By Márcio Bezerra
The procession of great orchestras at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts Classical Concert Series continued Jan. 27 with the revered Cleveland Orchestra.
Featuring two widely divergent works of the standard repertoire, the orchestra, under the direction of guest conductor Kahchun Wong provided refined and, at times, spectacular moments to an almost sold-out house.
The program started with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Concerto (in D, Op. 61). Written in 1806 when Beethoven was in the apex of his revolutionary period, this is a rather gentle, monochromatic masterwork, in which his handling of motivic development displays his full maturity as a composer.
Violinist Sayaka Shoji was an ideal soloist for the concerto. Her beautiful, full tone, dexterous technique, and graceful stage presence blended perfectly with the refined sound of the Cleveland Orchestra. She performed her own cadenzas, which showed her respect and deep understanding of the classical style.
Conductor Wong drew a most refined playing from the string section; he shaped the musical phrases with gestures that were not only technically precise, but that also guided the audience’s listening experience. He is truly deserving of directing one of the major orchestras and one would hope that he will be doing so in the near future.
His abilities were even more clearly patent in the second part of the program, which featured Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition in the orchestration by Maurice Ravel.
Mussorgsky’s (and Ravel’s) writing could not be more diametrically opposed to Beethoven. Here, color and textures are more important than the handling of single motives, although the four “promenades” act as a clever unifier of the 14 short numbers.
There are not many other pieces that display the orchestra sections more explicitly, and the Cleveland Orchestra did not disappoint.
There was impressive virtuosity in the “Limoges” number, expressivity in “Bydlo,”and remarkable majestic tutti in the closing “The Great Gate of Kiev.” Throughout the numbers, Wong’s precise gestures made the orchestra sound as a single performer — not a small achievement given the rich variety of textures and characters featured in the work.
All in all, an evening to remember, despite the incessant ring of cellphones throughout the concert.