Music of Unsuk Chin and Richard Strauss at Severance

As befits the shortest month of the year, this evening’s Cleveland Orchestra program at Severance Hall, which featured guest conductor  Alain Altinoglu and cellist Alisa Weilerstein, was about the briefest I’ve ever encountered at a Classical music concert – just about an hour’s worth of music.  Whatever the program lacked in length was made up for in variety and substance. 

The program opened with Unsuk Chin’s Cello Concerto, composed in 2009, featuring Weilerstein in the solo part.  The work is scored for a large orchestra, supplemented with piano and celeste.  As with subito con forza, which was performed by the orchestra two years ago, Chin seems more interested in orchestration and sonic textures than with thematic development.  Totally atonal, the work shows the continuing influence of Chin’s teacher György Ligeti.  Weilerstein, a frequent and welcome guest in Cleveland, made the most of Chin’s unorthodox writing, which included rasping and scraping – as well as delivering some haunting lyricism in the third movement.  Weilerstein played a short Bach work in a major key as an encore.

The Richard Strauss works followed intermission.  Let’s put one matter front and center: The Cleveland Orchestra has been considered one of the world’s great orchestras for the music of Richard Strauss for nearly 70 years – going back to the George Szell era.  In fact, the first recordings I ever heard of the tone poems featured in this evening’s concert were with this orchestra led by Lorin Maazel – way back when I was a teenager.  The recording also featured Strauss’s Death and Transfiguration which, even then, struck me as the greatest of the three.

Altinoglu started with Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, based on the 16^th Century German folk hero.  As the story goes, Till Eulenspiegel, who may or may not have been a real person, was a prankster whose targets were often those in power, including clergy and academics.  Eventually, the authorities caught up with the naughty prankster and, as reflected in the music, he paid the ultimate price with a one-way trip to the gallows.  The 16^th Century was definitely a “tough on crime” era.  But the work’s coda, where the merry theme returns, assures the audience that his spirit lives on.  This is the kind of work which, if played “straight,” will die.  Altinoglu caught the work’s humor and shifted moods effortlessly, helped by pin-point turns by the orchestra.     

The character of Don Juan is more familiar: a rebellious Spanish libertine or, in modern psychobabble, a sex addict.  He also has a gambling problem and kills the father of one of his conquests.  Dude’s got issues.  As with Till Eulenspiegel, Don Juan dies for his sins – but in this case the death is self-inflicted.  Dark stuff indeed.  But the tone poem starts off with a brash major key fanfare, because pursuing and obtaining sex is fun – at least in moderation.  The fact that Don Juan is rebelling against an overly strict father is icing on the cake.  Just don’t fall in love or things will get complicated.  Again, Altinoglu’s conception was a model of phrasing, pacing, and clarity.  The Cleveland Orchestra proved once again that it retains its crown as a great orchestra for this kind of repertoire, and special mention must be made of Nathaniel Silberschlag’s horn solo which featured the most unearthly legato I’ve ever heard from that instrument. 

 

A reminder that Severance Hall's acoustics were 

once far less appealing than they are today.

 

 

Five Days in Cancún

Daniel and I just returned from a five-day vacation in Mexico, our fourth time in that country together.  February is an ideal time to go to Mexico, especially if you live in a climate like those of us in northeast Ohio.  Also, as Cancún is known as a spring break destination, by going in February you’re avoiding the spring breakers – although we saw our share of drunken Americans.  We chose Cancún as our primary destination partly because we hadn’t been there before but mainly because it was served by nonstop flights from two carriers: United and Frontier.  We’ve only flown Frontier once before, a trip to Las Vegas in 2017 where we encountered no difficulties and the flight was like a party.  Many travelers seem to dislike Frontier Airlines.  I think part of the discomfort some feel with Frontier is the DIY aspect of doing business with them.  Everything is done via the app or the automated kiosk at the airport – including tagging your own checked baggage.  Aside from a bit of lagginess with the app, we had no issues and since we were flying internationally, we had to interact with a ticketing agent – who was very nice and helped us resolve a very minor issue.

We awakened at 4am Wednesday the 11th and drove to the airport.  After checking our bag and showing the ticketing agent our passport, we made it through TSA with enough time to grab a quick breakfast and buy some bottled water before going to the gate.  This worked out well for us because food and beverages cost extra onboard.  Our flight to Cancún was uneventful, but people baffle me - Cancún is not the place to bring babies or toddlers, yet our flight had plenty of them.  The plane itself, an Airbus A321neo, was clean and functioned well, but the cabin was designed for efficiency more than comfort.  The seat backs did not recline, did not have touch screens, nor were there chargers on board.  You get what you pay for.  If you can fit these factors into your expectations, Frontier will work fine for you.  Frontier is known for its unique plane livery and the animal tail for our flight down was Chopper, the Great White Shark.  (Our return flight featured Mitch the Wolverine.)

Once we landed at Cancún International Airport, we breezed through border control, got our luggage, and took the ADO bus to the hotel zone.  The bus dropped us off at Plaza la Fiesta, and we grabbed a quick lunch on our way to our hotel of choice, the InterContinental Presidente resort, an IHG hotel.  After multiple travel experiences with Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, and Raddison, I’ve concluded that IHG simply offers the best value for the money.  Our hotel room on the 5th floor was comfortable without being ostentatious.  The resort had three restaurants and a host of amenities.  It also had beachfront access although Dan & I aren’t especially beach oriented.  After settling in, we explored the hotel zone and stopped at Mextreme restaurant for drinks and a small dinner.  Later that evening, we took a taxi to a gay club in downtown Cancún which was nearly empty and where the music was deafeningly loud.  There was another gay club nearby but they had a $20 cover charge and nothing was happening there aside from a drag show and karaoke.  Cancún is not Puerto Vallarta.  So, we called the same taxi driver - who had given us his phone number - and he swung by to return us to our hotel.  This time his young son was in the passenger seat and I showed him photos of the snow in Ohio.

Enjoying a bit of nightlife.

We awakened fairly early Thursday morning and had a fine breakfast which included beef tips and chilaquiles in the hotel’s beachside restaurant buffet. This was Dan’s birthday and we had an open day to follow our whims.  We took the R2 bus (12 pesos, about 70 cents per rider) to La Isla mall.

Truthfully, there wasn’t much there that you couldn’t find in any US mall.  But we did ride the Ferris wheel which offered some excellent views of the hotel zone.  Then we went to the local cinema and saw “Send Help,” which was presented in English with subtitles in Español.  This was one of those fancy theaters where they bring drinks and snacks to you.  

I gained a bit of weight in Mexico.

Friday the 13th was a lucky day for us and featured a trip to Yucatán including stops at Chichen Itza - which gave us a sense of the pre-Conquistador history of the area, a buffet lunch at La Casona in the small town of Valladolid, and the cenote of Oxman.  An interesting thing we learned is that many residents of this area are of Mayan ancestry and their Español is heavily peppered with Mayan Yucatec words and phrases. The late lunch we had in Valladolid was so generous that we didn’t have room for dinner, although we had a small snack with drinks before turning in for the night. 

Chichen Itza

 After the long trip to Yucatán Friday, we stayed close to Cancún’s hotel zone Saturday.  We did have one excursion out to the bay where we were able to see the underwater ecosystem in a glass bottomed vessel.  From there we walked to the Mayan Museum of Cancún, which has the ruins of a small Mayan village.  The museum itself does not appear to be in very good shape.  This is something we’ve noticed in Cancún: parts are modern, parts are charmingly rustic, and parts are in serious disrepair.  We walked to Plaza la Fiesta that evening for dinner at Casa Tequila and some shopping at the Mexican outlet where we saw an extremely drunk American guy struggling to remain standing.

Daniel outside the Mayan Museum.

Sunday was our last full day here.  We spent two hours on the beach.  The sand here is so white and fine - and the water amazingly clear.  Then we returned to Mextreme for lunch and drinks before a final walk around Plaza la Fiesta.  They say that Cancún is not the “real” Mexico, but we had an enjoyable time.  Still, our next visit to Mexico will likely take us elsewhere - perhaps Zipolite in Oaxaca, or Mexico City.

 

Our return trip to Mextreme.

We awakened early Monday morning for a quick breakfast before checking out and heading to the airport.  As we waited in line to check our luggage, an announcement was made that Frontier’s flight to Philadelphia had been canceled - eliciting a groan from some of those in line.  Meanwhile, an arrogant American bound for Cleveland was berating the ticketing agent for something which was his own mistake.  I always feel the strong urge to speak up to bullies like this, but I held my tongue.  Soon we were checked in, through security, and at gate 53 in terminal 4.

Our flight to Cleveland arrived early, but as usual, US border patrol was a cluster of inefficiency.  This has been a sadly familiar experience, encountered every time we return to the United States, whether at airports in Chicago, Dallas, Charlotte, or Cleveland.  A noteworthy contrast to our experiences with the efficient, friendly border services we've witnessed in London, Barcelona, Puerto Vallarta, and now Cancún.  We retrieved Brownie from boarding around 5pm and were soon home; unpacking, having dinner, relaxing, and planning our next trip. 

Yet another proposed ordinance in South Euclid

One advantage of being old is that, as long as one maintains one's mental faculties, one has a long memory.  I'm old enough to remember when the Mcdonald's on Mayfield Road in South Euclid (which has been rebuilt at least twice) featured signs on the outside proclaiming "CITY ORDINANCE - NO EATING IN CARS."

It recently came to my attention that the South Euclid City Council is considering an ordinance to regulate the removal of large trees on the private property of South Euclid residents.  As a hard-working, tax paying, voting resident of South Euclid, I am strongly OPPOSED to this ordinance. 

When I purchased my home on South Belvoir Boulevard in 2008, there were four large oak trees on my property – two in the front yard, one in the back yard, and one bordering my neighbor’s property.  Over the course of time, it became necessary to remove two of these trees because of the danger they presented to our homes – in fact, a large branch broke from the tree in the back yard and pierced through the roof of my house’s extension, requiring an expensive repair.  Removing large trees is an expensive proposition.  I can assure you that no homeowner makes the decision lightly.  The last thing we need is yet another government commission looking over our shoulders.

City council was fine with this development at Queen Ann Court, which cut down numerous mature trees - which won't be replaced.  But when it comes to removing trees on YOUR property, they want to make the decision for you.

My parents moved to South Euclid in 1971.  From then until 1980 we lived on Queen Mary Drive.  The backyard of our house faced a wooded area.  Since I moved back to South Euclid in 2008, South Euclid has aggressively pursued developments of large tracts of land, including Cutters Creek, Oakwood Commons, and more recently the Queen Ann Court extension and now Trebisky Grove.  These projects have and will result in many large, mature trees being cut down – the vast majority of which will never be replaced.  The chief proponent of this new ordinance has cited the environmental, infrastructural, and mental health benefits of trees.  I have no argument with that.  My question is this: did the proponent or any supporters of this ordinance support any of the developments listed above?  If so, then their advocacy of this ordinance reeks of hypocrisy, because those developments cause far more damage to our environment and strain on our local infrastructure than individual property owners will.  I find it bitterly ironic that City Council now wishes to regulate hard working, tax-paying residents whose aim is merely to maintain their own property as they see fit.  South Euclid homeowners already struggle with some of the highest property taxes in northeast Ohio.  In the final analysis, it is the property owner who is the best judge as to whether to maintain a tree on his own property or remove it, not a city entity.  South Euclid’s population has dropped by some 27% since its peak in 1970.  Don’t give those of us who remain here another reason to leave.

Manacorda and Hadelich with the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance

This weekend’s Cleveland Orchestra concerts featured guest conductor Antonello Manacorda along with the welcome return of one of the greatest violinists of our time, Augustin Hadelich.  The orchestra is fresh from its triumphant performances at Carnegie Hall, where they received rave reviews. 

The concert opened with Mendelssohn’s popular Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64.  This is a composition that balances Classical rigor with Romantic expression, with all three movements linked via bridge passages.  Nearly every violinist of note has performed and recorded this concerto.  Having heard Hadelich several times, I was looking forward to his interpretation and was not disappointed.  Violinist and orchestra delivered a performance which was intimate and emphasized the work’s lyrical aspects.  One highlight was in the central movement where Hadelich’s soaring lyricism held the audience’s rapt attention.  The finale eschewed all shallow virtuosity while not sacrificing brilliance – it was swift without sounding rushed.  A standing ovation was followed by an encore, a bluesy piece that was at once familiar and unfamiliar.

 

Following intermission, Manacorda returned to lead the orchestra in Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony No. 2.  I’m familiar with this work only through recordings and will confess that I have not assimilated it enough to be able to comment on the performance except that the work was delivered with an appropriate starkness.

The closing work was Schubert’s famed Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D. 759, by Schubert – the so-called “Unfinished” Symphony.  Manacorda began the work with stillness, as if it was arising from nothing, making this all too familiar work a mystery once more.  As the introduction segued to the main theme, I was stuck once again by what an unconventional opening movement this is.  Manacorda is one of those rare musicians who understands the importance of silence, and those moments of stillness served to make the movement’s turbulent episodes all the more dramatic – even traumatic.  For those who follow such matters, Manacorda observed the repeat.  The second movement featured a relatively flowing tempo, with the melody in the high violins beautifully floating over the strings.  Again, Manacorda took care to keep the orchestra at a true pianissimo when the score indicated it.  The concert ended in a contemplative and serene mood – far removed from our stressful era.