It was a grand homecoming this month when the Cleveland Orchestra's Music Director Laureate CHRISTOPH von DOHNÁNYI returned to lead concerts at the beautiful Severance Hall, a program of Beethoven's Prometheus Overture, Mozart Sinfonia Concertante and Brahms Symphony No. 1:

"His performance of the Brahms Symphony No. 1 evinces great stalwartness, a keen vision realized by means of active engagement with every corner of the ensemble. His is also a distinctive sound, not only from the bond that clearly still exists but also in a real acoustic sense...All of it adds up to a performance of seething intensity, a restless, molten climb to higher and higher peaks. Heavy with feeling, the horns inject an aura of grandeur, while the woodwinds contribute brilliant shocks of color and the "joy" theme practically soars from the strings. A standard work, yes, but no run-of-the-mill performance." - THE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER, April 2, 2010

In May, Dohnányi leads the NDR Sinfonieorchester in a complete Beethoven Symphony Cycle, and this summer he returns to Tanglewood, leading the BSO in programs of Mendelssohn, Mozart Piano Concert K.449 with Richard Goode, Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6, and the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 4 and Dvorak Symphony No. 8.

Dohnányi returns to Cleveland in 10/11, and also leads subscription weeks in Boston, New York and Philadelphia.

Organist PAUL JACOBS joined the Pacific Symphony for the Poulenc Organ Concerto, and topped it off with a glowing account of the Franck "Final in B-Flat Major", in a triumphant return to Segerstrom Hall (where he dedicated the organ last season.) The concert was broadcast live on KUSC, click here to listen to the exquisite Franck Final.

That same weekend Jacobs performed a recital in Walt Disney Hall, presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, featuring a grand program of Reger, Boulanger, Franck and Liszt.

Next week Jacobs plays a recital in Philadelphia's Kimmel Center, performing works by Mendelssohn, Bach, Boulanger, Reger, Franck and Oquin. Upcoming highlights include the Copland Organ Symphony with Michael Tilson-Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony, both at Davies Symphony Hall and on tour to the Lucerne Festival. MTT and Jacobs repeat the Organ Symphony in an all-Copland program with the Chicago Symphony in November.

Paul is also currently featured on the Colbert Artists homepage interview; click here to hear him speak about his love for the music of Messiaen and Bach, and why these composers inspired him to present marathon performances of their complete works for organ.

BERNHARD GUELLER and his home orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, celebrate Dvorak this week in their annual composers festival.

They kick off the celebrations hosting a cycle of the Dvorak string quartets, with Maestro Gueller in conversation about Dvorak's love interests and their influence on his compositions. Other concerts feature the Violin Concerto (with violinist Giora Schmidt), the Cello Concerto and Symphonies Nos. 8 and 9 "From the New World".

"Gueller's invention, along with his encyclopedic knowledge of the symphonic repertoire, is both remarkable and amazing...The orchestra responded to this music with the crisply alert, precisely refined playing that is one of the hallmarks of their style under Gueller's direction." - THE CHRONICLE HERALD

Next week, Gueller and Symphony Nova Scotia host the highly popular 18th annual "Beer and Beethoven" concerts.

Recent highlights include concerts with the Calgary and Buffalo philharmonic orchestras, among others.

The adventurous period-practice ensemble MASQUES crosses the globe, touring this month throughout The Netherlands and performing in Montreal and Pittsburgh.

As we heard from Renaissance and Baroque Society of Pittsburgh, the "dream team" was as much a delight to work with as to hear -- audience members were wowed by their sense of ensemble and drama (and fashion!) as well as their elegant, impeccable musicianship.

 

You can listen in on the fun when their fall 2009 concert at New York City's Frick Collection is broadcast and streamed on WQXR's Evening Program on May 17, 9:30pm Eastern Time.

 

Or, if you'd prefer something more immediate, click here to watch a YouTube video of Telemann's recorder Concerto, and here for Anthony Holborne's "The Image of Melancholy" from the recent Netherlands tour.

 

This month Masques also releases its newest album, a recording of Rameau's "Pieces de Clavecin en Concerts" on the ATMA Classique label. Learn more about the disc and listen to samples here.

TRIO JEAN PAUL landed in North America this month despite the travel travails posed by the Icelandic ash, much to the relief and joy of all of us here at Colbert Artists, and to audiences and presenters in Los Angeles, Vancouver, Montreal and Quebec.

This tour features a program of piano trios by Haydn, Brahms and Mendelssohn. For those of you not able to make the concerts, you can join TJP by listening to their latest disc, a five-star recording of Mendelssohn Trios Nos. 1 & 2 (click here for disc info and listening samples.)

"Whoever does not feel moved hearing this recording, whoever does not feel deeply touched listening to these interpretations should not hear Mendelssohn at all."
ENSEMBLE MAGAZIN

Email us to request a copy of the Mendelssohn Piano Trios CD.

This week Trio Jean Paul performs in Vancouver and Quebec; next week they return to the Ladies' Morning Musical Club in Montreal.

YOLANDA KONDONASSIS joins guitarist David Leisner April 29 at New York City's Symphony Space for a performance of works by Alan Hovhaness and Xavier Montsalvatge. Click here for information and a listening clip of the Hovhaness work, Spirit of Trees. This spring Kondonassis also performed Hovhaness's Harp Concerto and Debussy's Danses sacrée et profane with the Kalamazoo Symphony.

Further afield, Kondonassis celebrated this month's fortieth anniversary of Earth Day with the publication of a children's book, "Our House is Round: A Kid's Book About Why Protecting the Earth Matters". Written by Kondonassis and featuring beautiful hand-painted illustrations by Daphne Knox, the book seeks to educate children on the "Why" of Earth-saving actions.

 

It's only one of the environmental efforts Kondonassis has made in recent years, from donating a portion of royalties of her recent Emmy-nominated album, Air, to the Environmental Defense Fund, to creating Earth at Heart, a non-profit foundation dedicated to teaching Earth literacy through the arts. Click here to learn more about the book and Yolanda's outreach.