It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to compose an opera score based on a story with absolutely no likeable characters in it. And even more to compose that score in 12-tone or serial style. But Alban Berg never worried about such things, at least not overly so, and thus was born his opera Lulu. (This was not the ‘Little Lulu’ of comic book fame.) Unhappily he died before quite completing the score, but even had he done so, it’s unlikely this ode to unhappiness would ever have made the list of ‘ten most popular operas’. As Tito Muñoz said in the pre-concert talk, “Lulu is…er…not a nice girl.” This could easily qualify as the understatement of the season.

Nevertheless there are interesting and appealing portions of the Symphonic Pieces from Lulu – a suite drawn from his incomplete score by the composer. In fact, if you didn’t know it was 12-tone in style, you might not tumble to that fact until near the end. The beginning Rondo: Andante and Hymn (not really) is lush with rich orchestral depths to it. There are some small dissonances, to be sure, but also lovely and lyrical solos by concertmaster William Preucil, cellist Richard Weiss and guest James Umble on alto saxophone.

Mr. Umble was featured again in the jazzy Ostinato portion of the second movement, as was Richard Weiner at the vibraphone. Variations present a piquant cabaret-type tune that moves from section to section of the orchestra, as well as changing rhythms. The finale – Adagio – featured the horns, muted, in a sort of laughing mode, although the story at this point is anything but amusing. Still, there was a bit of laughter at the very end, when the music just dwindles down and stops – as though the wind-up victrola suddenly ran out of oomph.

(Music director Franz Welser-Möst chose distinctly different works influenced by unique characters for this week’s concerts by the Cleveland Orchestra: Roman general Coriolanus, Napoleon and Lulu. The concerts this week were on Wednesday and Sunday evenings, as the orchestra went to New York’s Carnegie Hall for a Friday night performance. The New Yorkers heard an extra movement that presents one of Lulu’s arias with soprano soloist.)

Prior to Lulu, we heard Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture, Op. 62. Although both Shakespeare and the German writer von Collin dramatized the story of the Roman General, scholars believe this was actually Beethoven’s first attempt at a tone poem. I thought I detected bits of his upcoming Fidelio in there. Whichever, it was appropriately dramatic in nature, and the performance was both crisp and rich.

However, it was Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 Eroica, op. 55, that was the main attraction. It is virtually impossible to hear this work without being stirred by it, even if you don’t know that this creation moved symphonic music into a new era. It is the bridge between the classical and the romantic, and music was never the same again.

Mr. Welser-Möst set a nice pace for the work, allowing it and the orchestra (not to mention the audience) breathing room. It was neither too fast nor too slow, but was almost languid in portions. The basses sounded fabulous in the opening movement, providing a solid foundation for the momentous music yet to come.

With great poignancy, Frank Rosenwein played the almost mournful oboe solo in the second movement Marcia funebre, before leading into the third movement Scherzo. This is decidedly different music, to be sure, as the three horns perform noble-sounding fanfares and cadences, offset by the insouciant flute solos by Joshua Smith.

The Finale quickly took on the tempo allotted to it – presto – as the entire orchestra created a musical frenzy for an introduction. Beethoven returned to his more dramatic style, however, in which the conductor led with broad gestures and the somewhat languid-paced ending was greeted by tumultuous applause from the very-near capacity audience.

This week (the final subscription concerts) Mr. Welser-Möst conducts a single work – the massive Symphony NO. 8 by Anton Bruckner. There is one more concert to come after this, however, the FREE Composers Connect evening of contemporary music on Saturday, June 5 at 7 pm. For tickets to the Bruckner concert or information about concerts in either week, visit the website: http://www.clevelandorchestra.com or call the ticket office at 216.231.1111.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz, who writes: My most recently published book is Ardenwycke Unveiled (e-book and trade paper). Cerridwen has another contemporary romance from me, But Not For Love, currently available only as an se-book, but perhaps will be in print later this year. I hope to soon get around to completing some of the 30+ incomplete books in my computer!

By the way, Cerridwen has also accepted two of my short stories in their Scintillating Samples (complimentary reads) area: Song of the Swan and Unexpected Comfort. I love photography as well, as you can see here. Occasionally I teach writing workshops and sometimes do editing or ghostwriting on a free-lance basis. But over and above everything else, there’s always been the writing. I can’t imagine my life without it.

And now, after more than a few requests, I’ve started a blog about writing. You can find it here.

WIN $500 by using the free Cool Cleveland app now available for your iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch by clicking here, and for your Android smartphone or tablet by clicking here.

[Click here to return to the current issue of Cool Cleveland]

Some operas take rather well to being moved from the original time and place as intended by composer and/or librettist. Others don’t. However, Gaetano Donizetti’s famous setting of Sir Walter Scott’s 18th century Scottish romance The Bride of Lammermoor moved with surprising ease to Sicily of the 1930s in last week’s production of Lucia di Lammermoor by Opera Cleveland. Scottish Lairds or Sicilian dons – there’s apparently not much difference between them when it comes to family and supposed honor. And the original words were in Italian, anyway.

Director Tomer Zvulun and conductor Dean Williamson combined to keep the production moving smoothly and inevitably toward the notoriously unhappy ending. The stage set by Erhard Rom also made an easy transition from stone castle to stone villa, ably assisted by the frequently sunny lighting by Robert Wierzel. Carol Bailey’s costumes for the men were pretty much dark suits, but the women were mostly garbed in floating, light colors. Except for the white satin wedding gown, of course. (And slinky white teddy—which we don’t usually see—worn beneath it.)

The voices were mostly excellent throughout, especially the two lead tenors. Scott Piper was the unsuitable lover Edgardo, while local favorite Tim Culver was the older, richer man who ended up as husband to the unstable Lucia of Nili Riemer. One might have wished for a slightly larger voice for Lucia, in order to be heard at the upper reaches of the State Theater, but her acting could hardly be improved upon, nor her sense of pitch on the incredibly high notes, especially in her mad scene.

As Lucia’s brother Enrico who manipulates his sister baritone Jordan Shanahan was all bluster and bravado. In smaller roles, Kristopher Irmiter as the family chaplain Raimondo, Nicole Birkland as Alisa, Lucia’s maid/companion, and Philippe Pierce as Enrico’s underling and spy Normanno, all excelled.

At times the stage really looked like a village, it was so full of people! But the chorus was 36 folks and there were an additional 12 supers, which proved very effective. The orchestra was mostly excellent (a few tonal or rhythmic glitches notwithstanding), with special contributions by flutist Sean Gabriel in the mad scene and harpist Jody Guinn. The English surtitles were by Jonathan Dean from Seattle Opera.

Subscriptions are still available for the balance of Opera Cleveland’s season: September brings Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers. For tickets or other information, call 216-575-0903 or visit the web-site: http://operacleveland.com.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz, who writes: My most recently published book is Ardenwycke Unveiled (e-book and trade paper). Cerridwen has another contemporary romance from me, But Not For Love, currently available only as an se-book, but perhaps will be in print later this year. I hope to soon get around to completing some of the 30+ incomplete books in my computer!

By the way, Cerridwen has also accepted two of my short stories in their Scintillating Samples (complimentary reads) area: Song of the Swan and Unexpected Comfort. I love photography as well, as you can see here. Occasionally I teach writing workshops and sometimes do editing or ghostwriting on a free-lance basis. But over and above everything else, there’s always been the writing. I can’t imagine my life without it.

And now, after more than a few requests, I’ve started a blog about writing. You can find it here.

WIN $500 by using the free Cool Cleveland app now available for your iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch by clicking here, and for your Android smartphone or tablet by clicking here.

[Click here to return to the current issue of Cool Cleveland]