INTRODUCING THE CONCERTS
Scherzo,Violin &Ballet! THIS WEEKEND’S PROGRAMS
feature three works from the 20th century. Two are Russian — one a concert piece, the other a suite excerpted from a grand ballet on a familiar childhood subject. For the week’s evening concerts, these are joined by a too-rarely-heard violin concerto by one of England’s greatest writers for voice. Stravinsky’s Scherzo fantastique from 1908 is an early-ish work by this Russian, displaying his showmanship and early mastery of orchestration — with some telltale signs of the experimentation of ideas that would soon cause his name to be known worldwide. Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto was written while the composer was in Canada in 1939, just as the start of World War II engulfed Europe. It is at once beautiful and powerful, but in ways unlike some better-known concertos. Violinist Simone Lamsma makes her debut here, playing The Cleveland Orchestra’s first performances of this work. To close, guest conductor Vladimir Jurowski has chosen his own extended concert suite from Prokofiev’s ballet Cinderella. At times sounding like a musical cousin of Prokofiev’s more famous Romeo and Juliet, this ballet score nonetheless has its own unique flavors, sounds, and special delights. And JurowProkofiev, Stravinsky, ski has provided projected supertitles to and Britten help us connect the music directly with the action. —Eric Sellen
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA RADIO BROADCASTS
Current and past Cleveland Orchestra concerts are broadcast as part of regular weekly programming on WCLV (104.9 FM), Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 4:00 p.m.
Severance Hall 2013-14
Introducing the Concerts
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