2022 in Review

2022 saw a continuation of the return to normalcy that began in 2021.  I continued my quest to get into better shape that began with my COVID vaccination and return to working out in 2021.  Since May of that year, I have lost over 30 pounds through a combination of diet and exercise – mostly the former.  I didn’t do anything radical: just reduced carbohydrates and sugar, which in turn reduced cravings for food.  That, along with just 30 minutes of exercise six times a week brought my weight down to its lowest point since 2006.  Although I remain overweight, I feel much better and, without wanting to boast, I look better as well.  Being able to work from home, only occasionally going to my employer’s campus, has been a great help to me in my fitness quest: not having to commute saves me over 40 minutes of each day.

Daniel and I continued our travel adventures with an autumn trip to Canada and New England in place of an originally planned trip to Europe.  Travelling by car enabled us to avoid the air travel meltdown that continues to plague North America and Europe, and we saw much that we would have missed. 

On the musical front, after tentatively dipping our toes back into the musical waters of Cleveland in 2021, Daniel and I began regularly attending concerts again.  There were too many concerts to mention comprehensively, but standouts were  Behzod Abduraimov’s fearless performance of Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto and Igor Levit’s effervescent Brahms Second Concerto. 

 

Aside from that, my musical activities have mostly been focused on composing several short works for piano and administrating my Vladimir Horowitz Facebook group.

 

Speaking of COVID, I experienced it in late-May.  At first, it seemed like an ordinary sinus infection, which is common for me as summer approaches.  Then my palms and the soles of my feet turned beet red, prompting me to get tested.  As I had been vaccinated, the symptoms were mild and I lost only one day of work – although it would have been more if I didn’t work from home.  I felt better in short order, but two weeks later the skin on my palms and feet suddenly began peeling off – evidently rejected by my immune system.   

 

In the wider world, Vladimir Putin’s chest-thumping led to Russian’s brutal and illegal occupation of the sovereign nation of Ukraine.  The war has not gone as Putin has expected, thanks to fearless Ukrainian soldiers assisted by weapons from the West, especially the United States.  Further, Western sanctions have nearly crippled the Russian economy, leading to domestic unrest.  I’ve been doing my small part to help but won’t disclose exactly how on this blog.

 

Democrats performed better than expected in the 2022 midterm elections.  They would have held the House if not for aggressive gerrymandering in Republican led states, including Ohio.  Also, too many Americans have become spoiled, entitled brats who decided to whine about inflation while forgetting that the economy was at a dead standstill just two short years ago.  The inflation of the last year is not the result of Democratic or Biden Administration policies, it’s due to the law of supply and demand which is the centerpiece of capitalism: coming out of COVID, there was a sharp increase in demand without the resources to meet those demands due, in part, to a lack of imports from China.  The increased desire for both road and air travel drove fuel prices, which drove up prices for everything else.  Instead of taking logical actions, like driving less or getting more fuel efficient cars, too many Americans decided to crab about it while ignoring our own history: The economic situation in 2021-22 has a parallel with that of 1946-1947, where the conversion from a wartime to a peacetime economy and a generation of servicemen returning home to start families drove not only inflation but a housing shortage.  But while countries like China and Russia are struggling economically, and while Europe and the UK struggle with inflation far more serious than occurred in the United States, the American economy remains relatively sturdy and resistant to attempts by the Federal Reserve Bank to slow it down.  At this point, it’s an open question as to whether President Biden should run again.  Personally, I think he should not.  Biden can decline another nomination and go down in history as among the most successful one-term Presidents, and having done his duty, retire like Cincinnatus, clearing the way for a new generation of leadership.  But anyone who doubts that we’re much better off than we were two years ago needs a reminder of the lockdowns, how hospitals were overrun, and stores and restaurants were closed – and President Biden’s steady leadership is a major factor in changing that. 

 

On a very personal note, 2022 saw the blossoming of a friendship with a person whom I’d known peripherally for years.  The result has been a new perspective on the arc of my life, a renewed sense of purpose, and the slow opening of a heart that’s closed for all but those truly close to me.  My greatest hope is that this friendship continues for as long as I do. 

Petrenko and Abduraimov at Severance

This past Thursday I received the first of two doses of the Shingrix vaccine.  Although I experienced some unpleasant side effects Friday, by Saturday they were mostly resolved so, despite a slightly sore shoulder, I was able to attend the Cleveland Orchestra’s concert of 20^th Century music at Severance Hall featuring guest conductor Vasily Petrenko.  Unfortunately, Daniel has been fighting an annoying sinus infection, so he was unable to join me. 

The first work on the program was Edward Elgar’s concert overture, Cockaigne “In London Town,” a musical tribute to Edwardian era London and a reminder to this listener that he needs to book his flight for a planned spring trip there.  The work’s jaunty rhythms were delivered with crispness and a lack of pomposity, its massive orchestration never overpowering.

Petrenko was joined by pianist Behzod Abduraimov for the concert’s next work: Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 16.  Originally premiered in 1913, the work’s score was lost in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, reconstructed and revised by the composer, and received a second premiere in 1924.  The work is easily the most demanding of Prokofiev’s five piano concertos:  Four sprawling movements, harmonically pungent, truly knuckle-busting in terms of dexterity and stamina required.  The work has grown in popularity over the last few decades, although the contrarian composer seems to have had mixed feelings about it (he advised Vladimir Horowitz to not bother learning the piece, saying “it has too many notes and I don’t like it myself”).

Within two minutes of the work’s quiet, brooding opening, Abduraimov was demonstrating that he was the work’s master, not the other way around.  One must always remember that, despite the pseudo-servile statements made by numerous musicians, one must truly master the music to serve the composer’s vision.  Abduraimov’s technique was truly stunning, not merely in dexterity but in the balancing of notes and lines so that Prokofiev’s dense piano writing was more than merely loud, but made musical sense – thus, the technique served musical ends.  This was combined with a narrative sweep usually lacking in performances of this monster of a concerto – which too often ends up sounding like a jumble of scrambled notes.  Of the many performances, both recorded and live, I’ve heard of this work, this was the most memorable, and far more convincing than the one I heard in here four years ago. 

It has become commonplace to describe staggering feats of virtuosity such as what was heard last night as “effortless”, a term that can devalue the achievement and allow the audience to forget that the marvel came at the expense of countless hours of arduous work.  Last night’s performance was certainly not “effortless”, as witnessed by the pianist mopping his brow with a handkerchief during the rare moments of rest that the concerto allowed.  Abduraimov gave the last ounce of himself and the virtuosity was earned. 

In the end, it was a fearless, convincing, and compelling performance which did more than bring the audience to its feet, but also remained in the mind’s ear for hours afterward.  Petrenko and the orchestra matched the pianist note for note.  Despite the concerto’s exhausting demands, Abduraimov gave a charming encore: an arrangement of the Neapolitan Dance from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

The concert’s second half was devoted to William Walton’s Symphony No. 1, a work that the composer struggled to complete.  Walton was a more eclectic composer than Elgar, his music less obviously British, and it’s clear he was a strong influence on the film compositions of John Williams, both harmonically and in orchestration.  Petrenko and the orchestra delivered the work with brisk tempos, transparent balances, and a lack of unnecessary rhetoric.  But it seemed a bit anti-climactic.  Not that the work itself or the performance were lacking, simply that the Prokofiev was so astonishing.  The audience awarded Petrenko and the orchestra with a hearty ovation, but it was the Prokofiev which lingered for the rest of the evening, as attested by several conversations I overheard while leaving Severance Hall. 

Vladimir Horowitz's approach to concert programming

Vladimir Horowitz was a canny program builder.  He once compared building a great program to planning a fine meal: a light appetizer, a heavier main course, a sweet dessert.  The notion of programming the last three Beethoven Sonatas or the last two Schubert Sonatas was anathema to him.  In fact, single-composer programs were a rare occurrence for Horowitz, with exceptions such as the May 1978 international concert at Carnegie Hall where fans the world over were enticed to hear Horowitz as part of a tourist package.  

Horowitz’s programs demonstrate his desire to thread the needle between musical profundity and entertainment.  The latter principle has taken on a dirty meaning over the decades, but it’s worth noting that the word “entertainment” derives from the Greek word “entrata” which means “to hold” – in this case, the audience’s attention.  But Horowitz would never have stooped to recording an album of Disney tunes, and angrily rejected RCA’s proposal that he record Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue or an album of marches.  He wanted to do things his own way, a principle which extended to his concert programs. 

Almost invariably, Horowitz programmed his concerts around one or two larger works, and with rare exceptions (Rachmaninoff’s Sonata in B-flat minor, Op. 36 or his own arrangement of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition) the large works were performed during the first half of the concert. 

Three concerts played within two months at Carnegie Hall in 1946.  

After his 1965 comeback, Horowitz generally had one program that he mostly stuck with for an entire season, sometimes having additional pieces at the ready in case he played twice in the same city.  For example, during the 1985-1986 season, he alternated between Schumann’s Kreisleriana, Op. 16 and Mozart’s Sonata in C major, K. 330 (with a few additional works to balance out the timing). 

Driven by a dual desire to keep himself musically fresh and give his audiences something new, his programs generally feature at least one work either entirely new to his repertoire or something he had not played in many years.   Here is a partial listing of new/revived solo works, starting in 1951, with (n) indicating a work new to his public repertoire and (t) indicating a work he hadn’t performed publicly in over ten years.  Shorter works including Etudes, Mazurkas, Songs without Words, and the like are not included here.

1951: Mozart: Sonata in B-flat minor, K. 333 (n)

1952-1953: Schubert: Sonata in B-flat major, D.960 (n); Scriabin: Sonata No.9, Op.68 (n);  Liszt/Horowitz: Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 in C-sharp minor (n)

1965: As this was Horowitz’s first concert since 1953, none of the works had been performed within the previous ten years.

1966: Haydn: Sonata in F major, Hob. XVI:23 (n); Schumann: Blumenstück, Op.19 (t); Chopin: Sonata No.2 in B-flat minor, Op.35 (t); Debussy: Preludes & L'Isle Joyeuse (t); Liszt: Vallée d'Obermann (t); Scriabin: Sonata No.10, Op.70 (n)

1967-1968: Scarlatti: Various Sonatas (n); Beethoven: Sonata in A major, Op.101 (t); Chopin: Barcarolle in F-sharp major, Op.60 (t); Polonaise in F-sharp minor, Op.44 (n)

1968: Haydn: Sonata in C major, Hob. XVI:48 (n); Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16 (n); Rachmaninoff: Sonata in B-flat minor, Op. 35 (t)

1969: Scriabin: selected Etudes (r & t); Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13 (arr. Horowitz) (n)

1974: Clementi: Sonata in F-sharp minor, Op.26 No.2 (n); Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op.15 (t); Chopin: Introduction & Rondo, Op.16 (n)

1975-1976: Schumann: Sonata in F minor, Op. 14 (Concerto without Orchestra) (n)

1976-1977: Clementi: Sonata in C major, Op.33 No.3 (n); Liszt: Sonata in B minor (t)

1977-1978: Mozart: Sonata in C major, K.330 (n)

Fauré: Nocturne in B minor, Op.119;  Fauré: Impromptu in F-sharp minor, Op.102 (n)

1978-1979: Schumann: Humoreske, Op.20 (t) (VH had played selections from this work in the 1934-1935 season.)

1979-1980: Rachmaninoff/Horowitz: Sonata No.2 in B-flat minor, Op.36 (t)

1981-1982: Scarlatti: Various Sonatas (n); Liszt: Ballade in B minor

1982-1983: Schumann: Carnaval, Op. 9 (t)

1985-1986: Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16 (t); Liszt: Soirees de Vienne No. 6 (after Schubert) (n)

1987: Mozart: Sonata in B-flat major, K. 333 (t)

 

Visit the Vladimir Horowitz appreciation society on Facebook for curated discussion and tributes to the Maestro.

 

Britten and Stravinsky at Severance

 

A source informed me there were only about 800 tickets sold to last night’s concert at Severance Hall, but that did not prevent a hearty wave of applause when guest conductor Thomas Søndergård and violinist Stefan Jackiw walked onstage to begin the performance.

The concert began with Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto, completed in 1940 but not performed in Cleveland for the first time until 2014.  This is significant because the Cleveland Orchestra has long been known for championing newer music.  Despite the occasional haunting melody, the simple truth is the work has not been performed more often because it is neither appealing nor particularly interesting – it lacks the dramatic unity of Britten’s better works like the War Requiem, Billy Budd, Peter Grimes, or even the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.  It dates from a time when the composer and his partner, Peter Pears - both pacifists - fled to North America as World War II loomed on the horizon in Europe.  The work’s limitations did not prevent soloist Stefan Jackiw from turning in some bewitching playing that featured striking nuances and vibrato. 

Following intermission Søndergård returned to the stage for a complete performance of Stravinsky’s ballet score to The Firebird in the original orchestration.  While appropriately thrilling and colorful, the performance was largely stripped of the cheap effects one often hears in over-engineered recordings.  For example, the violin upper-register glissandi were not highlighted but kept in sotto voce perspective.  Even the famous Infernal dance of King Kashchei, which featured spectacular xylophone playing from the Cleveland percussion, was kept under tight control – but was pretty exciting for all that.

Gardner and Gerstein at Severance

An alarmingly small audience greeted guest conductor Edward Gardner as he walked onstage at Severance Hall last night – the house was approximately half-full.  Why the small audience was a bit of a mystery: Both Schumann and Dvořák are relatively popular composers.  Perhaps people were cautious about attending a live event due to the recent surge of flu and RSV cases.  I’d hate to think that Cleveland’s music lovers only turn out for big-name guests like Michael Tilson Thomas.  For those who missed out, it was their own loss. 

As has been customary recently, the concert included a work by a living composer, Ringed by the Flat Horizon by George Benjamin – composed in 1980 and receiving its first performances in Cleveland this weekend. The piece featured several dissonances made interesting by the juxtaposition of contrasting instruments.  The woodwinds and percussion were effectively used here, and there was an impressive cello solo by principal Mark Kosower.  Unfortunately, an elderly couple seated in our row (W) distracted us with their conversation.

Musically and pianistically speaking, Kirill Gerstein is one of today’s most versatile performers.  He has technique to burn (but never shows off), and his taste in repertoire has led him to music as diverse as Rachmaninoff, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, and tonight’s offering, Schumann’s only Piano Concerto.  A number of well-known pianists, including renowned performers of Schumann’s solo output, never bothered with this concerto – and it has never been my favorite.  The work, too often drowned by pianists in mawkish sentimentality, was given an especially fine performance last night, with crisp tempos, sustained phrasing, judicious mixing of inner voices, and a sense of structure that is often overlooked in Schumann.  Gardner and the orchestra provided a collaboration that belied the notion that Schumann’s orchestration is weak.  The audience leapt to its collective feet and provided a sustained and loud ovation that was in contradiction to its small numbers.  Gerstein gifted the audience with an encore: Busoni’s arrangement of J. S. Bach’s “Rejoice, beloved Christians,” delivered at a tempo that left Horowitz in the shade.   

Like Gerstein, the Cleveland Orchestra has long been known for versatile musicianship.  But it would be anti-historical to deny that the orchestra has long been prized for its performances and recordings of the music of Antonín Dvořák.  The recordings of the composer’s last three symphonies and Slavonic Dances with George Szell and Christoph von Dohnányi are rightfully legendary, and even the old 78rpm recording of Dvořák’s Sixth Symphony with Erich Leinsdorf is praiseworthy.  While the composer’s Ninth Symphony (“From the New World”) remains the composer’s most popular, the Seventh takes the prize when it comes to traditional symphonic structure.  The tunes aren’t as catchy as in the later work, but Dvořák’s treatment of them is in the best tradition and worthy of Beethoven and Brahms (the later of whom had a bit of a bromance with his Czech colleague).  Gardner’s spare, straightforward approach, which emphasized clear textures and utilized sensible tempi with rubato only when warranted, supported the assertion that the work is a true masterpiece.  Again, the audience responded enthusiastically, and I remarked to Daniel that Gardner should be put under consideration when it comes time to select Franz Welser-Möst’s successor.   

It was heartwarming to see an assistance dog at Severance – from whom not a peep was heard during the concert.

Widmann and Strauss at Severance

Conductor Daniel Harding and violist Antoine Tamestit were the featured guests at Severance Hall this weekend.  But Harding strode on stage without the soloist to begin the concert’s first work, Jörg Widmann’s Viola Concerto, as Tamestit was already seated in a concealed area of the stage from which he emerged shortly after the work began.  The Concerto, finished in 2015, relies heavily on choreography as the soloist makes his way to musically converse and combat with other instruments (placed unconventionally) during the course of the work’s 25 minutes.  The problem for this listener, or perhaps I should state observer, was that the on-stage antics, which included the Tamestit brandishing his viola bow like a sword and even shouting, became more memorable than the music itself.  This was less a concerto than performance art in search of a genuine musical idea.  As the performance progressed, I noticed several audience members playing with their phones and, surprisingly, it was those same members who I observed applauding the most enthusiastically at the work’s conclusion.  An encore was not offered. 

The audience was noticeably larger for the concert’s post-intermission work, Richard Strauss’s An Alpine Symphony. The Strauss work dates to 1915, 100 years earlier than the Widmann, but seems timeless.  Harding and the orchestra presented the work in all its awe-inspiring majesty, from the mystery of Nacht to the terror of Gefahrvolle Augenblicke, everything was heard with a multi-layered clarity and burnished tone that marked the antithesis of the flabby sogginess that marks too much Strauss playing.      

Ontario, Quebec, New England in October

Dan and I had originally planned to travel to Europe for our October vacation, including stops in London, Paris (where our friend Gerardo Teissonnière gave a recital), and Berlin.  Various factors made that trip impractical, so we decided to remain within driving distance.  Our trip took us into Ontario, Quebec, and New England before we headed home.

We began our journey on Sunday so I could complete some quick regrouting of our shower stall on Saturday, allowing it to dry while we were away. Sunday was a quick drive to Niagara Falls, Ontario, during which my GPS routed us off the toll roads and onto US-20, allowing us to drive through some attractive wine country.  We also drove through Fredonia, New York, where my maternal grandfather and his parents are buried.  I first saw Niagara Falls from the New York side during the 1980s, and the Canadian side was the site of my first trip with Daniel back in 2006.  The Falls themselves haven’t perceptibly changed, but the town is as touristy and vulgar as ever.  As medicinal and recreational Cannabis are now legal in Canada, the scent of marijuana wafted into our nostrils as we walked along Clifton Hill.  The crowds were denser than we expected and we learned Sunday evening that the next day was Canadian Thanksgiving.  Learning of this, we decided to change our drive to Toronto the next day, avoiding the highway and taking the smaller roads that wrapped around Lake Ontario. 

The obligatory Niagara Falls panorama

The obligatory Niagara Falls selfie

Clever juxtaposition of Cannabis and food

Don't even try to bring it over the border.

Fortunately, there were numerous restaurants open in Toronto that night and we settled on Si Lom Thai where we had an enjoyable dinner.  Our one full day in Canada’s largest city was spent at the Art Gallery of Toronto, snapping pictures at the Toronto sign, and bar-hopping in the Church and Wellesley neighborhood, which is sadly becoming encroached by developers.  Still, we had a fun time at Woody’s where bartender Chris poured the drinks, regaled us with stories, and even gave Dan & me a pair of souvenir t-shirts.  Cannabis use in Toronto was even more prevalent than in Niagara Falls.  One could simply not escape the smell of reefer.

The obligatory foodie pic

Thought provocation at the Art Gallery of Toronto

It's Toronto!

It's really Toronto, eh?

Public art in Toronto

Neither an endorsement nor a condemnation.

On Wednesday we departed Toronto for the five-hour drive to Montreal.  Here is where it became obvious that Canadian highways are better maintained than their US counterparts.  There wasn’t a pothole to be found on the whole stretch of our journey.  Rest areas were in plentiful supply, and the lower speed limit (100 kilometers, or 62 miles per hour), made for a pleasant drive and better mileage. Normally I am a bit of a lead-foot on highways, much to Dan’s consternation, but I wasn’t about to speed as a foreigner. 

Montreal is in Quebec, which uses French as a primary language.  Dan spent months learning French on the Duolingo app, but whenever he uttered a phrase in French, whoever he was speaking with would immediately reply in English, rendering his studies superfluous.  We spent much of Thursday strolling through the Port, the Latin Quarter, and the Gay Village.  That evening we treated ourselves to poutine at Emilia and spent as much of our Canadian cash as we could at Bar Le Stud. 

Arrête, au nom de l'amour

No explanation required.

Friday morning we packed the car and headed to Ogunquit, Maine, which I hadn’t visited since 1994.  Since moving back to Ohio that year, I’ve returned to New England several times, including four visits to Provincetown.  Both Ogunquit and P-town have reputations as gay-friendly destinations.  But while P-town has become synonymous with parties and circuit queens, Ogunquit is far less “in your face” while still obviously being an LGBT+ destination for those seeking relaxing fun.  Rainbow flags were everywhere to be seen even though the tourist season was mostly over.  Halloween decorations of every kind were to be displayed outside private homes, restaurants, and hotels/B&Bs.  Dan & I had some fine meals, enjoyable drinks, and walked them off on the town’s beachside Marginal Way. We also took a few hours off at the local cinema to see a dark film entitled “Don’t Worry, Darling.”  By the end of that day Dan & I were mostly travelled out and ready to return to home and hearth.  Be it ever so humble… 

Obligatory pano #2

Drinks at the bar

Dan & I after too much food & drink

Boulez, Stravinsky, and Saint-Saëns at Severance

A sparse audience greeted guest conductor Thierry Fischer when he strode on stage at Severance last night.  As Daniel and I generally attend orchestra concerts on Saturday evenings, I can’t authoritatively comment on whether the lack of attendance was due to the day of the week or the program – but was likely a combination of both. 

The concert began with Pierre Boulez’s Notations, begun as solo piano pieces in the 1940s, then orchestrated decades later.  Boulez was known for his long association with the Cleveland Orchestra.  Beginning at the invitation of George Szell in 1965, he served as principal guest conductor and musical advisor in the years following Szell’s death in 1970.  He made numerous recordings with the orchestra, most of very high quality, over the course of 40 years.  But, as Arthur Rubinstein said of Rachmaninoff the pianist versus Rachmaninoff the composer, I value Boulez’s work as conductor more than his compositions.  Not one of his works have entered the standard repertoire and, nearly seven years after his death, that fact shows no signs of changing.  Notations was 15 minutes of loony tunes cartoon music from Hell, with entirely predictable dissonance for the sake of same – immaculately performed, of course. 

The next work was Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto, lavishly played by Leila Josefowicz (substituting for Vilde Frang, who was unable to appear due to “travel complications”).  For those who pay attention to such things, she was dressed in a flowing gown which, deliberately or coincidentally, resembled the colors of the flag of Ukraine.  Unlike Boulez, Stravinsky’s works enjoyed popular success by the time he was middle-aged.  Some works, including ballets like Rite of Spring and Firebird, are now repertoire staples.  Others, including the Symphony in Three Movements and the Violin Concerto, hover on the outer edges of the standard repertoire.  But they are highly listenable, and the Violin Concerto in particular is meticulously constructed.  Josefowicz brought a solid technique, burnished tone, and tasteful expressivity with discreet vibrato to the performance.  She was recalled to the stage several times but there was no encore. 

Following intermission was the evening’s most popular work, Saint-Saëns’ so-called “Organ Symphony.”  This was my first time hearing the work in performance, although I have several recordings including the legendary Boston Symphony/Munch version.  The work is popular not merely because it’s a “sonic spectacular”, but because it dovetails symphonic construction with tunefulness and craftsman-like orchestration.  Fischer and organist Todd Wilson brought a sense of musicality to the piece which is often lacking, and I was reminded just how well composed this symphony is.  Yet the performance was not lacking in excitement – with the audience leaping to its feet after the performance – and a loud ovation that belied the audience’s small numbers.

We in Cleveland are doubly lucky that Christoph von Dohnányi (music director from 1984–2002) shepherded the turn of the century renovation of Severance Hall which included the restoration of the hall’s Skinner Organ – otherwise a convincing performance of this work would not have been possible here.

Reinhardt and Kenney at Blossom

The Cleveland Orchestra’s concert at Blossom Music Center last night was a typical mix of the familiar, less familiar, and unfamiliar, performed with stylistic sureness and nimble virtuosity.  This was Dan and my first concert at Blossom since the pandemic began, and it was nice to be back – especially on such a lovely evening when the weather was cooperative.

Guest conductor Ruth Reinhardt, making her Cleveland Orchestra debut, led the orchestra in a bracing performance of Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz’s Overture (otherwise unnamed), an optimistic piece that belied the fact it was written during the Nazi occupation of Warsaw in 1943.  This work, new to me and never before played in Cleveland, deserves to be heard more often – and I’ve no doubt there are other works by this composer that are worth the listener’s time.

Grażyna Bacewicz

Violinist Alexi Kenney then took to the stage for Mendelssohn’s justly popular Violin Concerto.  Kenney, also making his Cleveland Orchestra debut, and Reinhardt made the well-known Concerto sound new and fresh.  Kenney’s suave, feathery light intonation, seemingly effortless rapid passagework, and the palpable joy he brought to the performance were a marvel to behold.  The conductor matched the soloist’s metric flexibility and rubato move-for-move.  All the more remarkable was that Kenney was a last-minute substitute for Sergey Khachatryan who was unable to appear due to visa issues.  Yet there was nothing last-minute in the well thought out, yet spontaneous performance.  An encore followed the prolonged ovation.

Reinhardt returned following intermission to lead the orchestra in Dvořák’s Symphony No. 5 in F major.  Although I’ve heard all of Dvořák’s Symphonies, I only really know 6-9.  The 5^th shares the spirit of Beethoven’s 6^th which is in the same key.  But, despite many beautiful passages, it is not as memorable as either Beethoven’s Pastoral nor Dvořák’s last four Symphonies.  Nevertheless the orchestra’s nimble, lyrical performance was enjoyable.  

The American Revolution was not just about taxes

 

Berg, Rihm, and Schubert at Severance

The Cleveland Orchestra under Franz Welser-Möst continued its recent tradition of including a mix of the familiar and unfamiliar at last night’s concert at Severance Hall, with works from the 19^th, 20th, and 21^st Centuries.  This is the last concert of the 2021-2022 season at Severance I plan to attend, although there are a few concerts at Blossom Music Center that have caught my interest. 

The concert began with three selections for strings from Alban Berg’s Lyric Suite, completed in 1926.  The work was first presented by the orchestra under Pierre Boulez in 1971, and was recently performed at the height of the pandemic on the orchestra’s Adella app.  As Shostakovich would a few decades later, Berg uses musical notation tied to people’s names as part of the thematic material: in this case, his own initials as well as those of a woman he was having an affair with at the time of composition.  While the work uses twelve-tone methods, it is not atonal.  The dissonance is neither grating nor unpleasant, particularly when presented with the tonal beauty that was heard last night.

The Berg was followed by Wolfgang Rihm’s Verwandlung II, composed in 2005.  This work was totally unfamiliar to me, and I will need to further digest the piece when the concert is broadcast to fully comprehend it.  The performance was marked by the feathery lightness of certain string passages and Welser-Möst’s keen attention to dynamics.

The most well-known work followed intermission (and I’ve no doubt it was placed after intermission to keep butts in seats for the entire concert): Schubert’s Symphony in C major, D. 944. This is a work I’ve been in love with for over 40 years, since my father bought me a cassette tape of the work as played by the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell.  Although I’ve heard recordings of the work in recordings and broadcasts of various quality – including by Toscanini, Walter, Böhm, von Dohnányi, and many others, this was the first time I’d heard it in concert.  As with every familiar piece I encounter in concert, I am reminded of the inadequacy of even the finest recordings to truly convey the concert experience.  Welser-Möst’s pacing of the Symphony, Schubert’s largest, tended toward the lively, dismissing the phony Gemütlichkeit which has marred too many performances of this work.  The conductor favored a large dynamic range, mixed with transparent textures, along with a minimum of interpretive fuss.  There was one exception, in the Scherzo, where a rhythmic “hiccup” was slightly exaggerated.  As with the orchestra’s 2020 live recording, Welser-Möst observed every repeat, bringing the heavenly length of the work to just under an hour, but it never seemed excessive.

Beethoven and Bartók at Severance

The last-minute substitution of the scheduled guest conductor didn’t impair the performance at Severance over this past weekend, as the orchestra delivered performances even more refined than usual.  The guest conductor was Kahchun Wong, who hails from Singapore, making his Cleveland Orchestra debut.

The shortish program began with Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, featuring Christian Tetzlaff as soloist.  The performance was marked by pronounced flexibility of tempo along with uncanny balancing between soloist and conductor, featuring pianissimos that the composer would not have been able to hear.  Tetzlaff’s solution was elegant yet inventive: He arranged Beethoven’s own cadenza from his piano arrangement of the Violin Concerto (created at the request of Muzio Clementi) for violin - with timpani accompaniment as written by Beethoven.  A sustained ovation followed the performance and the audience was gifted with an encore, the slow movement from J. S. Bach’s Sonata in A minor.

Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta followed the intermission.  The conductor, whose visual style was a mix of theatricality and subtle details, paid particular attention to dynamics with numerous felicities unheard on even the finest recordings.  The punching rhythm of the second movement Allegro remained in the ears, and feet, following the concert.

Tightening our belts

Aside from gas company executives, no one enjoys high fuel prices.  But they are a small price to pay compared to Ukrainians who are dying for their freedom. 

During World War II, Americans were required, not just asked, to limit consumption of gasoline, textiles, sugar, meat, and a host of other items.  Limits on purchases were enforced via ration books.  Today, Americans are not being asked to restrict themselves as much.  While prices have been on the rise for months due to high consumer demand and continuing problems with the supply chain, the sharp rise in gasoline prices over the past few weeks is the direct result of Russia’s brutal invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine.  While Americans have been generationally conditioned to consume, consume, consume – the time has now come for Americans to conserve.  Nowhere is this more true than in consumption of fuels – not just gasoline but all fossil fuels.      

Given the continuing challenges in the supply line, most of us are stuck with the vehicles we’re driving now.  If you opted for a gas guzzler, you’re going to pay much more than those of us who drive more fuel efficient models.  (If you drive an electric vehicle, try not to rub it in our faces.)  That said, we can all do a few things to reduce our personal consumption. 

Obviously, first on the list is avoid unnecessary trips, like driving for pleasure or to take in the scenery. 

Keep your tires inflated to their recommended pressure – you can find it on the side of the tire or in your vehicle owner’s manual.

Keep your car windows closed when driving, even if it means turning on your car’s air conditioning.  It’s more efficient to drive with the A/C on than with the windows open - which creates wind drag and increases fuel consumption.

Don’t be a lead foot on the highway.  You don’t need to slow poke your way around town, but the faster you go over 60/mph on the highway, the greater the drag on your car.

Don’t over accelerate or slam on the brakes.   

When at a steady speed on the highway, use cruise control.  Otherwise, use your vehicle’s highest gear if that’s an option.

Consolidate many errands into fewer.  If you’re waiting in your car while your other half goes shopping, turn the car off.    

Speaking of consolidation, did you know some online retailers like Amazon allow you to consolidate your orders?  If you’re ordering multiple items, you’ll be presented with the option to have them sent in one shipment instead of separately.  It means you may get your shipment a day or two later.  But repressing one’s desire for instant gratification is worth saving the fuel. 

At home, be mindful of your use of heat and air conditioning.  If you sweat enough during the cold months that you’re throwing off your blankets at night, the heat is set too high.  Lower it each night by one degree until you’re comfortable under the covers.  Conversely, during warmer months, set the A/C so you can sleep comfortably over the covers. 

With COVID now manageable, companies are welcoming remote employees back into the workplace.  But they should continue to allow their employees the option to work from home in order to cut down on fuel consumption. 

These are a few things we can do to reduce consumption.  If we all tighten our belts just a little, we can have an impact.

Cancel Culture, McCarthyism, and Russia’s war on Ukraine

 

Only someone with his head stuck in the sand would be unaware of Russia’s invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine. Only those under the sway of Vladimir Putin’s propaganda machine or blinded by their own prejudice would have anything but sympathy for what the people of Ukraine are suffering right now.

The backlash from the West has been immediate.  Vladimir Putin has managed to do in two weeks what President Biden was unable to do in 13 months: the once-fraying NATO has unified and the Western Alliance has solidified.  The sanctions with which Russia now finds itself saddled are bound to cripple the already struggling Russian economy, and will hopefully awaken the Russian people to the extent to which Putin has led them down a false path.  From a military standpoint, despite Russian brutality, the effectiveness of Ukrainian resistance has exposed weak points in Russian strategy, unit cohesion, and equipment.  But the effects of the past few weeks have gone beyond the geopolitical and military.

A number of Russian classical music performers have found their careers in the West curtailed and appearances cancelled.  While some would pooh-pooh this development as symbolic, it’s worth noting most of the money these performers earn comes from concertgoers in Europe and the United States.  The most noteworthy performers in this case are conductor Valery Gergiev, soprano Anna Netrebko, and pianists Denis Mastuev and Valentina Lisitsa – all of whom have been vocally supportive of Putin’s regime, with the particularly atrocious Lisitsa describing Ukraine as a Nazi regime (despite Ukrainians electing a Jewish President).   

Putin with piano banger Denis Matsuev

Putin with Anna Netrebko

Putin with Valery Gergiev

Other Russian musicians have also suffered fallout because of Russian’s invasion of Ukraine.  The most visible case is the young pianist Alexander Malofeev.  The Vancouver Recital Society cancelled an upcoming performance of his.  It’s not a question of either logistics or transportation: Malofeev's concert was not scheduled until August.  The young pianist has spoken out, at considerable risk to himself and his family, against Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.  Malofeev’s behavior and circumstances are not at all comparable to those of Gergiev, Nebtrenko, Mastuev, or Lisitsa – who deserve the contempt and cancellations that have been heaped upon them.  But Malofeev?  Not the same at all.

Alexander Malofeev's post after VRS's cancellation

I believe VRS’s decision was an overreach.  At the very least, VRS owes the music lovers of Vancouver an explanation for their decision.  Which specific board members voted for or against this action?  Which patrons/donors instigated and pressured the board into making this decision?

I am as opposed to the actions of the Putin-led Russian government as anybody, and I was warning others about Putin when President George W. Bush “looked the man in eye” and “found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy”. Russia’s actions over the past weeks cannot be excused by any rationale, regardless of what North Korea, Venezuela, Serbia, and some on the American Right (and a few on the far-Left) say.

Malofeev’s career will thrive despite this cancellation.  It may even benefit from it in the longer term, as some are learning of him for the first time.  Yet I note that there are those who haven't said squat about what Putin has done over the decades, yet are wringing their hands about this.  Also, those crying "cancel culture" when this is hardly an example of that phenomenon - because Malofeev (unlike the four stooges I mentioned above) hasn't done anything to warrant being cancelled.  Nor is it McCarthyism - and those claiming it is have little notion of what Joseph McCarthy actually did to destroy innocent people's lives.

First, what is cancel culture?  It stems from the decision to withdraw support from public figures – performers, sports figures, politicians – who have done something to offend sensibilities.  The offensive act can be anything from physical violence to sexual impropriety or even a clumsily phrased but well-meaning statement.  Malofeev has done none of these things, so that term does not apply here. 

What was McCarthyism historically, as opposed to its recent use as a label thrown on anything some group doesn’t like?  Joe McCarthy was a Republican from Wisconsin who was a senator from 1947 until his death ten years later.  During the Army-McCarthy hearings, he claimed to have lists of government employees who were active members of the Communist party – which neither was nor is illegal in the United States.  Not satisfied with rooting out real Communists in government, McCarthy went after people outside of government who were “suspected” of having communist sympathies, then he went after homosexuals (of which, posthumously, he is suspected of being himself).  During the hearings, which were televised, his common tactic was to wave a piece of paper stating “I have here in my hand a list” of people who were accused of whatever offended him at the moment.  As often as not, the paper’s contents were either unrelated to the subject or it was entirely blank. 

Vis-à-vis communism and the Cold War.  I think the point that many have missed over the decades is that while Presidents and politicians of both parties railed against communism, it was never the real threat.  Communism is an economic philosophy – one which doesn’t work judging by the low standards of living in communist countries.  The real threat during the Cold War was not communism but Russian Totalitarian Imperialism – the proof of this is that a number of communist countries have never been a threat to either the United States or the West.  But Russia has legitimately been a threat and ruined life in every country it subjugated during the Cold War – the prime reason so many risked their lives to flee the East and make their way to either Western Europe or the United States.  Very few opted to leave the West and move to Russia.  But I digress. 

Some of those impacted by McCarthyism include Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, Lena Horne, and Danny Kaye – all of whom weathered the storm and went on to have successful careers.  In the end, criticism of them was unwarranted because they never cozied to the likes of Hitler or Stalin. 

But there is an example from Classical music history that has been trotted out in past weeks, and the comparison is worth raising – if only to demolish it. 

Wilhelm Furtwängler

Attempts to excuse Gergiev’s behavior by comparing him to German conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler miss the mark.  For those who don’t know, Furtwängler, the most eminent German conductor of the time, refused to leave his home country while the Nazis were in power.  For this, the conductor found his postwar activities restricted and for a period he found it impossible to perform in the United States.  It was not the US government which banned him.  Rather a coalition of performers and other cultural figures, including Arturo Toscanini, Vladimir Horowitz, Arthur Rubinstein, and others declared they would have nothing to do with any organization that engaged Furtwängler.  Even late in life, Horowitz mistakenly claimed the conductor was “a supporter of the Nazis.”  Horowitz, who had had bad relations with Furtwängler preceding Hitler’s rise, may have been blinded by his personal antipathy for the conductor.  But even prior to the pianist’s death in 1989 it had become clear that the Furtwängler situation was more complex.  For one, Furtwängler (unlike, say, Alfred Cortot) was not an anti-Semite.  Rather, the conductor, whose provincial thinking and naivety were matched only by his ego, believed that German musical culture could not continue without him and that he would be able to save it from the philistines who had come to power.  Early in Hitler’s regime he spoke against removing Jews from orchestras and against the banning of newer music.  Remarkably, he shared his concerns with Goebbels and Hitler himself, often in undiplomatic terms that would have sent anyone else to a concentration camp.  But Furtwängler’s protestations came to naught, as Jews were purged from German culture and “decadent” music was banned.  Eventually, Furtwängler narrowly escaped arrest as he fled to Switzerland in early 1945.  But Gergiev will only escape the contempt of conscientious music lovers if we forget his history.  The same is true of Netrebko, Matsuev, and Lisitsa. 

But it was wrong of VRS to cancel Alexander Malofeev’s concert.  Nor does it make any sense to cancel performances of works by Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich – they should continue, and western audiences should be reminded of how their lives were impacted by the governmental and social elites of their time.

During the height of the Cold War, President Kennedy said that “No government or social system is so evil that its people should be considered as lacking in virtue.”  But I believe he, and every right-thinking person, would draw a distinction between those who are cultural figures, and those who are willing propaganda tools.