Paavo Järvi and the Cincinnati Symphony a Unity

Posted: Mar 27, 2010 - 2:29:38 AM in: reviews_2010

Paavo Järvi

Music director Paavo Järvi and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra have achieved a remarkable level of empathy and communication in their nine years together. This was shown with stunning clarity on their all-orchestral program March 26 at Music Hall including Mozart's Overture to "The Abduction from the Seraglio," Dukas' "La Peri" and Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade." "Music seduction" for sure.
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CSO's "In Your School" Concert One of the Most Important of the Season

Posted: Mar 24, 2010 - 12:41:26 PM in: reviews_2010

Trumpeter Robert Sullivan with Paavo Järvi and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

For symphony orchestras today (or any day), there is nothing more important than educating the audiences of tomorrow. For that reason alone, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's "In Your School" concert March 23 at Princeton High School in Springdale was one of the most important of the CSO season. Music director Paavo Järvi was in rare form for the performance, which included Arvo Pärt's charming/challenging "Wenn Bach Bienen Gezüchtet hätte" ("If Bach Had Raised Bees . . .") and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4. Soloist was the CSO's stellar new principal trumpeter, Robert Sullivan in Hummel's Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major. CSO assistant conductor Ken Lam opened with the Princeton High School Orchestra in the finale of Britten's Simple Symphony, culmination of a "mini-residency" with the orchestra by Lam and coaches from the CSO.
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Concert Opera a Chamber Orchestra forte

Posted: Mar 23, 2010 - 1:51:07 PM in: reviews_2010

Mark Panuccio

As lovers of chamber music know, classical music close up is to die for. Make that opera and the analogy is even more fitting. The Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra has a tradition of doing superb concert opera. The CCO's March 21 concert at Memorial Hall in downtown Cincinnati wasn't a single opera. Instead there were scenes from "La Boheme," "Otello" and "La Traviata," all with heroines that die at the end. As sung by soprano Melody Moore and tenor Mark Panuccio, who both sang stand-alone arias as well, it was truly "March opera madness."
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Fiesta Filarmonica Buena Musica

Posted: Mar 21, 2010 - 1:20:31 AM in: reviews_2010

Sonia Morales

Classical music from Latin America was the subject at Northern Kentucky University's first-ever "Fiesta Filarmonica" March 19 in Greaves Concert Hall. Jaime Morales, music director of the Clermont Philharmonic Orchestra led the band for a rewarding program including the world premiere of Sonia Morales' "Paisajes" ("Passages") for viola and orchestra. In an additional salute to Women's History Month, the soloist was Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra violist Denisse Rodriguez.
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Jackiw, Remmereit Debut with the Cincinnati Symphony

Posted: Mar 19, 2010 - 9:54:50 PM in: reviews_2010

Stefan Jackiw

There were two debuts at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's March 19 concert at Music Hall. One was guest conductor Arild Remmereit, a Norwegian who has been getting lots of attention recently, particularly by orchestras, like Cincinnati, who are on the lookout for a new music director. Remmereit's reading of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 3 nevertheless seemed overwrought and a bit out of character with Tchaikovsky's most "classical" symphony. Guest artist was violinist Stefan Jackiw, 24, undisputably a major talent, who stirred listeners with Bruch's "Scottish Fantasy."
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Thibaudet, Järvi, CSO Magnifique

Posted: Mar 13, 2010 - 2:20:32 PM in: reviews_2010

Jean-Yves Thibaudet

They called this collaboration between the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra led by music director Paavo Järvi and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet "Magnifique," and so it was with music by Henri Dutilleux, George Bizet and Edvard Grieg. Grieg? Yes, his famous Piano Concerto, in a newly polished reading by Frenchman Thibaudet.
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Zwilich Reigns in Hamilton

Posted: Mar 7, 2010 - 9:51:01 PM in: reviews_2010

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (Florida State University Photo Lab)

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich charmed the citizens of Hamilton, Ohio March 6 with a concert of her music, including her Symphony No. 4, "The Gardens," heard for only the second time since its premiere at Michigan State University in 1999. Doing the honors at New Life Vineyard Church in Hamilton were the Hamilton Fairfield Symphony Orchestra led by music director Paul John Stanberg, members of the HFSO Chorale, a children's choir and hand bell ringers from the community. Soloist in her 1993 Concerto for Horn and String Orchestra was HFSO principal hornist Todd Fitter. And giving the concert punch was Zwilich's 1996 "Peanuts Gallery" for piano and orchestra performed by Kenneth Danielson, winner of the orchestra's 2009-2010 young artist competition.
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Penderecki, Thomas Works Powerful in Midwest Premiere

Posted: Mar 1, 2010 - 12:18:00 AM in: reviews_2010

Augusta Read Thomas

The central division convention of the American Choral Directors Association, held in Cincinnati Feb. 24-26, included the Midwest premiere of two important choral works, Krzysztof Penderecki's 1996 Credo and Augusta Read Thomas' 2000 "Ring Out, Wild Bells, to the Wild Sky." Delivering a handsome performance Feb. 27 in Corbett Auditorium at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music were the CCM Philharmonia Orchestra, CCM Chamber Choir and Chorale, Cincinnati Children's Choir and more than a dozen vocal soloists. Conducting was Earl Rivers, director of the choral studies program and head of the division of ensembles and conducting at CCM.
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Swedish Radio Choir Awe-Inspiring in Cincinnati Debut

Posted: Feb 25, 2010 - 2:26:32 PM in: reviews_2010

The Swedish Radio Choir is without doubt one of, if not the world's greatest a capella choir. Shaped and nurtured for 30 years by the legendary Eric Ericson, there seem to be no vocal challenges these 32 singers cannot meet. Led by guest conductor Ragnar Bohlin, the choir made its Cincinnati debut at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral Feb. 24 in music by Hugo Alfven, Ned Rorem, Gustav Mahler, Sven David Sandström, J.S. Bach, Anders Hillborg and Frank Martin.
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Sun and Shadow at the CCO

Posted: Feb 22, 2010 - 2:51:27 AM in: reviews_2010

Roberto Diaz

How do you say "It's gonna rain" in Russian? The Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra led by music director Mischa Santora said it with Prokofiev and Alfred Schnittke Feb. 21 at Memorial Hall. There was sunshine, too, in Tchaikovsky. Guest artist, with both points of view, was violist Roberto Diaz.
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A Newcomer at the Cincinnati Symphony

Posted: Feb 20, 2010 - 9:32:51 AM in: reviews_2010

Hans Rott

Music director Paavo Järvi and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra juxtaposed Brahms and Hans Rott on its concert Feb. 19 at Music Hall. How fitting, since it was Brahms who allegedly helped send the young composer to any early grave. Rott, it seems, brought his Symphony in E Major to Brahms for his comments, which were negative. Rott later slipped into insanity and died of tuberculosis in a mental asylum at age 25.
Guest artist Janine Jansen did the honors for Brahms with his Violin Concerto.
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Järvi and the CSO Play the Hall

Posted: Feb 17, 2010 - 2:15:03 AM in: reviews_2010

Paavo Järvi

Paavo Järvi and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra performed their third concert together at New York's Carnegie Hall Feb. 15 with pianist Radu Lupu. They had a hall with fabled acoustics to perform in and played it accordingly. Their program of Ravel, Bartok, Bach/Webern and Witold Lutoslawski was tailored for the occasion and presented the orchestra -- and Carnegie Hall -- at their very best.
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Meaty, Engaging Program Set for Carnegie Hall by Järvi and the CSO

Posted: Feb 13, 2010 - 6:25:41 AM in: reviews_2010

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi music director

Music director Paavo Järvi and the Cincinnati Symphony previewed the program they will take to New York's Carnegie Hall Feb. 15 in subscription concerts Feb. 12 and 13 in Cincinnati's Music Hall. It is a substantial and enticing program, with four 20th-century works: Ravel's "Mother Goose" Suite, Bartok's Piano Concerto No. 3 with guest artist Radu Lupu, Anton Webern's orchestration of the Fuga Ricercare from Bach's "The Musical Offering" and last, but not least, the Concerto for Orchestra by Witold Lutoslawski.
The Feb. 12 concert promised a successful appearance at Carnegie Hall, the third by Järvi and the CSO in the legendary Manhattan venue and their last in New York together. Estonian-born Järvi, CSO music director since 2001, announced in January that he will not renew his contract with the orchestra when it expires at the end of the 2010-2011 season.
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Slobodeniouk Auspicious in CSO debut

Posted: Feb 5, 2010 - 6:20:29 AM in: reviews_2010

Dmitri Slobodeniouk (photo by Svenna Martens)

Dmitri Slobodeniouk, a rising star in Europe, picked a portentous time and place to make his North American debut. As guest conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra February 4 at Music Hall, he came to an orchestra that is searching for a new music director. Current CSO music director Paavo Järvi announced in January that he will leave the orchestra at the end of the 2010-2011 season, thus casting a spotlight on the Music Hall podium and those who will cross it during the coming months. With an all-Tchaikovsky program to buoy him, including the Symphony No. 4 and Serenade for Strings, Op. 38, the 34-year-old Russian acquitted himself handsomely.
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Pops "Remix" in the Mood for Romance

Posted: Feb 3, 2010 - 10:59:23 PM in: reviews_2010

Jim Brickman

Cincinnati Pops associate conductor Steven Reineke led the band and Jim Brickman tickled the ivories for a Pops "Remix" show Jan. 31 at Music Hall that looked ahead to Valentine's Day. Vocalists Anne Cochran and Mark Masri and sensational electric violinist Tracy Silverman helped warm the hall on a cold night.
(first published in the Cincinnati Enquirer Feb. 2, 2010)
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