The Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 11/19/09

Two classic standards from the late 18th century and a world premiere can indeed provide for a fantastic voyage! And if the world premiere is titled Fantasias so much the better. British composer Julian Anderson served the Cleveland Orchestra as the Daniel R. Lewis Young Composer Fellow from 2005 to 2007, and this piece is the result. In the pre-concert interview (conducted by CIM’s Keith Fitch, head of the composition department) Mr. Anderson explained that fantasia means ‘caprice or willfulness’ and that’s the direction he took.

In five movements, all rather different from each other, this listener found the piece to be very interesting and easy to listen to. The music is nearly all of a frenetic and/or exotic nature, with occasional half-tones (which I could easily do without) but the rhythmic patterns are fun. The first two parts end rather suddenly on an ‘odd’ note, while the last one just sort of runs out of music. (That from the composer, mind you. At least he’s accurate.) I, for one, would like to hear it all again. Guest Conductor Jonathan Nott, making his Cleveland Orchestra debut led the work with assurance and empathy.

Every performance by Alisa Weilerstein takes the listener on a fantastic voyage. No matter how many times you’ve heard the given work previously, her interpretation takes you to new and fabulous places. Emotionally and musically, her performances are extremely satisfying. This time it was the favorite Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B minor, Op. 104, by Antonín Dvorák. From first note to last, there was no possible place for quibble. Ms. Weilerstein finds the soul of the music and the composer and mixes them all with her formidable talent into an astonishing treat for the ears, eyes, brain and heart. Mr. Nott was a most attentive collaborator.

Having studied with orchestra cellist Richard Weiss, she’s not a stranger here, and it shows. The orchestra was magnificent in the collaboration. The horns were especially marvelous, but all the winds contributed in the myriad solos—some short, some longer—provided by the composer. The wind chorale that opened the second movement was simply gorgeous, leading up to the first entrance by Ms. Weilerstein. A duet with concertmaster William Preucil was invested with nearly eye-to-eye connectivity. Almost any musician can endow a phrase with emotion, but the manner in which Ms. Weilerstein accomplishes that with just one note is extraordinary. The immediate and enthusiastic ovation was well-deserved.

The opening measures of Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 of Richard Strauss are familiar to nearly everyone on the planet, I think, thanks to the film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Now that the Norton Memorial Organ is a musical force at Severance Hall, we can hear the work as the composer intended. Joella Jones was her usual capable self in command of the organ. But then, the entire orchestra seems to rejoice in Strauss’s large works, with lush string playing throughout, and incorporating the extra players required into it’s own stunning sensibilities. This time, for instance, there were 7 horns, 2 tubas and 2 harps, and a full contingent of the other instruments.

Mr. Nott conducted this work from memory with big sweeping gestures, keeping the sprawling work taut and controlled. Mr. Preucil again excelled, both in his solo and a duet with Mr. Weiss. All in all, it was a most satisfying evening.

This week, there is no Thursday concert, only Fri 11/27 and Sat 11/28 evenings which feature Bertrand de Billy making his conducting debut, with Jonathan Bis as soloist in the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 9. Dvorák’s Symphony NO. 9 (“From the New World”) will end these concerts. On Sun 11/29 afternoon, it will be the main event as part of the first of this season’s ‘Musically Speaking’ Series. A multi-media presentation about the symphony will be followed by the performance. For tickets or information, visit the website: http://www.clevelandorchestra.com or call the ticket office at 216.231.1111.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz, who writes: My most recently published book is Ardenwycke Unveiled (e-book and trade paper). Cerridwen has another contemporary romance from me, But Not For Love, currently available only as an e-book, but perhaps will be in print next year. I hope to soon get around to completing some of the 30+ incomplete books in my computer!

By the way, Cerridwen has also accepted two of my short stories in their Scintillating Samples (complimentary reads) area: Song of the Swan and Unexpected Comfort. I love photography as well, as you can see here. Occasionally I teach writing workshops and sometimes do editing or ghostwriting on a free-lance basis. But over and above everything else, there's always been the writing. I can't imagine my life without it.