I thought it was interesting that the orchestra’s configuration was moved back to its original plan, with the violas on the outside, right, facing the first violins, and the cellos and basses also on the right. I still thought there were times when the brass and percussion overpowered the violins.
The Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances were wonderfully played and conducted. The clarity of sound in the new acoustic was quite good from my seat in the balcony. There was something about the string sound that was missing, though — that lush sound that makes it Rachmaninoff. It was resonance — defined as a “quality of sound that is rich, deep and reverberating.” I’m glad the acoustical experts are still tweaking the hall. Let’s hope they will be able to regain more of that full, resonant sound that has made Music Hall so special.
Gianni Schicchi cast — note that there are two casts — (Left to right) Antonio Cruz, Samson McCrady, Michael Hyatt, Chandler Johnson, Lisa Rogali, Tyler Johnson, Amy Joy Stevens, Zane Hill. Photo: Mark Lyons
Garrick Ohlsson made his 15th appearance with the CSO. Photo provided, by Dario Acosta
Nearly 74 years after Eugene Goossens put the finishing touches on his Symphony No. 2 in Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra gave its Music Hall premiere.
Goossens’ Symphony may have been an unknown curiosity to most concertgoers in Saturday’s Cincinnati Symphony concert, the first of 2018. But guest conductor Sir Andrew Davis made a strong case for the work, which turned out to be a surprisingly good piece that was well-executed by the orchestra.
Frigid temperatures didn’t keep the audience away, for there was also a very fine known entity on the program. Pianist Garrick Ohlsson, in his 15th appearance with the orchestra, delivered an engaging performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, followed by a memorable Beethoven encore. And the evening opened with J.S. Bach’s lovely chorale prelude “Sleepers Wake,” as orchestrated by Leopold Stokowski.Read More »
In 2017, Cincinnati audiences heard sensational performances by living legends, as well as musical rarities and world premieres. This year’s list – a baker’s dozen — highlights some musical milestones, such as Cincinnati Opera’s first opera by a woman, as well as some of my personal favorites of the past year.Read More »
a multi-generational crowd filled Music Hall for the “Star Wars” show at the Pops. Mark Lyons, photo.
Long ago in a galaxy far, far away, John Williams composed the first soundtrack for “Star Wars.” That collaboration with George Lucas (later subtitled “A New Hope”) launched one of the most successful space epic film series of all time. Today, it’s hard to imagine these space odysseys where aliens and humanoids coexist with robotic droids without Williams’ thrilling symphonic scores.
On Friday, Williams’ music, famous for its big brass and sweeping strings, took the starring role, as John Morris Russell led the Cincinnati Pops in a retrospective of some of the Hollywood legend’s greatest themes. The second half of the program was entirely devoted to the “Star Wars” franchise, while the first sampled from other films, such as “Harry Potter” and “E.T.”
It was the Pops’ first performance in Music Hall following a $143 million renovation that has updated the 140-year-old building and completely reconfigured the orchestra’s home in Springer Auditorium. A multi-generational, sold-out crowd filled the hall. In the new Pops configuration, it seats nearly 2,500. (A few tickets might be available for Sunday’s show.) Read More »
It’s been a privilege. I can truthfully say I have loved every minute of writing about the arts in Cincinnati for the Cincinnati Enquirer. I am thankful to you, the readers of both print and digital, the people who have called me, written letters, followed me on social media, come up to me at Music Hall to say hello or to talk about music, and who have taken my OLLI class, “Behind the Scenes in the Arts.”
It has been a wonderful, totally unexpected ride that became 26 years almost overnight.
From the first day that I walked into the newsroom, never having taken a journalism course, I was starstruck by the people who worked there. What talent and creativity! In those days, I filed a review right after the symphony concert on Friday nights, which meant I raced to my car behind Music Hall, tore Downtown to the Enquirer building while forming the opening lines in my head, and wrote on a deadline of 45 minutes with a copy desk editor barking, “Where’s that review?” Loved those late-night editors, who would fix my typos and write the headlines. The best one described a pianist, to be nameless here, who slogged through a bizarre performance of Rach 2: “(Pianist) phones it in — From Mars.” I was usually home by 2 a.m. and the review was in the morning paper.
With James Conlon and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and May Festival Chorus at Carnegie Hall, May 2014; photo provided by Spring for Music, Steve Sherman
But besides the reviews, I have loved writing stories about people. Sometimes I think that the whole artistic world has passed through Cincinnati. I’ve interviewed and met opera stars, violin legends, conductors, composers, crooners, rockers and movie stars. I couldn’t believe going backstage at the Met to interview Cincinnati’s own James Levine, who had pictures of his childhood home behind his desk. He knew everything happening in the Queen City. His mother, Helen, it turned out, had been sending him all of my clippings.
Then there was Rosemary Clooney. Driving down to Augusta, Kentucky, with photographer Craig Ruttle to spend time in her home was unforgettable. Later, John Kiesewetter, Jim Knippenberg and I covered her funeral. Yes, there were Hollywood stars. But more touching were the folks of Maysville who came out to bring their “girl singer” back home.
With rocker Peter Frampton in his studio at his Indian Hill home talking about his gig with the Pops.With Rosemary Clooney and her husband, Dante DiPaolo
When Erich Kunzel died in 2009, I was proud that Reds announcer Marty Brennaman mentioned during the game the next day that The Enquirer had done a nice job on his obituary. Early that morning, I was interviewed on NPR about the Cincinnati Pops maestro, and the force of nature that he was. And about a week later, I was on tour in Japan with the CSO. On a day off at the mountainous shrine of Nikko, a man in my tour group said as we ate lunch, “Cincinnati. I heard you just lost a conductor there.” He’d heard my interview, 6,000 miles away.Read More »
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Scenes from Friday’s debut performance at the Edinburgh International Festival. Photos thanks to Beth Chalmers & Edinburgh International Festival
Tour reviews are starting to trickle in following the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s debuts in the United Kingdom over the weekend. Here’s what Hazel Rowland of The Scotland Herald had to say about the CSO’s debut in Usher Hall at the Edinburgh International Festival:
“With an extensive brass and percussion section, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra relished the brash loudness that these composers (Copland and Bernstein) ask for, but that is not to suggest their performance was crudely one-dimensional. …”
And she enjoyed Brahms’ Symphony No 1, saying, “The large string section was a treat to listen to, filling the Usher Hall’s expansive space with a beautiful sound for Brahms’s soaring melodies.”
The CSO rehearses in Usher Hall in Edinburgh. Photo: Beth Chalmers & Edinburgh International Festival
Jack reviews The Lego Batman Movie, in theaters on Feb. 10.
Let’s be clear. If I didn’t have an 8-year-old to take me, I never would have gone to that advance screening of the new Lego Batman Movie. But I have to say that both Jack, who is a third-grader, and I thought the latest Lego movie was “awesome.” I admit I was skeptical about how entertaining a nearly two-hour movie filled with animations of superhero minifigs could be.
However, Jack — whose own tabletop explosion of Legos (er, sorry, Lego Bricks) rivals some of Gotham City’s worst scenes of destruction in the movie — was on the edge of his seat. Indeed, so were most of the adults in the room, who (when they weren’t laughing) were no doubt wishing they could put a few scenes on “pause” to get a better look. For instance, the lineup of Batman’s Bat-vehicles in his futuristic Batcave was truly impressive.
Even the credits were fun, with voices by actors such as Will Arnett, Rosario Dawson, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Cera and Siri. (I noticed quite a bit of Apple product placement, as well.)
I won’t divulge the plot. Suffice it to say that The Joker is up to his old tricks, and Batman, a real loner with several personality disorders, ultimately learns the meaning of family with his adopted son, Robin.
Jack’s review
Best part: That would be hard to tell. They were all really good. I would say the battle (in Gotham City). All the action was cool, and it was really funny.
Funniest joke: The password to Batcave.
Animation: It was really good. I don’t know how they did it. They probably just animated it, but they could have built it all out of Legos. But that would take forever.
What you need to know: It’s really good and it’s hilarious, and it has a great story-line. They added a bunch of superheroes and villains, and they also added villains from totally different places, like Harry Potter villains, sea monsters and King Kong.
Fun fact: They added a dark wizard, Voldemort from Harry Potter, and he actually yelled real curses, real Harry Potter spells.
