Canceled by Reason of Volcano, Surgery and Wherewithal

Eyjafjallajokull erupting April 17 (NASA photo)

With James Levine bowing out of conducting commitments this spring and summer as he undergoes back surgery, it came as no surprise when he canceled his engagement to conduct Wagner's "Die Meistersinger" and a 90th anniversary gala concert for Cincinnati Opera in June.  The announcement was made April 12 by Opera artistic director Evans Mirageas.

It was a cumulative blow for Cincinnati Opera, however.  Last fall, the ailing economy forced the company to scrap its planned new production of "Meistersinger" set in 19th-century Cincinnati and substitute a rental production.  The latest setback, announced April 19 by Cincinnati Opera general director Patricia K. Beggs, is the withdrawal of bass James Morris (Hans Sachs) and soprano Hei-Kyung Hong (Eva) from "Meistersinger."  Morris is also facing surgery and Hong canceled for personal reasons, said Beggs, who indicated that the Opera would announce replacements for them soon.

John Keenan

Stepping in for Levine June 23 and 26 at Music Hall will be John Keenan, an assistant to Levine at the Met with a particular focus on Wagner.  The Opera's 90th anniversary gala concert June 19 at Music Hall will be led by Edoardo Müller, Steven Reineke and Henri Venanzi, previously announced along with Levine.

"No one is more frustrated and saddened than I am to have to relinquish this long planned and much anticipated return to Cincinnati," said Levine in a prepared statement.  "However, my doctors advise that in order to make a full recovery from my impending back surgery I must be prudent about post-operative rehabilitation so that I may return to work in the best shape possible. I will miss this homecoming, but I know John Keenan, the great cast and choruses, and Cincinnati Symphony will deliver a superb set of performances.”  Keenan is also scheduled to conduct Cincinnati Opera's "La Boheme" July 23 and 26 at Music Hall.
  

Paavo Järvi

Meanwhile, the ash cloud hanging over Europe from the eruption of Iceland's Ejyafjallajokull volcano has cast into question the ability of Cincinnati Symphony music director Paavo Järvi to return from Europe for CSO concerts April 23-25 at Music Hall.  (He is currently in Frankfurt where he led the Frankfurt Radio Orchestra last week.  Frankfurt and many other airports in Europe remained closed as of April 19.)  Violist/guest artist Isabelle van Keulen, also stranded in Europe, canceled her guest appearance in Berlioz' "Harold in Italy" because of the widespread flight blackout.

Regarding Järvi,"there is nothing to announce yet," said CSO spokesman Christopher Pinelo April 19 (four days before the opening concert).  Järvi is still scheduled to conduct and will make every effort to get to Cincinnati, Pinelo said.  Due to the wonders of modern technology -- a boon in this instance as opposed to the vulnerability of the jet plane -- Järvi plans to address the orchestra's annual Opus luncheon for long-time subscribers from his laptop computer via the video conferencing application Skype.  The April 21 luncheon will take place as scheduled April 21 in the ballroom at Music Hall.

Nokuthula Ngwenyama

Replacement for van Keulen will be violist Nokuthula Ngwenyama, said Pinelo.  It will be her CSO debut.  The concerts, which will include Berlioz' "Roman Carnival" Overture and Ottorino Respighi's "Pines of Rome," are 11 a.m. April 23, 8 p.m,. April 24 and 3 p.m. April 25 at Music Hall.  Ngwenyama, 33, will participate in a "Classical Conversation" hosted by CSO assistant conductor Vincent Lee one hour before the April 23 and 24 concerts. 

Born in California of Zimbabwean and Japanese parents, Ngwenyama (Thula) won the Primrose International Viola Competition and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions at age 17.  She is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and received a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1997.  She made her Cincinnati debut with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra in November, 2007 in Schubert's "Arpeggione" Sonata and Hugo Wolf's "Italian Serenade," arranged for viola and orchestra.  She has performed widely in the U.S., Europe and Japan, as well as Durban, South Africa.  She has performed at the White House, appeared on "CBS Sunday Morning" and testified before the U.S. Congress on behalf of the National Endowment for the Arts.

See Ngwenyama perform on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/thulamusic
A review of her 2007 Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra concert may be found at http://www.musicincincinnati.com/site/reviews_2007/ccongwenyama1107.html

For further information about the concerts or to buy tickets ($10-$95) visit www.cincinnatisymphony.org