Read an appreciation for CSO music director emeritus Jesús López-Cobos, who died of cancer on March 2 at age 78 by clicking here. During his 15-year tenure with the CSO, he made many contributions.
The CSO’s March 23-24 concerts will be performed in his memory.
You can read some comments in appreciation of the maestro, his CSO recordings and more on Norman Lebrecht’s blog, Slipped Disc.
Classical Roots Community Mass Choir Photo provided
This year’s “Classical Roots” concert will explore Music Hall’s history as a gathering place for a wide spectrum of Cincinnati’s society.
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s “Under One Roof,” led by Pops conductor John Morris Russell, will take place at 7:30 p.m. on April 20 in Music Hall. The program will illuminate Music Hall’s history — both as a great concert venue for the orchestra in the main hall and as a community gathering place that hosted many of the greatest jazz, soul, rock and R&B artists of the 20th century in the Greystone Club. Today that space in the South Hall is known as the Music Hall Ballroom.Read More »
One of the Terracotta Warriors, Middle Ranking Officer, coming to CAM in April. Photo provided
Perhaps you saw the news this week that Chinese officials are angered that someone has vandalized a Chinese terracotta warrior currently on display at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Although the incident occurred in December, museum officials didn’t become aware of it until January.
It is not the same exhibition that will travel to Cincinnati Art Museum, “Terracotta Army: Legacy of the First Emperor of China” (April 20-Aug. 12).
According to reports, a 24-year-old Delaware man was attending an after-hours “Ugly Sweater” Christmas party at the Philadelphia museum, when he managed to take a “selfie” and allegedly also break off and steal the thumb of one of the statues. The FBI tracked him down and charged him with theft. That particular warrior is estimated to be worth $4.5 million.Read More »
Michael Leopold performing on the theorbo. Photos courtesy of Stephen Winter
My musical experiences last weekend ranged from hearing Early Baroque music played on the theorbo to attending Cincinnati Ballet’s groundbreaking “Carmina Burana” in Music Hall.Read More »
Lutenist Christopher Wilke, left, and Jennifer Roig- Francoli on Baroque violin in a 2017 Caladrian Ensemble concert at Old St. Mary’s Church. Photo by Tina Gutierrez
You may not know it, but Cincinnati has a thriving early music scene. With the Cincinnati Early Music Celebration in full swing, there’s no better time to sample it than this month.
Early music can be described as music written before 1750 from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque periods. Practitioners try to perform it as authentically as possible on period instruments, such as lute, viola da gamba, recorder and harpsichord.
“We are spotlighting groups that do this,” said Christopher Wilke, organizer of this year’s Cincinnati Early Music Celebration. “We are not served by the mainstream classical community. It just falls between the cracks of what we know in America as classical music.”Read More »
Louis Langrée and The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra will be waiting and watching on Sunday (Jan. 28) to see whether they win their first Grammy Award together when the Grammys air live on CBS from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The 60th Grammy Awards airs from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on CBS, in the first Grammy telecast from New York in 15 years.
The orchestra is up for two Grammy Awards for the groundbreaking album, “Concertos for Orchestra,” recorded live in Music Hall (before the renovation). It is nominated in the “Best Orchestral Performance” category, as well as for “Best Contemporary Classical Composition” for Zhou Tian’s score on the album.Read More »
In case you’re wondering what the music might be in tomorrow night’s concert of the Violins of Hope at Music Hall, I’ve asked Evans Mirageas, who is curating the event, to give us a few hints. Here are the musical selections to expect on the program:
Mendelssohn’s Octet (Scherzo) and Gideon Klein’s “Partita for Strings” — The Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra under music director Eckart Preu
Saint-Saens’ “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso” — Giora Schmidt, violinist and Elena Kholodova, pianist
Weiner, “Yossel der Klezmer” — Simon Barrad, baritone; Giora Schmidt, violin and Ksenia Polstiankina, piano
Traditional, “El Malei Rachamim” — Simon Barrad, baritone; Ksenia Polstiankina, piano
Bruch, “Kol Nidrei” — Ilya Finkelsteyn, cello, Michael Chertock, piano
Prokofiev, Sonata For Two Violins (excerpts) — Gershon Gerchikov and Alexandra Kazovsky, violins (members of the Ariel Quartet)
J.S. Bach, Concerto for Two Violins, Strings and Continuo — Kathryn Woolley and Stefani Collins Matsuo, violins; Members of the CSO, Louis Langrée, conducting
The violin with a Jewish Star inlaid on the back was likely played by a Klezmer musician. Jim Nolan, photo
Avshalom “Avshi” Weinstein carefully lifted one of the violins that his family of master violin makers in Tel Aviv, Israel, had lovingly restored. Its varnish was beautiful. Turning it over, he pointed out the ornate, inlaid Star of David on its back.
“Most of these instruments were simple, because those people didn’t have much money,” Weinstein said, noting that this was not a high-quality violin. “Many played Klezmer (music) in their ghettos. This type of instrument with the Star of David would be played by Klezmers (Jewish folk musicians). They had no money, almost nothing.”
Avshalom “Avshi” Weinstein in his workshop
That violin with the Star of David is one of nine Holocaust-era violins that Weinstein hand-carried to Cincinnati this week. They will be played on Tuesday by some of Cincinnati’s finest musicians in a special concert at Music Hall.Read More »
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 »
