Concert:nova's "Carnival of the Animals" a Keeper

Posted: May 24, 2010 - 5:31:48 PM in: reviews_2010

Swan at Cincinnati's Spring Grove Cemetery (photo by Mary Ellyn Hutton)

Cincinnati's experimental chamber group concert:nova scored a bullseye with its "Carnival of the Animals" May 23 in the studios of Cincinnati Ballet on Central Parkway in Over-the-Rhine. The multi-media work interleaves Saint-Saens' beloved classic with newly composed pieces by 15 composers. Conducted by Annunziata Tomaro, it was performed in collaboration with members of Cincinnati Ballet, including retiring principal dancer Kristi Capps. Composers who contributed to the project: Juan Campoverde, Danny Clay, Charles Coleman, George Flynn, Ellen Harrison, Mara Helmuth, Joel Hoffman, Jennifer Jolley, Douglas Knehans, Inez McComas, Douglas Pew, Jeff Silva, Jerod Sommerfeldt, Kurt Westerberg and Wenhui Xie.
- [Read more]

"Slava" to the 2010 May Festival

Posted: May 23, 2010 - 6:15:34 PM in: reviews_2010

James Conlon

"Slava" ("Glory"), "Hallelujah" or what you will, the 2010 Cincinnati May Festival ended on a note of triumph May 22 at Music Hall. The program, led by long-time music director James Conlon, was all-Russian, comprising Rachmaninoff's one-act opera "Aleko," the Prologue and Coronation Scene from Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov" and the "1812" Overture by Tchaikovsky. Conlon led the 125-voice May Festival Chorus and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra with a cast of outstanding vocal soloists.
- [Read more]

May Festival's "St. Matthew Passion" an Event

Posted: May 16, 2010 - 10:48:31 PM in: reviews_2010

Andrea Mantegna, "Calvary"

The Cincinnati May Festival made Bach's "St. Matthew Passion" an event May 15 at Music Hall. Not only was it the oratorio's first appearance on a May Festival program in a quarter-century, but it had a multi-media aspect. Images of great art works dealing with the Passion story were projected onto a screen above the stage during the performance. May Festival music director James Conlon conducted the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and May Festival Chorus, with tenor John Aler (Evangelist), bass-baritone William McGraw (Jesus), soprano Rebekah Camm, mezzo-soprano Erica Brookhyser, tenor Paul Appleby, bass James Creswell and the Cincinnati Boychoir. - [Read more]

That's How It's Done, Folks!

Posted: May 15, 2010 - 4:11:12 PM in: reviews_2010

Bugs Bunny in "Baton Bunny" (1959)

The Kentucky Symphony Orchestra led by music director James R. Cassidy took the cartoon music theme further May 14 at the Frances K. Carlisle Performing Arts Center in Covington, Kentucky. With the help of author, cartoon music expert Daniel Goldmark, composers Steve and Julie Bernstein and voice actor Rob Paulsen, they showed how it is done. To illustrate, they screened classic cartoons and cartoon clips, from Bugs Bunny to Freakazoid. Merry melodies indeed!
- [Read more]

"Of Mice and Men" To Die For

Posted: May 14, 2010 - 4:43:08 PM in: reviews_2010

John Christopher Adams as Lennie and Noel Bouley as George in Carlisle Floyd's "Of Mice and Men" at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Carlisle Floyd's opera "Of Mice and Men" is as touching as the poem by Robert Burns from which its title comes ("To a Mouse"). ("The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley," i.e. "often go awry.") The opera department of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music gave it a production to match May 14 in CCM's Corbett Auditorium. Directed by Nicholas Muni and conducted by Mark Gibson with a cast of remarkable singing actors, it aimed straight for the heart.
- [Read more]

May (Festival) Time in Cincinnati

Posted: May 13, 2010 - 2:37:21 PM in: reviews_2010

Cincinnati May Festival in Music Hall

The Cincinnati May Festival is the aristocrat of Cincinnati arts events, having helped define its culture since the 19th century. The May Festival, oldest continuing choral festival in the Western Hemisphere, is May 14-22 at Music Hall, the Cincinnati landmark built for it in 1878. Music director James Conlon will conduct three of the four Music Hall concerts. Robert Porco, who is beginning his 21st season as director of choruses for the May Festival, conducts a program May 21 that will include the world premiere of "Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Rocking" by Ian Krouse, commissioned for Porco by members and alumnae(i) of the May Festival Chorus. Highlights of this year's festival include Bach's "St. Matthew Passion," Mozart's Mass in C Minor, Walton's "Belshazzar's Feast" and an all-Russian program including the Prologue and Coronation Scene from Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov" and Rachmaninoff's one-act opera "Aleko." The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra performs for all May Festival concerts.
- [Read more]

Järvi Ends 9th CSO Season Over the Rainbow Bridge

Posted: May 9, 2010 - 11:10:51 PM in: reviews_2010

Paavo Järvi

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra music director Paavo Järvi ended his ninth and next-to-last season with the orchestra May 6 and 8 at Music Hall. It was a splendid journey for an almost full house and with selections from Wagner's "Ring" cycle on the program, took listeners over the rainbow bndge. Guest artist in an uncommon performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 was Alexander Toradze.
(first published in the Cincinnati Enquirer May 8, 2010)
- [Read more]

Side by Side

Posted: May 6, 2010 - 12:29:32 AM in: reviews_2010

Ken Lam

The Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra looks forward each year to making music with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. The annual "side by side" concert matches the young musicians stand by stand with their CSO counterparts and also presents the winner of the CSYO's annual concerto competition in a solo performance with the combined orchestras. This year's winner, CSYO principal cellist Ben Stoehr, made an impressive debut in the first movement of Elgar's Cello Concerto. CSYO conductor/CSO assistant conductor Ken Lam and CSO music director Paavo Jarvi led excerpts from Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet" and the finale of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony, respectively.
- [Read more]

MacMillan's "Seven Last Words" Beyond Words

Posted: May 4, 2010 - 1:46:15 AM in: reviews_2010

James MacMillan

You don't know what hit you when you hear Scotsman James MacMillan's "Seven Last Words from the Cross." That's how it felt in Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel at Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati May 2. Making it happen were Cincinnati's Vocal Arts Ensemble and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, led by VAE music director Donald Nally. Also on the program were Brahms' "Nänie," Bo Holten's "Tallis Variations" and John Tavener's "The Bridegroom."
- [Read more]

Storgårds' Sibelius Puts Him in the Running for the CSO

Posted: May 1, 2010 - 6:27:09 AM in: reviews_2010

John Storgårds

Finnish conductor John Storgårds put himself in the running for music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra with Sibelius' Symphony No. 2 April 30 at Music Hall. Audience response was enthusiastic and Storgårds joins the string of guest conductors and possible candidates slated to appear before the orchestra in the months ahead. CSO music director Paavo Järvi will leave the post at the end of the 2010-11 season. Guest artists on the concert were violinist Baiba Skride, cellist Jan Vogler and pianist Lauma Skride in Beethoven's Triple Concerto.
- [Read more]

Belcea Quartet Brings Choice Program to Cincinnati

Posted: Apr 28, 2010 - 10:48:51 PM in: reviews_2010

Belcea Quartet

England's award-winning Belcea Quartet ended Chamber Music Cincinnati's 2009-2010 season April 27 at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory on a high note. As high, you might say, as first violinist Corina Belcea-Fisher's left hand on her Stradivarius violin. Heard on the choice program were Beethoven's Quartet Op. 18, No. 6 ("Malinconia"); Karol Szymanowski's Quartet No. 1 in C Major, Op. 37; and Bartok's Quartet No. 1, Sz. 40, Op. 7.
- [Read more]

Polusmiak Undeterred by Eyjafjallajökull Cancellation

Posted: Apr 26, 2010 - 3:42:03 PM in: reviews_2010

Sergei Polusmiak

Another casualty of Eyjafjallajökull -- the Icelandic volcano whose eruption grounded flights in Europe in mid-April -- was the recital by tenor Mark Panuccio and Sergei Polusmiak April 25 at Northern Kentucky University's Greaves Hall. Polusmiak carried on handsomely, however, with a solo recital that might have been called "love conquers all." On the program were romantic works by Liszt, Chopin and Schumann, including Liszt's "Sonetto del Petrarco" No. 104, "Liebestraum" and "Isolde's Liebestod" and Schumann's Grand Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp Minor, "Florestan and Eusebius."
- [Read more]

Volcano Brings Kuerti and Ngwenyama to Cincinnati

Posted: Apr 24, 2010 - 1:10:08 AM in: reviews_2010

Julian Kuerti

Both music director Paavo Järvi and and guest artist Isabelle van Keulen had to cancel their April 23-25 performances with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra when the ash cloud from erupting Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull halted flights from Europe. "Look for the silver lining," the old song goes. For the CSO, that meant guest conductor Julian Kuerti and violist Nokuthula Ngwenyama. - [Read more]

What's for Dinner?

Posted: Apr 19, 2010 - 5:35:36 PM in: reviews_2010

Naomi Lewin

Leave it to concert:nova, Cincinnati's boundary-busting chamber group, to tickle the fancy of music (and art) lovers. Their multi-media event April 18 at the Midwest Culinary Institute in Cincinnati encompassed music, drama, film and cooking, with "The Four Seasons" as represented by Vivaldi, Piazzolla and Aaron Jay Kernis and a post-concert meal by chefs of the MCI.
- [Read more]

Take Flight with the CSO

Posted: Apr 17, 2010 - 11:10:49 AM in: reviews_2010

Mark Wigglesworth

Brahms, Haydn and John Pickard, two of them in subscription concert premieres, gave the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra a lift on its April 16 concert at Music Hall. Guest conductor Mark Wigglesworth introduced Haydn's Symphony No. 90 and Pickard's "The Flight of Icarus" -- a span of two centuries separating them -- and presided over a performance of Brahms' Double Concerto for Violin and Cello featuring CSO concertmaster Timothy Lees and guest artist/cellist Alisa Weilerstein.
- [Read more]