it was written for somewhere other than Leipzig — perhaps for the court of Weissenfels, whose Duke had commissioned a hunting cantata from Bach in 1713 and continued to show his support for many years. A female soprano, perhaps someone experienced in opera, could have taken on the solo part on such an occasion. Sometime later, Bach wrote on the cantata’s score “for the fifteenth Sunday after Trinity,” and perhaps it was performed in Leipzig on that day in 1730, even though its text is not related to the usual daily readings for that time of year. The trumpet of the time was a coiled instrument without valves, which made huge demands on any player’s lungs and the precision of his lips. Bach’s best trumpeter in Leipzig was Gottfried Reiche, evidently a star performer, and most probably the player for whom Cantata No. 51 was written. In 1730, he was 63 years old. He was to die three years later, only one day after playing a different Bach cantata for a grand public ceremony. A chronicle of the time reported that “he suffered great strains from playing on the previous day at the royal music, and the smoke from the torches had also caused him much discomfort.” Like all cantatas, the work alternates arias and recitative, and it incorporates a chorale melody in the last movement. Both arias are in the three-section da capo form — meaning literally “from the beginning” — with middle sections that continue with similar music but in a different key before returning to repeat the opening material. With its forthright opening theme based on a C-major chord, the first aria resembles a concerto, and its jubilant character is reflected in the brilliant exchanges between singer, trumpet, and violins. In the middle section, much more text is set, and the mention of “Kreuz und Not” [suffering and distress] justifies the minor keys that normally govern the middle sections of such da capo arias. The Recitativo — a form that features the “reciting” of words, About the Music
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At a Glance Bach wrote this church cantata for general use (not for a particular date in the church calendar) sometime between 1727 and 1731. At some point he marked the score for the “fifteenth Sunday after Trinity,” and it may have been performed for that day on September 17, 1730. It may also have been performed earlier for a special court occasion. This work runs about 20 minutes in performance. Bach scored it for strings and continuo, with solo soprano and trumpet.
with less sense of a tune or melody, and without repetition — is in two parts. The first is accompanied by the strings, the second is an arioso section with continuo alone — “continuo” being an accompanying part of a bass line and chords, often played on a keyboard instrument along with one or two low stringed instruments. This prepares for the second aria, which is also for soprano and continuo alone. It reverses the pattern of the first aria in setting the main part in the minor key, and the middle section in major. The Chorale brings to mind a Double Concerto when two solo violins launch out into a playful exchange, seemingly inexhaustible, over which the soprano calmly declaims the separate lines of the chorale “Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren” [May there be glory and praise with honor]. The melody for this, by Johann Kugelmann (1495-1542), dates back to the beginning of the Lutheran Reformation. The singer is, as the saying goes, keeping her powder dry for the bravura explosion of the “Alleluja” which concludes the cantata. Trumpet and full strings return, and Bach at his most breathtakingly brilliant rejoices in the power of music to give praise to the Almighty. —Hugh Macdonald © 2016
“Exult in God in Every Land” 1. Aria Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen! Was der Himmel und die Welt an Geschöpfen in sich hält, müssen dessen Ruhm erhöhen, und wir wollen unserm Gott gleichfalls jetzt ein Opfer bringen, dass er uns in Kreuz und Not, allezeit hat beigestanden. Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen!
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Exult in God in every land! In heaven and earth all creatures he has created must exalt his glory, and we will to our God also now bring an offering, because in suffering and distress he has always stood with us. Shout for joy to God in all lands!
Sung Text
The Cleveland Orchestra
2. Recitative Wir beten zu dem Tempel an, da Gottes Ehre wohnet, da dessen Treu’, so täglich neu, mit lauter Segen lohnet. Wir preisen, was er an uns hat getan. Mss gleich der schwache Mund von seinen Wundern lallen, so kann ein schlechtes Lob ihm dennoch wohlgefallen.
We pray in the temple where God’s honor dwells, where daily faithfulness, renewed each day, is rewarded by grace. We praise what he has done for us, even as our weak mouth stammers in the face of his miracles. Even so, poor praise can still please him.
3. Aria Höchster, mache deine Güte ferner alle Morgen neu.
Almighty God, your goodness is renewed every morning.
So soll vor die Vatertreu’ auch ein dankbares Gemüte durch ein frommes Leben weisen, dass wir deine Kinder heissen.
Thus to your fatherly love shall a grateful conscience through a devout life show that we may be called your children.
4. Chorale Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren Gott Vater, Sohn, heiligen Geist! Der woll’ in uns vermehren, was er uns aus Gnaden verheisst, dass wir ihm fest vertrauen, gänzlich uns lass’n auf ihn, von Herzen auf ihn bauen, dass uns’r Herz, Mut und Sinn ihm festiglich anhangen; drauf singen wir zur Stund’: Amen! wir werd’ns erlangen, glaub’n wir aus Herzensgrund.
May there be glory and praise with honor for God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! May he increase in us what he promises through his grace, that we can firmly put our trust in him and rely on him completely. Lean on him in our hearts so that our heart, spirit, and mind shall depend steadfastly on him. Thus we now sing: Amen! We shall succeed believing from the bottom of our hearts.
5. Alleluja Alleluja, alleluja!
Summers@Severance
Alleluja, Alleluja!
Sung Text
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August 12
Karina Gauvin
Michael Sachs
Recognized for her work in both Baroque and modern repertoire, Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin is making her Cleveland Orchestra debut with this evening’s concert. She studied at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal and Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Ms. Gauvin’s engagements in North America and Europe include performances with the symphony orchestras of Bordeaux, Chicago, Montreal, New York, Rotterdam, and San Francisco, as well as the baroque orchestras of Accademia Bizantina, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Les Talens Lyriques, Les Violons du Roy, and Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. She has also appeared with the Bavarian State Opera, Glyndebourne Festival, Nederlands Opera, and at Paris’s Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. Her current and upcoming schedule includes performances at Madrid’s Teatro Real and with the Danish National Symphony and Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra. Karina Gauvin’s discography of more than forty titles has won many awards, and her performances with the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra earned Grammy nominations in 2007 and 2009. For more information, visit www.karinagauvin.com.
Michael Sachs joined The Cleveland Orchestra as principal trumpet in 1988. His many performances as soloist with the Orchestra include the world premieres of trumpet concertos by John Williams and Michael Hersch (both commissioned by the Orchestra for Mr. Sachs), the United States and New York premieres of Hans Werner Henze’s Requiem, and, most recently, the world premiere of Matthias Pintscher’s Chute d’Étoiles. Mr. Sachs serves as chairman of the brass division and head of the trumpet department at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In addition to serving as a faculty member of leading summer festivals and, since 2015, as music director of Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, he presents masterclasses and workshops at conservatories and universities throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia as a clinician for ConnSelmer. He was extensively involved in the acoustic design and play testing for the creation of the new Artisan line of Bach Stradivarius trumpets. He holds degrees from UCLA and Juilliard. For more information, visit www.michaelsachs.com.
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Principal Trumpet Robert and Eunice Podis Weiskopf Endowed Chair Principal Cornet Mary Elizabeth and G. Robert Klein Endowed Chair The Cleveland Orchestra
Soloists
The Cleveland Orchestra
August 12
“Let the Bright Seraphim” from the oratorio Samson composed 1741
T H E O R A T O R I O S A M S O N was composed at great speed in
by
George Frideric
HANDEL
born February 23, 1685 Halle, Prussia died April 14, 1759 London
At a Glance Handel wrote his oratorio Samson in 1741 to a libretto by Newburgh Hamilton. It was first performed on February 18, 1743, at Covent Garden in London. This aria runs about 5 minutes in performance. Handel scored it for strings and continuo, with solo soprano and trumpet.
Summers@Severance
1741 immediately after the completion of Messiah (which is today well-known for taking so little time to come into the world). Handel was preparing for his visit to Dublin, where Messiah was first performed but Samson was not. He reserved this other work for his return to London, where it was overwhelmingly well received, London taste having moved decisively on from opera in Italian to oratorios in English. Handel’s libretto for Samson was by Newburgh Hamilton, based on Milton’s Samson Agonistes and the biblical story in the book of Judges. The oratorio is immensely long, but the end is worth waiting for — with Samson’s final triumph over the Philistines, by bringing down the temple and destroying them all (including himself) celebrated by an Israelite woman singing “Let the Bright Seraphim,” a brilliant soprano solo with a solo trumpet in support to represent the seraphim’s “loud, uplifted angel trumpets.” At the first performance, this aria was sung by Cristina Maria Avoglio, who had sung the immortal soprano solos in Messiah at its first performance in Dublin the year before. The aria is in da capo (A-B-A) form, just like the arias in Bach’s cantata on this evening’s concert. In the middle section, the trumpet takes a rest and the music turns to the minor key for the second pair of lines of verse. The main section is then repeated, often with additional ornaments from the singer (and sometimes the trumpet) on the second time round. —Hugh Macdonald © 2016
Let the bright seraphim in burning row, Their loud, uplifted angel trumpets blow. Let the cherubic host, in tuneful choirs, Touch their immortal harps with golden wires.
About the Music
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August 12
Symphony No. 29 in A major, K201 composed 1774
T H E D A T E I N S C R I B E D at the head of the autograph score of
by
Wolfgang Amadè
MOZART born January 27, 1756 Salzburg died December 5, 1791 Vienna
At a Glance Mozart wrote this symphony in April 1774. The date of the first performance is unknown. This symphony runs about 30 minutes in performance. Mozart scored it for 2 oboes, 2 horns, and strings.
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this symphony — April 6, 1774 — was later crossed out, leaving us a bit of mystery or uncertainty. The eighteen-year-old Mozart probably intended the symphony for performance in Salzburg at that time, although no record of a performance survives. In January 1783, Mozart asked his father to send the symphony to him in Vienna, so it is likely to have been performed at that time. What composer, after all, could lay aside and forget so profound and yet so simple a work as this? It has the intimacy of chamber music (only oboes and horns support the strings) with the drive of symphonic music. All four movements are on an equally high level, and from the very opening measures listeners are aware of the confidence and effortless craft that imbue every page of the symphony. At the top of the first movement, there is a plunging octave from the first note to the second, with this simplest interval made to sound full of hidden wealth, and the weightless harmonies that float beneath it. This is striking at the opening of a symphony, and there is, afterall, no brassy fanfare here as a call to attention. But then, when the winds enter and the dynamic switches from soft to loud, the whole individuality of the theme is transformed and its potential for canon/fugue or imitation is proclaimed in the close-pursuing of the bass line. Such an opening page had never been imagined before. Mozart follows it with lighter passages and simpler themes, but the tone is set. A more searching treatment of his opening theme would have provided good material for a normal development section of the movement, but he ignores the opportunity and introduces some new themes with disarming casualness. A coda is then added at the end to allow the plunging octave to be heard again, just briefly, in three-part imitation. The second movement is marked Andante. “Andante” in Mozart’s time implied an easy walking gait, not strictly a slow tempo, and the pace here moves comfortably forward over a gently striding bass. The second violins are almost as important as the firsts in this long, luxurious movement in full sonata form (at its simplest: introduction-exposition-development-recapitulation) with both repeats marked (but rarely observed in modern performances) and a lovely coda section added at the end. A About the Music
The Cleveland Orchestra
special touch is found here — the oboes and horns attempt the main theme on their own for the first time, giving the violins time to discard their mutes for their final definitive statement. The dotted rhythms of the minuet third movement might be regarded as playful, except that a more ferocious use is found for them immediately after the double bar (the end of the first section) — an effect Beethoven borrowed without shame in his Second Symphony. The movement’s more relaxed Trio section has been compared to Chopin for its graceful style. The plunging octave of the opening returns to launch the finale fourth movement, and again the second violins maintain their near-equality with the firsts. They are given the second subject while the first violins juggle with grace notes alternately above and below the note, and whenever Mozart throws in that furious, naked rising scale the seconds go along, too. Once again there is a coda, an extension to the movement that Mozart seems to have been especially fond of at this point of his life. But then he almost always, throughout his life, seems to have still had one more point to make, and to have found a way to make it with the utmost clarity and force. —Hugh Macdonald © 2016 Hugh Macdonald is Avis H. Blewett Professor Emeritus of Music at Washington University in St. Louis. He has written books on Beethoven, Berlioz, Bizet, and Scriabin.
Share your memories of tonight and join in the conversation online . . . facebook.com/clevelandorchestra twitter: @CleveOrchestra instagram: @CleveOrch #SummersSeverance
Summers@Severance
About the Music
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TH E M USICAL ARTS ASSOCIATION
as of June 2016
operating The Cleveland Orchestra, Severance Hall, and Blossom Music Festival
OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Dennis W. LaBarre, President Richard J. Bogomolny, Chairman The Honorable John D. Ong, Vice President Jeanette Grasselli Brown Matthew V. Crawford Alexander M. Cutler David J. Hooker Michael J. Horvitz
Norma Lerner, Honorary Chair Hewitt B. Shaw, Secretary Beth E. Mooney, Treasurer
Douglas A. Kern Virginia M. Lindseth Alex Machaskee Nancy W. McCann John C. Morley
Larry Pollock Alfred M. Rankin, Jr. Audrey Gilbert Ratner Barbara S. Robinson
RESIDENT TRUS TEES George N. Aronoff Dr. Ronald H. Bell Richard J. Bogomolny Charles P. Bolton Yuval Brisker Jeanette Grasselli Brown Helen Rankin Butler Irad Carmi Paul G. Clark Robert D. Conrad Matthew V. Crawford Alexander M. Cutler Hiroyuki Fujita Paul G. Greig Robert K. Gudbranson Iris Harvie Jeffrey A. Healy Stephen H. Hoffman David J. Hooker Michael J. Horvitz Marguerite B. Humphrey David P. Hunt Betsy Juliano Jean C. Kalberer
Nancy F. Keithley Christopher M. Kelly Douglas A. Kern John D. Koch S. Lee Kohrman Charlotte R. Kramer TE Dennis W. LaBarre Norma Lerner Virginia M. Lindseth Alex Machaskee Milton S. Maltz Nancy W. McCann Thomas F. McKee Loretta J. Mester Beth E. Mooney John C. Morley Donald W. Morrison Meg Fulton Mueller Gary A. Oatey TE Katherine T. O’Neill The Honorable John D. Ong Rich Paul Larry Pollock Alfred M. Rankin, Jr.
Clara T. Rankin Audrey Gilbert Ratner Charles A. Ratner Zoya Reyzis Barbara S. Robinson Paul Rose Steven M. Ross Raymond T. Sawyer Luci Schey Hewitt B. Shaw Richard K. Smucker James C. Spira R. Thomas Stanton Joseph F. Toot, Jr. Daniel P. Walsh Thomas A. Waltermire Geraldine B. Warner Jeffery J. Weaver Meredith Smith Weil Jeffrey M. Weiss Norman E. Wells Paul E. Westlake Jr. David A. Wolfort
NON-RESIDENT TRUS TEES Virginia Nord Barbato (NY) Wolfgang C. Berndt (Austria)
Richard C. Gridley (SC) Loren W. Hershey (DC)
Herbert Kloiber (Germany)
TRUS TEES EX-OFFICIO Faye A. Heston, President, Volunteer Council of The Cleveland Orchestra Dr. Patricia Moore Smith, President, Women’s Committee of The Cleveland Orchestra Elisabeth Hugh, President, Blossom Friends of The Cleveland Orchestra
Carolyn Dessin, Chair, Cleveland Orchestra Chorus Operating Committee Beverly J. Warren, President, Kent State University Barbara R. Snyder, President, Case Western Reserve University
HONORARY TRUS TEES FOR LIFE Dorothy Humel Hovorka Gay Cull Addicott Robert P. Madison Allen H. Ford Robert F. Meyerson Robert W. Gillespie PAS T PRESIDENT S D. Z. Norton 1915-21 John L. Severance 1921-36 Dudley S. Blossom 1936-38 Thomas L. Sidlo 1939-53
TE Trustee Emeritus
Percy W. Brown 1953-55 Frank E. Taplin, Jr. 1955-57 Frank E. Joseph 1957-68 Alfred M. Rankin 1968-83
James S. Reid, Jr.
Ward Smith 1983-95 Richard J. Bogomolny 1995-2002, 2008-09 James D. Ireland III 2002-08
THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA Franz Welser-Möst, Music Director
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André Gremillet, Executive Director
Musical Arts Association
The Cleveland Orchestra
THE
CLEVELAND
CONCERTS
ORCHESTRA
Each year, thousands of Northeast Ohioans experience The Cleveland Orchestra for the first time. Whether you are a seasoned concertgoer or a first-timer, these pages give you ways to learn more or get involved with the Orchestra and to explore the joys of music further. Created to serve Northeast Ohio, The Cleveland Orchestra has a long and proud history of sharing the value and joy of music. To learn more, visit clevelandorchestra.com
The Cleveland Orchestra performs all varieties of music, gathering family and friends together in celebration of the power of music. The Orchestra’s music marks major milestones and honors special moments, helping to provide the soundtrack to each day and bringing your hopes and joys to life. From free community concerts at Severance Hall and in downtown Cleveland . . . to picnics on warm summer evenings at Blossom Music Center . . . From performances for crowds of students, in classrooms and auditoriums . . . to opera and ballet with the world’s best singers and dancers . . . From holiday gatherings with favorite songs . . . to the wonder of new compositions performed by music’s rising stars . . . Music inspires. It fortifies minds and electrifies spirits. It brings people together in mind, body, and soul.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROGER MASTROIANNI
Summers@Severance
Celebrating Life & Music
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THE CLEVELAN D ORCHESTRA
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A FOCUS ON YOUNG PEOPLE
Changing Lives The Cleveland Orchestra is building the youngest orchestra audience in the country. Over the past five years, the number of young people attending Cleveland Orchestra concerts at Blossom and Severance Hall has more than doubled, and now makes up 20% of the audience! • Under 18s Free, the flagship program of the Orchestra’s Center for Future Audiences (created with a lead endowment gift from the Maltz Family Foundation), makes attending Orchestra concerts affordable for families. • Student Advantage and Frequent FanCard programs offer great deals for students.
The Cleveland Orchestra is one of the world’s most acclaimed and sought-after performing arts ensembles. Whether performing at home or around the world, the musicians carry Northeast Ohio’s commitment to excellence and strong sense of community with them everywhere the Orchestra performs. The ensemble’s ties to this region run deep and strong: • Two acoustically-renowned venues — Severance Hall and Blossom — anchor the Orchestra’s performance calendar and continue to shape the artistic style of the ensemble. • More than 60,000 local students participate in the Orchestra’s education programs each year. • Over 350,000 people attend Orchestra concerts in Northeast Ohio annually. • The Cleveland Orchestra serves as Cleveland’s ambassador to the world — through concerts, recordings, and broadcasts — proudly bearing the name of its hometown across the globe.
• The Circle, our new membership program for ages 21 to 40, enables young professionals to enjoy Orchestra concerts and social and networking events. • The Orchestra’s casual Friday evening concert series (Fridays@7 and Summers @Severance) draw new crowds to Severance Hall to experience the Orchestra in a context of friends and musical explorations.
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Building Community The Cleveland Orchestra exists for and because of the vision, generosity, and dreams of the Northeast Ohio community. Each year, we seek new ways to meaningfully impact Cleveland’s citizens.
EDUCATION
Inspiring Minds Education has been at the heart of The Cleveland Orchestra’s community offerings since the ensemble’s founding in 1918. The arts are a core subject of school learning, vital to realizing each child’s full potential. A child’s education is incomplete unless it includes the arts, and students of all ages can experience the joy of music through the Orchestra’s varied education programs. The Orchestra’s offerings impact . . . . . . the very young, with programs including PNC Musical Rainbows and PNC Grow Up Great. . . . grade school and high school students, with programs including Learning Through Music, Family Concerts, Education Concerts, and In-School Performances.
• Convening people at free community concerts each year in celebration of our country, our city, our culture, and our shared love of music. • Immersing the Orchestra in local communities with special performances in local businesses and hotspots during our annual “At Home” neighborhood residencies. • Collaborating with celebrated arts institutions — from the Cleveland Museum of Art and PlayhouseSquare to Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet — to bring inspirational performances to the people of Northeast Ohio. • Actively partnering with local schools, neighborhoods, businesses, and state and local government to engage and serve new corners of the community through neighborhood residencies, education offerings, and free public events.
. . . college students and beyond, with programs including musician-led masterclasses, in-depth explorations of musical repertoire, pre-concert musician interviews, and public discussion groups.
Summers@Severance
Get Involved
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THE CLEVELAN D ORCHESTRA
A GENEROUS COMMUNITY
Supporting Excellence
The Cleveland Orchestra is in the midst of the Sound for the Centennial Campaign, a ten-year initiative that seeks to sustain the musical excellence and community engagement that sets this ensemble apart from every other orchestra in the world.
VOLUNTEERING
Get Involved The Cleveland Orchestra has been supported by many dedicated volunteers since its founding in 1918. You can make an immediate impact by getting involved. • Over 100,000 friends of The Cleveland Orchestra participate online in our news, concerts, and performances through Facebook and Twitter. • The Women’s Committee of The Cleveland Orchestra and the Blossom Friends of The Cleveland Orchestra support the Orchestra through service and fundraising. For further information, please call 216-231-7557.
Ticket sales cover less than half the cost of The Cleveland Orchestra’s concerts, education presentations, and community programs. Each year, thousands of generous people make donations large and small to sustain the Orchestra for today and for future generations. Every dollar donated enables The Cleveland Orchestra to play the world’s finest music, bringing meaningful experiences to people throughout our community — and acclaim and admiration to Northeast Ohio. To learn more, visit clevelandorchestra.com/donate
• Over 400 volunteers assist concertgoers each season, as Ushers for Orchestra concerts at Severance Hall, or as Tour Guides and as Store Volunteers. For more info, please call 216-231-7425. • 300 professional and amateur vocalists volunteer their time and artistry as part of the professionally-trained Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and Blossom Festival Chorus each year. To learn more, please call 216-231-7372.
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Get Involved
The Cleveland Orchestra
THE CLEVELAN D ORCHESTRA
GET INVOLVED
Learn More To learn more about how you can play an active role as a member of The Cleveland Orchestra family, visit us at Blossom or Severance Hall, attend a musical performance, or contact a member of our staff.
VISIT
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
Making Music The Cleveland Orchestra passionately believes in the value of active musicmaking, which teaches life lessons in teamwork, listening, collaboration, and self expression. Music is an activity to participate in directly, with your hands, voice, and spirit. • You can participate in ensembles for musicians of all ages — including the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, Children’s Chorus, Youth Chorus, and Blossom Festival Chorus, and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. • Each year, the Orchestra brings people together in celebration of music and events, giving voice to music at community singalongs and during holiday performances. • We partner with local schools and businesses to teach and perform, in ensembles and as soloists, encouraging music-making across Northeast Ohio. Music has the power to inspire, to transform, to change lives. Make music part of your life, and support your school’s music programs.
Summers@Severance
Get Involved
Severance Hall
11001 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH 44106
Blossom Music Center
1145 West Steels Corners Road Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223
CONTACT US
Administrative Offices: 216-231-7300 Ticket Services: 216-231-1111 or 800-686-1141 or clevelandorchestra.com Group Sales: 216-231-7493 email groupsales@clevelandorchestra.com Education & Community Programs: phone 216-231-7355 email education@clevelandorchestra.com Orchestra Archives: 216-231-7356 email archives@clevelandorchestra.com Choruses: 216-231-7372 email chorus@clevelandorchestra.com Volunteers: 216-231-7557 email lcohen@clevelandorchestra.com Individual Giving: 216-231-7556 email bdeeds@clevelandorchestra.com Legacy Giving: 216-231-8006 email legacygiving@clevelandorchestra.com Corporate & Foundation Giving: phone 216-231-7523 email eezell@clevelandorchestra.com Severance Hall Rental Office: phone 216-231-7421 email ebookings@clevelandorchestra.com
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11001 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106 severancehall.com
late seating As a courtesy to the audience members and musicians in the hall, late-arriving patrons are asked to wait quietly until the first convenient break in the program, when ushers will help you to your seats. These seating breaks are at the discretion of the House Manager in consultation with the performing artists. Pagers, Cell Phones, and wristwatCh alarms Please silence any alarms or ringers on pagers, mobile phones, or wristwatches prior to the start of the concert.
of the world’s most beautiful concert halls, Severance Hall has been home to The Cleveland Orchestra since its opening on February 5, 1931. After that first concert, a Cleveland newspaper editorial stated: “We believe that Mr. Severance intended to build a temple to music, and not a temple to wealth; and we believe it is his intention that all music lovers should be welcome there.” John Long Severance (president of the Musical Arts Association, 1921-1936) and his wife, Elisabeth, donated the funds necessary to erect this magnificent building. Designed by Walker & Weeks, its elegant Georgian exterior was constructed to harmonize with the classical architecture of other prominent buildings in the University Circle area. The interior of the building reflects a combination of design styles, including Art Deco, Egyptian Revival, Classicism, and Modernism. An extensive renovation, restoration, and expansion of the facility was completed in January 2000.
hailed as one
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PhotograPhy, VideograPhy, and reCording Audio recording, photography, and videography are prohibited during performances at Severance Hall. Photographs of the hall and selfies to share with others can be taken when the performance is not in progress. As courtesy to others, please turn off any phone of device that makes noise or emits light. in the eVent of an emergenCy Contact an usher or a member of house staff if you require medical assistance. Emergency exits are clearly marked throughout the building. Ushers and house staff will provide instructions in the event of an emergency. age restriCtions Regardless of age, each person must have a ticket and be able to sit quietly in a seat throughout the performance. Cleveland Orchestra subscription concerts are not recommended for children under the age of 8. However, there are several age-appropriate series designed specifically for children and youth, including: Musical Rainbows, (recommended for children 3 to 6 years old) and Family Concerts (for ages 7 and older). the CleVeland orChestra store A wide variety of items relating to The Cleveland Orchestra — including logo apparel, compact disc recordings, and gifts — are available for purchase at the Cleveland Orchestra Store before and after concerts and at intermission. The Store is also open Tuesday thru Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 216-231-7478 for more information, or visit clevelandorchestra.com.
Severance Hall
The Cleveland Orchestra
A Place to Be Remembered . . . The Cleveland Orchestra is entering the public phase of a major fundraising effort, the Sound for the Centennial Campaign. The campaign is focused on adding more value to our community by securing nancial strength for the Orchestra’s second century. The campaign is building the Orchestra’s endowment through cash gi�s and legacy commitments, while also securing broad-based and increasing annual support from across Northeast Ohio. Campaign supporters are eligible for special and unique recogni�on. From concert dedica�ons and program book recogni�on to limited-term or permanent naming opportuni�es of musician chairs. Plus unique op�ons to name spaces and seats in Severance Hall or Blossom Music Center. All available only by suppor�ng The Cleveland Orchestra.
THE
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
You too can play a cri�cal part in securing The Cleveland Orchestra’s role in making the Northeast Ohio community great. To learn more about receiving special recogni�on through the Sound for the Centennial Campaign, please contact the Philanthropy & Advancement Department by calling 216-231-7558.
clevelandorchestra.com/100campaign
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