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Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 2/19 Some guest conductors wear out their welcome with the first visit here; others could come back every other month and be greeted with open arms! One that falls into the latter category is this week's guest -- Kirill Petrenko. Not yet 40, he's very old school in style, perhaps from his rather extensive background in the opera house. He's almost a micro-conductor -- watching carefully and attentively over every note played by the Cleveland Orchestra, yet at the same time, the music that results is extremely fluid as the orchestra virtually sings.

Francesca da Rimini—a Symphonic Fantasy after Dante, Op. 32 by Tchaikovsky was a dashing opener to the inviting concert. The story of Paolo and Francesca (an early version, perhaps, of Romeo and Juliet?) was considered for an opera by the composer, who chose instead to write a much shorter, purely orchestral version. There is plenty of drama throughout, interspersed with romantic yearnings—gorgeously illustrated by the seductive clarinet of Franklin Cohen, (which could not be adequately described using every adjective in the thesaurus) plus the marvelous legato strains of the muted violins. The trombone section was especially fervent as it exposed the gates of Hades in the clangorous finale.

It hardly seems possible that soloist Gil Shaham celebrated his 38th birthday on Thursday, yet his first performance here was 21 years ago! This time we heard Igor Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto in D major. Stravinsky is not noted for his concertos, in fact, I can recall only one other – the Ebony Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra. Nevertheless, he certainly understood the format and requirements for such a piece. (He also conducted the work here in 1937 with the violinist for whom it was written as soloist. That must have been a truly extraordinary experience!)

Mr. Shaham is a very active performer; choreographers could learn some new steps by observing him in action. He swoops and swirls and turns and twists, all the while producing beautiful sounds from his 1699 Stradivarius. The two center movements – Arias I and II – were wonderfully expressive and were marvelously supported by the bassoons and trombones. The finale – Capriccio – was highlighted by the barrage of crisp, syncopated notes from the soloist.

Until he was finally established as a major composer, the symphonies of Antonín Dvorák were published under whatever number seemed reasonable at the time. Not until the 1950s – some 70 years after it was written did the Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70, finally appear under the number by which we know it today. Regardless of number, it’s a masterwork in its own right, and a welcome addition to concert programs. Would that all conductors could learn from this performance how it should be done.

Mr. Petrenko uses large, sweeping gestures as he conducts, yet elicits soft playing as well as the expected grande. The lilting cadences of the composer were treated just as they should be, with each theme flowing seamlessly into the next. Accents were not always placed as we may have heard them in previous renditions, but they certainly worked in this version! Near the end, the conductor relaxed a bit, or else the infectious music he was creating finally got to him, as he started dancing a bit on the podium. Who could blame him? The basses provided a grand foundation for the building rhythms that led to the compelling and very satisfying finish.

This week brings back Kurt Masur in a program featuring music by Janáček and Beethoven. Louis Lortie is soloist in the first piano concerto of Beethoven, and we'll also hear the 7th Symphony. For tickets or information, call the ticket office at 231-1111, or visit the website http://www.clevelandorchestra.com.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATroadrunner.com
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