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Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 4/16 "World Music" may be a fairly recent term in the annals of music, but really, music has always been international. I daresay it's the only truly international language. Anyone anywhere can readily understand and communicate with music. (One doesn't necessarily have to like what one hears, but that's a minor quibble, at least in this discussion.)

Osvaldo Golijov is a great example of the way in which international aspects can influence the artist. Of Russian ancestry, he was born and raised in Argentina, where he heard Jewish liturgical and klezmer music, along with traditional chamber music and the appealing tango nuevo of Astor Piazzolla. To this wonderful mix, add the years he studied music in Jerusalem, before coming to the US, where he settled in the Boston area. No wonder his music is infectious and engaging and irresistible!

If he has any more pieces like Azul in his composition portfolio, bring ‘em on! Especially if they require the services of a cellist of the caliber of Alisa Weilerstein, returning to her home stage in great triumph, plus homeboy Jamey Haddad, world (and world-class) percussionist, and inventor Michael Ward-Bergeman, who improved and modernized his normal accordion into what is now known as the ‘hyper-accordion’ and has a bit of synthesizer to it. There were two additional guest percussionists: Keita Ogawa from Japan, and Dylan Moffitt of Pittsburgh. We needed three percussionists to do justice to the 30-some percussion instruments arrayed on the front of the stage between the conductor’s podium and the violas! (Plus two of the orchestra percussionists were in their usual back row location along with another dozen or so things that go thunk, bang, swish, clang, ding, etc.)

Add in a world-class orchestra, and WOW!!! This was approximately 25-30 minutes of enchantment, all guided by guest conductor Ludovic Morlot, who happens to be French. The ‘approximate’ is because no two versions are ever exactly the same, given the non-structured cadenza of the third movement, Transit. The performers just ‘wing it’ – freestyle, with a touch of hoedown.

During the pre-concert talk in which Mr. Golijov was interviewed by Frank Dans of the orchestra staff, the composer referred to Ms. Weilerstein as ‘a force of nature’. He would get no argument whatever from anyone who was in attendance at these concerts at Severance Hall.

Azul is an incredible piece, which nearly defies anyone trying to write about it. Might as well try to capture lightning in one’s bare hand. The solo cello slowly emerges from the depths of the orchestral sound in beautiful long singing lines, almost a moaning sound, in Paz Sulfúrica. Silencio took us to a rain forest guided by the languid cello, that was inhabited with frogs and birds, (percussion) before running into turmoil. This was the violins, each bowing differently, creating both musical and visual definitions of the word.

The final movement, Yrushalem, provided a gorgeous trombone solo by principal Massimo La Rosa. Shimmering glissandos from the solo cello and the harp (Trina Struble) stood out until they were joined by the rest of the musicians before all the sound slowly tapered off to nothing. The fastest standing ovation I think I’ve ever seen followed immediately, and prompted an encore—the wild tango Feira de Mangiao by the Brazilian composer Sibuca. We need to hear more of his music!

The other big work on the program was Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, Op. 45. It begins with a three-note theme that wanders throughout the wind sections, first here, then there before morphing into lush romanticism. Several alto saxophone solos were beautifully played by James Umble, who was also part of the Ives piece that preceded the dances. Mr. Morlot kept the music from being too mushy with his sharply delineated conducting.

Two shorter works were also performed, but didn’t make as much of an impression as the larger ones did. Stravinsky’s Dumbarton Oaks—Concerto in E-flat Major for Chamber Orchestra, and Ragtime Dances by Charles Ives seemed almost mis-cast when followed by the larger, more brash pieces, although Ives tried. His penchant for having two groups of musicians playing at the same time, but not the same music—or even the same rhythms—seemed somehow almost tame after Azul. But still, one could hear the old hymn-tune Bringing In The Sheaves woven throughout.

Sir Colin Davis returns as guest conductor this week for concerts on Thursday and Saturday, along with pianist Mitsuko Uchida. For tickets or other information, call 231-1111 or visit the website at: http://www.clevelandorchestra.com.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATroadrunner.com
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