Cancelled concerts in Cleveland and music in Hudson

The fallout from COVID-19 continues as the Cleveland Orchestra cancelled two concerts this past weekend due to a player testing positive and showing symptoms for COVID-19.  I had been scheduled to attend Saturday night’s concert with guest conductor Thierry Fischer and pianist Tom Borrow – making his Cleveland debut.  A well-connected source has informed me that the affected player was part of the brass section – and we wish the player a safe and speedy recovery.  The nature of wind and brass instruments makes the playing of them while wearing a mask impossible, and at the same time poses a risk to those nearby – the player’s breath, spittle, and germs are literally sent flying.  Thus requiring the player to sit out this concert made sense.  But the cancellation begs the question as to what would have happened it the player was, say, a violinist.  There are enough string players that the orchestra could continue even if a few were unavailable – and in smaller ensemble works the orchestra often utilizes only part of its string section.  Currently, the orchestra is requiring all patrons to be vaccinated, wear masks, and submit to temperature checks upon entry.  Clearly they are doing everything they can to keep local music lovers safe.  But the cancellation also causes one to question what contingencies the orchestra has in the event of further cases among brass and wind players.  Can substitute players be arranged?  It seems to me there is no shortage of gifted young instrumentalists at the nearby Cleveland Institute of Music who would jump at the chance to play with the Cleveland Orchestra.  True, a substitute with limited rehearsal time might result in a performance not having that last bit of polish associated with our orchestra.  But a blooper here or there seems a small price to pay for the continued riches our deservedly world renown orchestra furnishes.  After all, as Toscanini said, “for a few wrong notes no one was ever thrown into jail.”  Despite vaccinations and boosters, it appears COVID-19 and its variants are going to be with us for the foreseeable future.  With audiences willing to take the precautions and endure the mild discomfort of wearing masks, it seems an overreach to hold performances hostage when other contingencies are available.  

The weekend was not entirely bereft of music.  The Hudson based concert series Music from the Western Reserve continued with a duo-pianist recital from husband/wife team Antonio Pompa-Baldi and Emanuela Friscioni.  The program included music by Hindemith, Barber, Debussy, and Rachmaninoff.  All but the Hindemith were familiar to me, and all were exceptionally well played.  Before the concert the pianists engaged in a charming talk about the music, the challenges of duo playing on a single piano, and their personal stories.  At least four more concerts are scheduled for the remainder of the season.