Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 11/20 Was Thursday's small audience due to the early start of the snow season or just the audience pre-sorting itself into pro- and anti-Bruckner? It is said that people either love Anton Bruckner's work or hate it. If one were inclined to love it, as I am, then Thursday night's Cleveland Orchestra performance of Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 in C minor conducted by Herbert Blomstedt, would just confirm our bias. Blomstedt, who conducted without a score, led orchestra and (by extension) audience soulfully down this great work's meditative paths.

Three harps (three harps! what could be better? maybe four harps?) interacting gorgeously with the brass contingent (especially the horns) created an ethereal effect as themes shifted from one to the other. By the end of the concert, the work's meditative pattern (think Gregorian chant effect) cast a spell that made losing one's sense of self and then finding it again (finding an improved, kinder, more relaxed self) possible. No other work was played that night (it lasts around 90 minutes). No other one was needed.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com

 (:divend:)