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Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 5/28 Part of the inspiration for On Comparative Meteorology, by Johannes Maria Staud, which received its world premiere performance by the Cleveland Orchestra on Thursday evening, was Mr. Staud’s previous trip to Cleveland, which occurred in February, 2008. You may recall there was a lot of snow here at that time and the month following, and it was the memory of this event, coupled with the short stories of Bruno Schulz, that triggered the idea of beginning the piece with the sound of sleighbells. Lots of sleighbells, in fact, played by numerous members of the orchestra’s percussion section.

From there, the young composer wanted to bring to life what’s on the paper. It’s an interesting piece, with many special effects scattered throughout. Noticeable was the tympani being played with his fingers by Paul Yancich. Remember bongoes? That’s what it looked and sounded like! There were little bits of dissonances (as though the composer really didn’t want to go overboard in that direction) plus eerie-sounding harmonics, and periods of turmoil. There were also sections of particular beauty that incorporated alto flute, xylophone and several gongs in what might have been a miniature military march before the final visit to a rain forest. This latter was enhanced by what I think is referred to as temple bells, but sound greatly like a large wooden wind chime. Whatever it’s called, it was lovely.

For the final work of this final concert series of this season, Music Director Franz Welser-Möst chose Symphony No. 5 of Gustav Mahler. For this occasion, he used a newer performing version of the piece by Reinhold Kubik, which differed little from the original, while trying to clear up some prior inconsistencies.

The first movement Trauermarsch was vividly depicted by the heroic brass, offset by the plaintive, poetic strings and lustrous winds. Lovely strands of melody peeped out from here and there throughout before being swept up in the succeeding storms of the second movement.

Principal horn Richard King could be said to ‘own’ the third movement scherzo. It’s certainly difficult to imagine more beautiful playing than we heard on this occasion. The strings indulged in the plucked ländler with slightly festive glee, followed by a gorgeous oboe melody, then the clarinet and horn once again. The listener can only think ‘what a sublime creation this symphony is!’ The waltz had the merest whiff of decadence about it, presaging the fall of the Empire, perhaps.

Can there be a lovelier part of any symphony than the ethereal fourth movement Adagietto? The silken strings of this orchestra—in particular the low strings—and harp (gorgeously played by Trina Struble) could melt the heart of a stone. Alma would not have been able to resist the pleas of Gustav had she heard this version. (If he intended it as a love letter to his wife, he could hardly have dreamed of a better advocate than our band in this dreamy and languid performance!)

The concluding Rondo-Finale or Allegro incorporated all the winds, including contra-bassoon and brass, allowing the horns one more chance to shine, as they did in fine fashion. The brass were suitably brash, while the strings were all attention to details. At the close, there were raucous reminiscences of Mahler’s first symphony. In spite of some little occasional differences, the ending was nothing short of triumphant for the still-jaunty (after 70 minutes!) conductor.

Thank you, musicians of the orchestra and all the conducting staff, soloists and chorus, for one fabulous season!

Of course, before they return to Severance Hall next fall, there is the summer season at Blossom Music Festival, which begins July 3. For tickets or other information, call 231-1111 or visit the website http://www.ClevelandOrchestra.com.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATroadrunner.com
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