Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall, 1/15 & 1/22 In its last two concerts, The Cleveland Orchestra laid out choice pieces from the glittering assortment it will offer on tour this month. For the most gorgeously done award, first on the list must be the two piano concertos and the jarring Slavic Mass. In separate concerts Radu Lupu (1/15) and Leif Ove Andsnes (1/22) offered compelling performances of Bartok's "Piano Concerto No. 3" and Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto No. 3," in that order. (Why does musical tradition label these amazing beauties with such drab names such as "Number this" and "Number that"? Call the Bartok, "Space Music" and the Rachmaninoff "Vampire Love.") Neither pianist seemed aware that both works present legendary difficulties as they translated emotion to keyboard with apparent ease.

Andsnes and the orchestra shifted thematic elements seamlessly and showed off the fine "bones" that underlie the structure of Rachmaninoff's magic palace of a piece. Leos Janacek's "Glagolitic Mass" [Slavic Mass], sung in Czech with furious intensity by the Cleveland Orchestra chorus and soloists suggests more Pagan fires than candles to the Virgin Mary. Debussy's "Sirens" with the women of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus calling out dreamily (and mostly hidden behind the orchestra) suggested why sailors might have floated toward the beckoning voices. The Orchestra also took to the hills (faster up than down) with "An Alpine Symphony" by Richard Strauss that made the most of the shaking sheet metal that signals thunder. Conductor Franz Welser-Most should have enormous fun taking this show on the road.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com
(:divend:)