Tag: classical music

Double bass shines in the spotlight at Music Hall

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CSO principal bass Owen Lee gave the orchestra’s first-ever performance of the Koussevitzky Concerto for Double Bass/ photos thanks to Lee Snow

When it comes to concertos with orchestra, most people don’t think of the double bass as a solo instrument.  It’s usually heard at the bottom of the musical spectrum, rather than playing melodies that soar over the orchestra. But bassist Owen Lee, principal bass of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for 22 years, made a strong case for Serge Koussevitzky’s Concerto for Double Bass, given its first-ever performances by the CSO over the weekend at Music Hall.

It was a fascinating piece – partly because Koussevitzky, himself a virtuoso of the bass, wrote it before he joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra and became one of the most influential music directors in America.  In a neat tie-in, the program’s second half was devoted to Bela Bartok’s “Concerto for Orchestra,” which Koussevitzky commissioned from Bartok, who was then ill and destitute. Louis Langrée and the orchestra gave the latter a brilliant performance.Read More »

Joshua Bell, Beethoven’s Ninth to highlight CSO season

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“What I try is to have unity and diversity at the same time.” – CSO music director Louis Langrée

Music Director Louis Langrée
Music Director Louis Langrée

Violin superstar Joshua Bell, a phenomenal Russian pianist named Daniil Trifonov and renowned cellist Alisa Weilerstein are just a few of the stars in an exceptional lineup coming to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra next season.

Program highlights of the 2018-19 season are just as attractive. Louis Langrée’s Beethoven cycle will continue with Beethoven’s great Symphony No. 9, Choral. The repertoire includes Stravinsky’s earthy, primitive ballet score “The Rite of Spring,” Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” Mozart’s Requiem and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5.Read More »

Mahler spellbinds in James Conlon’s return to CSO

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James Conlon, May Festival music director laureate, returned to conduct Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 with the CSO. Photo provided/Lee Snow

James Conlon raised his arms to begin Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan,” and the musicians of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra sounded the long, quiet ‘A’ that opens the work. From that pure tone, the woodwinds evoked the gradual awakenings of nature, trumpet fanfares sounded in the distance and every note had color and meaning.

It was a spellbinding start to the hour-long journey that is Mahler. Through it all, the warmth of Conlon’s interpretation was palpable.

Conlon’s masterful reading of Mahler’s First Symphony on Saturday was just the antidote for a cold, snowy weekend when a blustery winter storm bore down on the city. Some brave souls turned out on Friday despite the dire forecasts. On Saturday, with the storm past, Music Hall was filled to the rafters.Read More »

Finding the mood of Debussy’s “Pelléas et Mélisande”

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CSo rendering
A rendering of the set. Photo provided: CSO/Adam Rigg

James Darrah likes to point out that he has curated the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s “Pelleas Trilogy” in three different phases of Music Hall’s renovation.

CSO music director Louis Langrée’s three year project exploring Maurice Maeterlinck’s 1893 play, “Pelléas et Mélisande” began with Arnold Schoenberg’s tone poem in Music Hall – pre-renovation. It continued last year with Gabriel Fauré’s incidental music to the play when the orchestra was displaced at the Taft Theater.

This weekend, the project culminates in Debussy’s “Pelléas et Mélisande” in the newly renovated Music Hall.  The performance is in collaboration with Cincinnati Opera.

“It’s been really fun to bring an opera to life in this space,” says the Los Angeles-based director and designer. “We’re all still learning what we can and can’t do (in the theater). Some things are familiar and some different.”Read More »

Cincinnati Symphony makes Proms debut

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Photos: Chris Christodoulou

Did you hear it? The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Sunday evening debut in London’s Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms was met with deafening cheers and applause from the Proms audience, estimated at 5,000 to 6,000 people.

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The enthusiastic audience for the Cincinnatians in Royal Albert Hall. Photo: Chris Christodoulou

I think the response surprised even the announcer on the BBC’s Radio 3, which was airing the concert live from Royal Albert Hall.

And what a concert it was. The program opened with Bernstein’s suite from the film, “On the Waterfront,” followed by Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” which was premiered by the CSO in 1942. The celebrity narrator was British actor Charles Dance, who spoke Lincoln’s words with a bit of an American accent.

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A capacity crowd of an estimated 6,000 for the CSO’s debut at the Proms in Royal Albert Hall, London. Photo: Chris Christodoulou

The announcer remarked that the piece had not been performed in the U.K. since 1943, when Sir Adrian Boult led its U.K. premiere at the Proms. At the intermission break, the broadcast continued with a panel discussion about Lincoln – interesting to hear from the British perspective.

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A thrilling performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth had the Brits cheering. Photo: Chris Christodoulou

The second half featured Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, given a high-voltage performance led by Louis Langrée. For an encore, Langrée and the orchestra delighted the crowd with Bernstein’s splashy Overture to Candide.

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Note the microphones over the CSO in their BBC Proms debut, broadcast live all over the UK and streamed live to the world. Photo: Chris Christodoulou

The broadcast was also notable because it was the first time that Cincinnatians could hear their orchestra, live in concert on tour across the Atlantic. I was impressed by the quality of the pickup – it was so clear and balanced, they could have been playing in downtown Cincinnati. But then the BBC obviously has lots of experience at recording and broadcasting.

If you missed the show, you’ll find it archived at BBC Radio 3 for another 30 days. In addition, Cincinnati’s WGUC-FM 90.9 is planning to air the American portion of the Proms broadcast, locally at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 6. (WGUC will also air the fabled Last Night of the Proms on Sept. 26).

Today the orchestra flies to Northern Spain.

Photos from the Cincinnati Symphony in the U.K.

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As you know, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is making an historic tour to the Edinburgh International Festival as well as the BBC Proms in London this weekend as part of their three-week European tour. Tonight, they play in Usher Hall in Edinburgh. One of the featured numbers is Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” featuring British actor Charles Dance (yes, that Charles Dance from “Game of Thrones”) as narrator.

Because I’m not traveling along this time, I’ll try to keep you updated as I get the news. After they arrived Wednesday morning, most musicians set out sightseeing in the hills, and I’m sure, to Edinburgh Castle, which is close to their hotel.Read More »

My last list … for now … of the best of 2016

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636184558582936207-052816-May-Fest-08-1-.jpgIt seems that the end of a year always results in lists — looking back and looking ahead. And invariably, my list is different from your list. There were so many other great performances that I could have added here — the Polish Festival at CCM, the Ariel Quartet, the great jazz heard every week in our community, and the high-energy shows by John Morris Russell and the Cincinnati Pops… not to mention the entire opening season this fall at the CSO, with Emanuel Ax, Hilary Hahn, Lang Lang, Gil Shaham and Branford Marsalis!

I loved it all. But here’s my column, in case you missed it, for better or worse. At the list’s end, I look back at two of the big stories in the arts that I covered, and look forward to the opening of Music Hall next October.

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Do Americans appreciate their arts and culture?

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First, the back story to this column. When news came over the wire that the Atlanta Symphony had settled with its players this week after a 10-week lockout, my editor wandered over to my desk and started firing questions: Why is this a big deal, or not? Could it happen here? Why don’t we see more about classical music in the media? What about arts eduction? Whoa – that’s enough for at least three stories right there. … It started me thinking. I’ve always felt lucky to live in a city with such high-quality arts.

Anyway, here are a few of my thoughts, for now! Feel free to weigh in.