By the time Giora Schmidt stepped onto the Blossom Music Center stage, eyed the audience and strutted to his position next to the podium, the birds in the rafters of the outdoor amphitheater were babbling away at full volume. They had already tweeted their way through Bernstein’s “Symphonic Dances from West Side Story,” and were well on their way to a featured slot in the program.
But then 27-year old Schmidt, performing his Cleveland Orchestra debut with a confident, open-collared stance, started the Tchaikovsky “Violin Concerto,” and something happened. The birds, and everyone in the pavilion, perked up their ears and began listening intently to the incredible sounds emanating from Schmidt’s very expensive violin. Standing together with conductor Tito Munoz, also 27 years old, the pair could have been brothers. Together, they coaxed a delicate, nuanced and thoroughly expressive Tchaikovsky, not at all full of the bombast one might expect from a pair of young prodigies. Still, the first movement was so outrageous as to coax enthusiastic applause from a good portion of the audience. Of course, that’s more accepted these days, especially for an outstanding performance. Needless to say, by the end of the Concerto, the birds, and the audience were enveloped in rapt attention. The standing ovation only confirmed the venue’s confidence in the two artists.
The Elgar “Enigma Variations” were carried off with stately charm, and the Bernstein was emphatically delightful and inspiring, especially in the rhythm section, specifically drum set. What could have been a pops gloss turned into a master class in counterpoint, world rhythms and syncopation. For an orchestra known for it’s silky smooth strings and “chamber” playing, they certainly impressed with the aggressive time signatures of the Bernstein, while carrying it off with a jazzy groove and lilt. Watching and hearing an entire symphony orchestra stop on a dime, pirouette, turn around, drop down, jab and parry, then dance into the setting sun, well, it’s an inspiration to say the least. Best orchestra in the world? They proved it once again.
One Response to “Review: Cleveland Orchestra @ Blossom 7/11/10”
Kathy Warren
What a lovely review, Tom! Wish I’d been there.