The Cleveland Orchestra's recent concert program played up the connection between Richard Strauss and Johann Strauss Jr., featuring works that evoke the spirit of the Waltz King. Guest conductor Thomas Guggeis led the orchestra through a program that included Richard Strauss' 'Also Sprach Zarathustra,' and Maurice Ravel's 'La Valse,' showcasing the captivating sweep of waltz music.
The Cleveland Orchestra is playing up the between Richard and Johann Strauss Jr. this weekend with an extravagant concert program that borrows a bit from the style of the Waltz King. Although nothing by Johann Strauss Jr. is officially on the bill, his presence and flair are felt in “Also Sprach Zarathustra” and in the intoxicating sweep of Maurice Ravel ’s “La Valse.”CLEVELAND, Ohio — Richard Strauss must have suspected that he would always be mistaken for another composer.
The Orchestra’s performance on Friday, Feb. 7, at Severance Music Center started strong and ended with real panache. Guest conductor Thomas Guggeis, the 31-year-old general music director of— here making his U.S. orchestral debut — led sharp, highly stylized interpretations that would be equally at home on the continent or in Cleveland.
Hence the elemental opening of Strauss’ work with those famous stark notes from the trumpets. Manmade systems soon emerge, and these different sections of the score met with varying success on Friday evening. The string chorale that represents organized religion was beautiful in its transparency. Each individual player found purpose within the collective whole, all underlaid by the sustaining sound of Severance’s organ.
The Orchestra would take on another waltz after intermission, but first came the dreamy interlude of Henri Dutilleux’s “Tout un monde lointain...” . Principal cello Mark Kosower starred as the sensitive soloist, soaring into his instrument’s upper register for stretches of what seemed like suspended time. This demanding concerto by one of the 20th century’s foremost perfectionists requires a delicate touch, which Kosower and his colleagues maintained for 30 extraordinary minutes.
Concert Strauss Johann Strauss Jr. Ravel Waltz
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