The arts are in full swing when it’s cold outside. Here are a few of my favorite things to “clip and save” in the coming weeks from Classical and Dance calendars:Read More »
Category: Opera
Music Hall hopes and concerns
Perhaps you saw the article about Music Hall, — which closes in five months for renovation — informing visitors of what to expect in the coming months. But there was a sidebar that never made print.
The Enquirer asked this question of local concertgoers, Music Hall stakeholders and resident companies via e-mail and on Facebook: “As we move to 2016 and Music Hall closes in June for a massive renovation, what are your thoughts, concerns, and/or hopes about the project?”
Here are some of the responses:
“My main concern, as always, is for the acoustics of Music Hall. As you well know, even the smallest physical change can have a major impact on the acoustics. Let’s cross our fingers and hope for the best!” – Pat Nott, College HillRead More »
Best of 2015
Everyone loves lists. Here are just 10 of my favorite concert memories from 2015. As soon as I wrote them, I realized there were many more I had left out, from the superb concert:nova concerts to Xavier Piano Series, the Linton Series, and a wonderful Mahler concert recently by the CCM Philharmonia.
Best rock fusion: Shrieking fans, long lines snaking to the bars, a crush of people surrounding a band in the lobby – those are things you wouldn’t expect at a concert of the 120-year-old Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra’s second annual collaboration in Music Hall with Cincinnati’s MusicNOW Festival, founded by Bryce Dessner a decade ago, rocked. The March concerts included the debut of Dessner’s indie-rock band The National with Louis Langrée and the Cincinnati Symphony – a first for both.
Best sight gags in an opera: Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte,” directed by Robin Guarino at CCM in April, had bawdy translations and hilarious sight gags that drew belly laughs. The updated production featured a Mid-Century Modern house with a hot tub, and a couple of swinging Albanian strangers looking like John Lennon and George Harrison had just wandered off the set of the “The Magical Mystery Tour.” It was brilliantly sung by CCM opera students and Mozart’s witty music was buoyant and fleet in the hands of conductor Mark Gibson.Read More »
‘Two Women’ channels Puccini, Hollywood in world premiere
Marco Tutino’s new opera “Two Women,” which takes place in war-torn Italy during World War II, has one stirring moment. Near the end of Act I, Rosetta (sung by Sarah Shafer), the 16-year-old daughter of Cesira, lifts her pure-toned soprano in a poignant prayer for peace. It becomes a touching anthem for the whole village, as they join her a lush chorus, singing “Father, do not abandon us,” as battles are growing closer to their village.
To a full War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco Opera presented the world premiere on Saturday of the hotly-anticipated opera, “Two Women” (“La Ciociara”) by Tutino, to his libretto with Fabio Ceresa. As the creators told us in a panel discussion on Friday, the opera is based on Alberto Moravia’s novel, but not so much on the 1960 movie from the novel, produced by Carlo Ponti and starring Sophia Loren.Read More »
Cincinnati’s philanthropy: Why do people give to the arts?
- There have been some astonishing stories in the past week or two about Cincinnati’s support for the arts. The Lindner family is giving $10 million to the Music Hall renovation project. The CSO has raised $26 million, which will both build back the orchestra to 90 players and balance the books. Read how the orchestra turned itself around in six years.
- And the ArtsWave campaign hit a new high.
- On Friday, a visitor from New York asked me why there is such passion for the symphony, opera, ballet, museums and theater in such a small market? And why do people care enough to give and keep giving?
- I said I think it goes back to those German immigrants of the 19th century– it’s in the DNA.
- What do you think?
CSO officials annouce $26 million in gifts on Thursday in Music Hall 
joshua Bell signs autographs 
A fan takes a selfie 
Louie Langree and orchestra taking bows
Are the arts dumbing down to win YP’s? Yes, says Stephen Hough
It seems as if many arts groups — from museums to symphony orchestras — are trying to attract Millennials and Young Professionals with all kinds of perks, from parties, wine tastings and backstage tours, to offering them positions on boards. Concerts may be shorter, and sometimes with beer tastings attached. (See the new Chamber Orchestra season.)
But star pianist Stephen Hough, who performed last week on the Xavier Piano Series, believes that the arts are bending backwards way too far to attract new audiences. The result, he says, is dumbing down the art form. Here are some of thoughts that did NOT make the interview that ran here.
Hough: “If an elder person thinks they know what a younger person wants, they’re always going to be wrong. I see people in their 50’s who say, ‘We’re going to do this in a young, groovy way’. But young people have changed styles twice since you’ve said that.
“Yes, let’s have the accessibility, and make it affordable. But tell people that these composers were not from the establishment. They were usually poor, often rebels, and not the stuffy thing that people think.
“I wrote an article about this not so long ago. Classical music is difficult to listen to. You can’t say, ‘Come in, it’s really easy.’ No, tell them to come in, and you’d better be intelligent. You tell them that it may be difficult to listen to this music. The analogy I made was, if you say to a teenager, ‘This is the hardest mountain to climb in the country,’ then that’s the mountain he or she will want to climb. If you say it’s really easy, they’re not going to listen.
“So why are we saying to people, ‘It’s easy, we’ll just play one movement, because you haven’t got the concentration for more.’ No, tell them, ‘This is tough, and I hope you’ve got the energy to listen to this.’
“I really think that’s where we’re going wrong. Rather than dumb down and dilute everything, instead say this music is the highest achievement that humans have had. Let’s go for it.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Meet John Doe
Daniel Catán’s last opera, “Meet John Doe,” was his homage to America. So, from the first notes, one is thrust into the Swing Era, with hot drumming — Louis Prima style — and finger-snapping in the chorus. This is one jazzy newsroom.
On Saturday night, I heard the first reading of excerpts from Act I of Catán’s opera, based on the 1941 film that starred Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper. Read More »
CCM grads, Louis Langrée in national publications
Two magazines are featuring Cincinnati musicians prominently in their February editions. CSO music director Louis Langrée is given a half-page spotlight in Vanity Fair, with the headline “Bonjour Cincinnati.” A photographer came to Cincinnati earlier this fall to photograph him in Springer Auditorium.
And Opera News mentions CCM alumni about two dozen times in its current issue — by faculty member Donna Loewy’s estimation. Here’s the list:Read More »
First peek at ‘Great Scott”
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am grateful for my family and friends and for living in a city with so much to do. In the midst of the rush to get that turkey cooked (sage butter) and stuffed (cornbread chorizo), I also attended some impressive performances. Before we plunge into holiday concert season, here are a few observations from last week:
On Tuesday, I was in an audience of opera lovers, patrons, critics and teachers in Memorial Hall for a reading of excerpts from Jake Heggie’s latest opera, “Great Scott.” He and the creative team– including librettist Terrence McNally, director Jack O’Brien and conductor Evan Rogister (shown in this photo)– were in town for a workshop through Opera Fusion:New Works. The excellent singers assembled for the reading were all CCM students and alumni. A fine pianist named Grant Loehnig came down from “Porgy and Bess” at Chicago Lyric Opera to collaborate at the piano.
Reviews in the news
In case you missed them, here are links to the two shows I reviewed this weekend:
On Thursday, the opera “Hansel and Gretel” at CCM: There’s a moment in the fairy-tale opera “Hansel and Gretel,” when the two hungry and terrified children, lost in the woods, kneel and sing the “Children’s Prayer” against softly falling snow. It’s always heart-stopping, as the sleepy children sing about 14 angels who will guard them through the night. What happens next, in the production mounted Thursday by the opera department of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, is unexpected and magical.
On Friday, a world premiere at the CSO in Music Hall: The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has premiered many important pieces since its founding in 1895. On Friday, the orchestra added an engaging new work to the list with the world premiere of a new Double Concerto by the celebrated composer and conductor André Previn. It was performed by violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson. Sophisticated and well-crafted, Previn’s new work is a terrific addition to the double concerto repertoire.
