a spectacular evening in Cleveland
Really. I mean that. Greater Cleveland, for once, wasn't an oxymoron.
After having been so impressed with what Pittsburgh has done with itself, I was feeling a bit, shall we say, inferior about Cleveland. Sure, Cleveland is a great place to live, and I do my best to make it a great place to visit, infact, I should be on Cleveland's Welcome Wagon/Visitors Bureau I'm such a booster. The trip to Pittsburgh really had me down, though, wishing and wondering about our own cities lost potential.
I needed something good to happen.
And it did, just a few short nights after our return to Cleveland. The Cleveland Orchestra's 16th annual Star-Spangled Spectacular Concert and Festival.
The Orchestra is one of the best things going for Cleveland, not only are they one of the best symphony's in the world, they are quite active in the community. Every year, they offer up their thanks to all of Cleveland by throwing two free concert festivals. In February, they open the doors to Severance Hall (an incredible piece of architecture in it's own, let alone one of the most magnificent music listening venues in the world) for a free Martin Luther King Jr. day performance. School children all over NE Ohio most certainly remember this as a memorable school field trip. In July, the entire downtown Public Square is transformed for the Independance Day festivities: a meet and greet with the orchestra in the after noon, followed by a performance, often enjoyed by tens of thousands of Clevelanders, folding chairs, beach blankets spread everywhere. Tens of thousands of us, a sea of people, enjoying the music and an awesome fireworks display over the Terminal Tower.
Tonights program consisted of:
J.S. SMITH The Star-Spangled Banner
WILLIAMS Olympic Fanfare & Theme
STRAVINSKY Greeting Prelude (on Happy Birthday)
in commemoration of Tower City Center’s 75th Birthday
WAGNER Lohengrin, Prelude to Act III
J. STRAUSS, JR. Thunder and Lightning Polka
SHOSTAKOVICH Festive Overture
BERNSTEIN Overture to Candide
GOULD American Salute (“When Johnny Comes Marching Home”)
GERSHWIN Cuban Overture
TCHAIKOVSKY Overture, “The Year 1812”
WARD America, the Beautiful
SOUSA March, “The Stars and Stripes Forever”
I'm not generally an overtly patriotic American, and truth be told, I am lucky enough to have access to tickets to Cleveland Orchesta tickets at Severance a few times a year, when they are performing some more challenging, and entertaining pieces. For this I am grateful, but there is something about the Pops summertime set, which is filled with patriotic as apple pie tunage, that just tugs at my heart strings.
It's music that everyone knows: accessible, folks humming along, clapping their hands, and children dancing on the feet of their parents. It's absolutely darling.
It's a rare moment where I temporarily forget about all the ill in the world, and just count my blessing that I was born in the time and place that I was born.
After having been so impressed with what Pittsburgh has done with itself, I was feeling a bit, shall we say, inferior about Cleveland. Sure, Cleveland is a great place to live, and I do my best to make it a great place to visit, infact, I should be on Cleveland's Welcome Wagon/Visitors Bureau I'm such a booster. The trip to Pittsburgh really had me down, though, wishing and wondering about our own cities lost potential.
I needed something good to happen.
And it did, just a few short nights after our return to Cleveland. The Cleveland Orchestra's 16th annual Star-Spangled Spectacular Concert and Festival.
The Orchestra is one of the best things going for Cleveland, not only are they one of the best symphony's in the world, they are quite active in the community. Every year, they offer up their thanks to all of Cleveland by throwing two free concert festivals. In February, they open the doors to Severance Hall (an incredible piece of architecture in it's own, let alone one of the most magnificent music listening venues in the world) for a free Martin Luther King Jr. day performance. School children all over NE Ohio most certainly remember this as a memorable school field trip. In July, the entire downtown Public Square is transformed for the Independance Day festivities: a meet and greet with the orchestra in the after noon, followed by a performance, often enjoyed by tens of thousands of Clevelanders, folding chairs, beach blankets spread everywhere. Tens of thousands of us, a sea of people, enjoying the music and an awesome fireworks display over the Terminal Tower.
Tonights program consisted of:
J.S. SMITH The Star-Spangled Banner
WILLIAMS Olympic Fanfare & Theme
STRAVINSKY Greeting Prelude (on Happy Birthday)
in commemoration of Tower City Center’s 75th Birthday
WAGNER Lohengrin, Prelude to Act III
J. STRAUSS, JR. Thunder and Lightning Polka
SHOSTAKOVICH Festive Overture
BERNSTEIN Overture to Candide
GOULD American Salute (“When Johnny Comes Marching Home”)
GERSHWIN Cuban Overture
TCHAIKOVSKY Overture, “The Year 1812”
WARD America, the Beautiful
SOUSA March, “The Stars and Stripes Forever”
I'm not generally an overtly patriotic American, and truth be told, I am lucky enough to have access to tickets to Cleveland Orchesta tickets at Severance a few times a year, when they are performing some more challenging, and entertaining pieces. For this I am grateful, but there is something about the Pops summertime set, which is filled with patriotic as apple pie tunage, that just tugs at my heart strings.
It's music that everyone knows: accessible, folks humming along, clapping their hands, and children dancing on the feet of their parents. It's absolutely darling.
It's a rare moment where I temporarily forget about all the ill in the world, and just count my blessing that I was born in the time and place that I was born.
posted by justinian at 9:58 AM
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