From Music in Cincinnati

Tops in 2005

Posted in: 2005

By Mary Ellyn Hutton
Dec 1, 2005 - 2:22:11 PM

For those who enjoy lists and cogitations on the cusp of the New Year, I offer mine, culled from the events of 2005 in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

Firsts first:

[] Cincinnati Opera opened its new $4 million headquarters in the renovated north wing of Music Hall in January, providing an anchor presence in the 127-year-old landmark on Elm Street in Over-the-Rhine and further impetus for the revival of Cincinnatiâ€™s sadly-neglected historic inner city (see story in Features).

[] The Cincinnati May Festival experienced its first visit in 25 years by former music director James Levine, who led a stirring Berliozâ€™ Requiem May 28 in Music Hall (Reviews).

[] Cincinnati Opera staged its first commissioned work, "Margaret Garner" by Richard Danielpour (libretto by Toni Morrison) July 14 at Music Hall, providing not only a musical event of the first order, but a controversial look back at the local history upon which the opera is based (Features, Reviews).

[] The first concert of the 2005-06 Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra season, Beethovenâ€™s Ninth Symphony, led by music director Paavo JÃ¤rvi, was a sellout, a rare event in 3,516-seat Music Hall, the largest concert hall in the U.S. JÃ¤rvi, who wants to downsize the hall, expressed his gratification at seeing it full at a post-concert reception in the foyer (Reviews).

[] In October, conductor Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra (the CSO in red blazers) made their first tour of China and Singapore with music from films and Broadway, including selections from the brand new Chinese blockbuster, "Wu Ji" (News).

Top dozen performances:

[] Paavo JÃ¤rvi and the CSOâ€™s Nordic-themed concert in New Yorkâ€™s Carnegie Hall January 19 after being grounded by a blizzard (Delta Airlines opened a same-day flight to New York to get them there). The "white night" comprised Sibeliusâ€™ Symphony No. 5 (a JÃ¤rvi signature), Symphony No. 8 ("Autumnal Fragments") by Finnish composer Aulis Sallinen and the Grieg Piano Concerto with pianist Lars Vogt (Reviews).

[] Music director James R. Cassidy and the Kentucky Symphony Orchestraâ€™s multi-media "The Miraculous Mandarin" by Bartok January 16 in Greaves Concert Hall at Northern Kentucky University. This cutting edge event featured live video feed of the pantomime, stage directed by Cheryl Couch from the band room in Greaves Hall. Music, acting and production values were outstanding, and the production would make a potent marketing tool for the enterprising KSO (Reviews).

[] Chamber music! Complete cycles of Bartokâ€™s String Quartets by the Colorado Quartet and Beethovenâ€™s Piano Trios by the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Chamber Music Cincinnati (formerly the Cincinnati Chamber Music Society). The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music hosted both series Bartok in Corbett Auditorium, Beethoven in Werner Hall. (Reviews, January and March).

[] The Cincinnati premiere of Dominick Argentoâ€™s challenging "Voyage of Edgar Allan Poe" by the CCM opera department in Corbett Auditorium May 12. This chilling work, conducted by Mark Gibson and co-directed by Sarah Bernhard and Isabel Milenski, demonstrated both the vision and continuing prowess of CCM (Reviews).

[] Shostakovichâ€™s Symphony No. 13, "Babi Yar," May 21 at Music Hall. A symphonic "profile in courage" (Poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko and Shostakovich), given a shattering performance by May Festival music director James Conlon, the CSO, men of the May Festival Chorus and bass Daniel Sumegi (Reviews).

[] Berliozâ€™ Requiem with guest conductor/Cincinnati native James Levine leading the CSO, May Festival Chorus and tenor Matthew Polenzani May 28 at Music Hall. Welcome back, maestro (see above).

[] Cincinnati Operaâ€™s "Margaret Garner" by Richard Danielpour/Toni Morrison, with soprano Denyce Graves as Margaret), baritone Gregg Baker as Robert, soprano Angela Brown as Cilla and baritone Rod Gilfry as slave master Edward Gaines, July 14 at Music Hall. With its local historical connections and not a ticket to be had, this was the musical event of the year (see above).

[] Paavo JÃ¤rvi and the CSOâ€™s "ode to joyous" 05-06 season opener, a sellout Beethovenâ€™s Ninth Sept. 17 at Music Hall. Soloists were soprano Camilla Tilling, mezzo-soprano Jane Gilbert, tenor Stanford Olsen and baritone Stephen Powell, with the May Festival Chorus (see above).

[] The return of CSO music director emeritus Jesus Lopez-Cobos, who led the orchestra in a remarkable performance from memory of Brucknerâ€™s Eighth Symphony Oct. 14 and 15 at Music Hall. Too bad Telarc didnâ€™t let the Spanish born master complete his cycle of Brucknerâ€™s symphonies while he was at the helm in Cincinnati (1986-2001) (Reviews).

[] JÃ¤rvi and the CSOâ€™s eloquent, gripping traversal of Danish composer Carl Nielsenâ€™s quirky Symphony No. 6 and Sibeliusâ€™ haunting "Tapiola" Nov. 11 at Music Hall. At 43, JÃ¤rvi is wonderfully versatile, but his heart and soul remain Nordic (Reviews).

[] Pianist Awadagin Prattâ€™s inaugural recital as artist-in-residence at CCM Dec. 1 at Werner Hall. Serious, strenuous and exciting, capped by Bachâ€™s Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D Minor and the Bach/Busoni Partita in D Minor (originally for violin) (Reviews).

[] The jaw-dropping joint recital by students of NKU artist-in-residence and master teacher Sergei Polusmiak Dec. 2 in Greaves Hall. To have heard Polusmiak accompany daughter Anna Polusmiak in Lisztâ€™s "Totentanz" was like being yanked by the scruff of the neck into a work of sheer visceral excitement. Others to watch: Dmitri Shelest and Anna Sysun (from Ukraine), Yulia Yunn (Uzbekistan) and Loren Fishman (Bexley, Ohio) (Features).