In Friday’s (5/17) Plain Dealer (Cleveland), Zachary Lewis writes, “Reverb was both the only flaw and the greatest joy in Thursday’s Cleveland Orchestra concert. Playing in the cavernous Saint Colman Catholic Church near the end of a weeklong residency in Cleveland’s Gordon Square Arts District, the orchestra echoed like crazy but also, in one fell swoop, created legions of new fans. The music stopped ringing right after the concert, but reverberations from the free, jam-packed appearance in a local neighborhood will be felt long after the residency ends Friday following a special concert for schoolchildren and two appearances at nearby art galleries. … A weightier version of the orchestra’s annual concerts on Public Square, the program under assistant conductor James Feddeck was designed to appeal broadly and show off the ensemble, and both tasks it accomplished in spades. By the end, Feddeck had the whole audience clapping along with an encore, the ‘Radetzky March’ by Johann Strauss, Jr. The strings had about 25 full minutes to shine between Mendelssohn’s ‘Hebrides’ Overture and Prokofiev’s ‘Classical Symphony.’ While their sound at Saint Colman lacked some definition, their usual warmth and luster were fully present.” Ravel’s Pavane for a Dead Princess, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol, Chaminade’s Flute Concertino with Principal Flutist Joshua Smith rounded out the program.
Posted May 23, 2013
