Review: CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA--IMPRESSIONS IN SOUND (AX PLAYS CHOPIN) at Severance Hall

SEVERANCE HALL shimmers with lush sounds in its "Impressions in Sound" concert

Roy Berko

Severance Hall, the home of the Cleveland Orchestra, sparkled brightly this past week. It was not only the stunning art deco Mandel Concert Hall, with its shining gold and silver vine covered ceiling, but it was the amazing symphonic sounds which emanated from the ensemble, as conducted by guest conductor Alan Gilbert.

"Impressions in Sound," inspired by the esprit of French art and literature and its influence on music, consisted of D'un matin de printemps ("On a spring Morning"), Piano Concerto No 2 in F minor Opus 21, Rocaná and La Mer ("The Sea").

Lili Boulanger, the composer of D'un matin de Printemps was a musical child prodigy. Unfortunately, due to a series of chronic illnesses, she died when she was 25.

Her last work, D'un Matin de Printemps, was originally composed as a duet for violin and piano, and was adapted into various versions, including an orchestral arrangement, which is what the Cleveland Orchestra chose to open this week's program.

The short, tonal piece is strong on melodies and solo lines, as well as complicated rhythmic twists and turns.

Unlike many of her other works, which are darker in character and harmony, D'un Matin de Printemps is full of fresh and joyful sounds. It was delightful to hear the masterful orchestra play this less than five-minute experience.

The second offering, The Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21, was a concerto composed by Frederic Chopin in 1829. In this playing, it featured the piano skills of Emanuel Ax.

Chopin's music, his status as one of music's earliest celebrities, his indirect association with political insurrection, his high-profile love-life, and his early death at age 39 have made him a leading symbol of the Romantic era.

Playing with a style that could be classified as "lighter than air," Ax inhabited every twist and turn of the composition. His body swayed in time to the music. Even when he wasn't playing, he intently watched the musicians, moving along with their playing.

His piano styling was lively and precise, bringing the music to life. He often played so softly that the piano whispered to the audience, yet none of the notes were overpowered by the orchestra.

This was the master of the keyboard at his finest, playing a classical piece of music, with a world class orchestra, led by a masterful conductor.

The audience demanded an encore, and Ax obliged with a delightful solo rendition of Chopin's Nocturne in F-Sharp Major, Op. 15 No. 2.

The third selection, Rocaná, was composed by Korean born Unsuk Chin.

The composer relates that in Rocaná she conceived that the music was like beams of light and their distortion, refraction, reflections, and undulations.

The title is Sanskrit and means "room of light."

The music in Rocaná flows uninterruptedly, which Chin refers to as a "tonal sculpture."

As she explains, "The music at times gives the impression of stasis, subtle impulses, interactions, and reactions are continually present. Certain elements appear time and again, yet always in varied form. They are not developed: they instead lead seamlessly into one another and blend, forming new interactions and processes," much like a Calder mobile in motion.

The composer once pointed out that because of her cultural background she has "a certain aversion to the sound world produced by traditional symphony orchestras rooted in 19th-century aesthetics, and feels a great deal of affinity for non-European musical cultures. That is why I always try to introduce a completely different color into my compositions based on my experience of non-European music."

The Cleveland Orchestra Thursday night audience, used to hearing classical tonal music, seemed flummoxed and disorientated by the often-atonal sounds, which was not always pleasant to the ears, created by percussion, including Japanese gongs and temple bells, which are often associated with Asian music.

Some, like myself, seemed to be enthralled by the music, which concluded to polite applause, and several standing and cheering members of the audience.

In contrasting style, the closing offering, Debussy's La Mer (The Sea), is a lush, melodic, visual-encouraging music, which captures the essence of the sounds of the ocean. It reflects the creativity of Impressionist painters who influenced the young composer, while he lived a bohemian lifestyle in Paris.

Debussy, in turn, influenced generations of composers to follow his evocative masterpiece. Benjamin Britten created a cycle of pieces from his opera Peter Grimes called Sea Interludes. Vaughan Williams wrote the well-respected Sea Symphony, and Ravel has many pieces about the ocean. Locally, Solon's Alex Berko's AMONG THE WAVES, which was premiered in 2018 by Monterey Symphony, created a kaleidoscopic wash of color and merging of harmony evoking visual and other sensory images of the sea.

The audience was enchanted by La Mer obviously carried to the sea's many moods by the sounds of the orchestra. The applause was long and appreciative.

Capsule judgment: Cleveland Orchestra's "Impressions in Sound" was a superb evening of music. The well-selected compositions, the quality of the orchestra, the piano skills of Emanuel Ax, and the directing acumen of conductor Alan Gilbert all blended together to create a very special musical experience! Bravo!!

Next Up: Tetzlaff Plays Beethoven, April 14, 15 and 16. For tickets call 216-231-1111or go to www.clevelandorchestra.com