|
CoolCleveland.com
July 12, 2010
Review: Cleveland Orchestra @ Blossom 7/11/10
By Thomas Mulready
By the time Giora Schmidt
stepped onto the Blossom Music Center Stage, eyed the audience and
strutted to his position next to the podium, the birds in the rafters of
the outdoor amphitheater were babbling away at full volume. They had
already tweeted their way through Bernstein’s “Symphonic Dances from
West Side Story,” and were well on their way to a featured slot in the
program.
But then 27-year old
Schmidt, performing his Cleveland Orchestra debut with a confident,
open-collared stance, started the Tchaikovsky “Violin Concerto,” and
something happened. The birds, and everyone in the pavilion, perked up
their ears and began listening intently to the incredible sounds
emanating from Schmidt’s very expensive violin. Standing next to
conductor Tito Munoz, also 27 years old, the pair could have been
brothers. Together, they coaxed a delicate, nuanced and thoroughly
expressive Tchaikovsky, not at all full of the bombast one might expect
from a pair of young prodigies. Still, the first movement was so
outrageous as to coax enthusiastic applause from a good portion of the
audience. Of course, that’s more accepted these days, especially for an
outstanding performance. Needless to say, by the end of the Concerto,
the birds, and the audience were enveloped in rapt attention. The
standing ovation only confirmed the venue’s confidence in the two
artists.
The Elgar “Enigma
Variations” were carried off with stately charm, and the Bernstein was
emphatically delightful and inspiring, especially in the rhythm section,
specifically drum set. What could have been a pops gloss turned into a
master class in counterpoint, world rhythms and syncopation. For an
orchestra known for it’s silky smooth strings and “chamber” playing,
they certainly impressed with the aggressive time signatures of the
Bernstein, while carrying it off with a jazzy groove and lilt. Watching
and hearing an entire symphony orchestra stop on a dime, pirouette, turn
around, drop down, jab and parry, then dance into the setting sun, well,
it’s an inspiration to say the least. Best orchestra in the world? They
proved it once again.
Link to original article...
Return to 'Press'
|
