Cleveland Orchestra Announce for Additional Details for 2017-18 Tour
By: A.A. Cristi Sep. 28, 2017
Franz Welser-Möst will lead concerts on three continents as part of The Cleveland Orchestra's 100th season in 2017-18, including two trips to Europe, appearances in New York City, and a return to Tokyo's Suntory Hall. All told, over 20 concerts are planned across seven weeks of touring, in addition to the Orchestra's regular home season in Cleveland at Severance Hall.
The 2017-18 season marks The Cleveland Orchestra's 100th year of concerts and is being celebrated worldwide as the beginning of this extraordinary ensemble's Second Century. The Orchestra embarks on European tours in October 2017 and again in May 2018; the May/June tour comprises a series of five all-Beethoven concerts in Vienna as part of The Prometheus Project, which the Clevelanders are performing at home, in Vienna, and then immediately thereafter in Tokyo. In between these two international milestones, The Cleveland Orchestra and Franz Welser-Möst will perform in January at New York's Carnegie Hall.
The autumn 2017 European Tour includes an extended itinerary, with concerts in Hamburg, Linz, Luxembourg, Paris, and Vienna, and features special encore performances of the Orchestra's ground-breaking 2014 production of Janá?ek's The Cunning Little Vixen directed by Yuval Sharon. Two performances of this production, which blends together live singers with projected animation, will be presented at Vienna's Musikverein; this will be the first time an opera has ever been presented in a staged production format at the historic concert hall. Of this production, The New York Times "... the Cleveland 'Vixen,' performed at the orchestra's spectacularly resonant home theater, Severance Hall, was designed to return attention to the opera's action while still highlighting one of the world's great orchestras." The Cleveland Orchestra thanks these corporations and individuals for generously supporting the Orchestra's 2017 European Tour: Raiffeisenlandesbank Oberösterreich AG, voestalpine AG, Tele München Group, Miba AG, Herbert Kloiber, Wolfgang Berndt, Robert Ehrlich, and Alfred Umdasch. With special thanks to Clasart Classic, the Orchestra's Global Media Sponsor, and to Jones Day for international touring sponsorship.
The autumn and spring tours will be the seventeenth and eighteenth international tours of The Cleveland Orchestra led by its current music director. The 2017-18 season is the 16th year of the Orchestra's acclaimed partnership with Franz Welser-Möst. Praise of The Cleveland Orchestra under the artistic leadership of Welser-Möst includes The New York Times calling the ensemble "... America's most brilliant orchestra," and The Wall Street Journal stating that the Orchestra is "... magnificent."
Complete details of programming, concert dates, and venues are listed at the end of this release.
Franz Welser-Möst and Touring with The Cleveland Orchestra
"Touring is important for The Cleveland Orchestra. It requires an enormous amount of flexibility to find 'our sound' playing in different acoustics," said Music Director Franz Welser-Möst. "We refine this sound every day in our home, Severance Hall, and bring this to audiences outside of Cleveland. Touring in our 100th season is exciting because it shows what can be achieved as a result of the strong will in the Cleveland community. With the history of Cleveland, ups and downs economically, there has been an enormous determination in this community to maintain and enhance a world-class orchestra. Going around and showing that to the world is gratifying. A German journalist recently asked me, How do I describe The Cleveland Orchestra? What comes to my mind is that we reject populism, we don't offer easy answers or interpretations, we look for challenges, and we search for mastery."
"The Cleveland Orchestra has long been active internationally, presenting concerts on tour almost every season for the past half century," says André Gremillet, the Orchestra's executive director. "Touring is essential for the Orchestra from an artistic perspective, as playing in the other great concert halls of the world with their particular acoustics while presenting distinct and highly demanding programs in quick succession further challenges our great artists. All of us in Cleveland know how unique the partnership between Music Director Franz Welser-Möst and the Orchestra is, and we are very proud that audiences around the world have an opportunity to experience the depth and refinement of their music-making, which we hear at Severance Hall, Blossom Music Center, or the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami."
Cleveland Orchestra Board President Richard Smucker said, "I'm not the first person to say it, so I can't claim this idea, but live music is one of the only art forms that can truly travel the world. In our case, the Orchestra spreads the reputation of Cleveland itself - not only domestically but internationally. The Orchestra proudly carries the name of Cleveland with it, which is a phenomenal way to share this cultural gem which reflects the spirit and essence of our city."
Franz Welser-Möst on Orchestral Works Included in the 2017 Europe Tour:
"Recently, we were playing Beethoven's Quartet No. 15, Opus 132 (arranged for string orchestra), which we will take on tour. With four string players it is already difficult, but playing it with 60 is quite a challenge," said Welser-Möst. "Some time ago, I was asked by a journalist, how to make that piece easier for the audience, and I said, 'that's the wrong question' - we can make it a deeper experience, but we are not going to make it easier. Great art was not created for ease, it was created to explore important questions in life, and this is a perfect example. Mahler's Symphony No. 6, Beethoven's Quartet No. 15, Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, these are all pieces we are playing on tour which were not written to make it easy for an audience. This Orchestra plays on the highest technical level, with unique individual voices in players, and as a collective we want to convey something special to the audience. One of the members of the Orchestra once put it so beautifully to me: 'Playing in this Orchestra it is not about showing off, it is about sharing.'"
Franz Welser-Möst on the Collaboration with Yuval Sharon for The Cunning Little Vixen:
"Taking our production of The Cunning Little Vixen to Vienna shows that the city of Cleveland, through this institution especially, is a place for innovation and creativity. Our collaboration in 2014 with Yuval Sharon for Vixen is really one of the most outstanding things we have done, and it is our desire to show that outside Cleveland. Vienna, where the history and tradition of opera is so rich and the Viennese audience is so knowledgeable about opera, is a good place to show there are new ways to present opera without being outrageous and while being true to the piece. With the tools of today, we made something extraordinary and created something new. I remember when I saw Yuval's production for the first time, I felt a new art form was invented and showing that to the world is a great way to celebrate our 100th season. There is a reason why The Cleveland Orchestra is still thriving - it is simply because we take risks, we don't shy away from being innovative and creative, we actually go for it."
2018 Vienna and Tokyo: The Prometheus Project On Tour
The tour programming May 24-28, 2018 at Vienna's Musikverein and June 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7, 2018 Tokyo's Suntory Hall is part of Welser-Möst's "Prometheus Project," which focuses on the complete symphonies of Beethoven, alongside the Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, the Egmont and Coriolan Overtures, Leonore Overture No. 3, and the Grosse Fuge (performed with string orchestra). This programming was created by Welser-Möst to offer a renewed point of view on these groundbreaking Beethoven works, rooted in a studied understanding of the composer's philosophy of politics and art, and presented within the context of Beethoven's thoughts and beliefs. The Prometheus program is performed May 10-19 to close the Orchestra's home season at Severance Hall, just prior to the Vienna and Tokyo concerts.
"With The Prometheus Project, we are exploring Beethoven's thinking behind writing these works, at his belief in humanity's betterment, at what he wrote inside of his music, and between the notes. I am using the story of Prometheus as a metaphor and lens for what Beethoven was writing, not just in his symphonies, but across his lifetime, and throughout all of his music. With Prometheus as a focus, with this earnest and thoughtful approach, we can engage in a new way with audiences. When studying an exceptional figure like Beethoven, it is essential that we constantly look at new approaches to his work, to enliven and deepen our understanding of his genius."
"During our 100th season, we challenge the current trend that intellect is not to be prized. Civilization and society only move forward by tackling the big questions, by really thinking and debating what is good, and by fighting to make life better for everyone," said Welser-Möst. "Music, great music, is part of that discussion. Music distills philosophy into sound. Being popular or beautiful or half-interested is not sufficient. We need to teach people to be brave. It is important to know not just what you think, but why you think it. Music builds a framework for reflection and discussion."
LONG HISTORY OF TOURING AND SHARING MUSIC WITH THE WORLD
Serving as an ambassador for the Cleveland community, the Orchestra first toured in 1919 to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Youngstown, Ohio with then music director Nikolai Sokoloff, and their first international tour took place in 1922 with Sokoloff when they traveled to Canada. The international tours in 2017-18 will be the Orchestra's 74th and 75th. The Orchestra makes its 223rd and 224th appearances at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium. The Orchestra first performed at Carnegie Hall in 1922 and last performed in Stern Auditorium in 2016.
2017 Europe Tour
In October 2017 the Orchestra will perform at Linz's Brucknerhaus (October 12 and 13), Vienna's Musikverein (October 19, 20, 21, and 22), the Philharmonie de Paris (October 16), Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie (October 24 and 25), and the Luxembourg Philharmonie (October 27 and 28) with programs featuring Mahler's Symphony No. 6, Beethoven's Quartet No. 15 (adapted for string orchestra), Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring [Le sacre du printemps], Janá?ek's The Cunning Little Vixen (fully staged at Vienna's Musikverein and in concert at Luxembourg's Philharmonie).
Radio Classique, the premiere classical music radio station of France, will broadcast the October 16 performance live online and on the air. To listen the broadcast online, visit https://www.radioclassique.fr/.
ORF Radio, part of the Austrian national public service broadcast system, will record the October 22 performance for broadcast at a later date.NDR Radio (Norddeutscher Rundfunk), a leading German public radio station, will record the October 24 performance for broadcast at a later date.
Carnegie Hall January 2018
On January 23 and 24, The Cleveland Orchestra makes its 223rd and 224th appearances at Carnegie Hall. The Orchestra first performed at Carnegie Hall in 1922 and last performed in Stern Auditorium in 2016. The January 23 performance features the New York premiere of Johannes Maria Staud's Stromab, which was co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall. Also on the January 23 program is Mahler's Symphony No. 9. On January 24, the Orchestra performs Haydn's The Seasons with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, soprano Golda Schultz, tenor Maximilian Schmitt, and baritone Thomas Hampson.
Complete program, venue, and performance date information are listed below. Images and biographies of soloists and guest artists are available upon request.
About Franz Welser-Möst
Franz Welser-Möst is among today's most distinguished conductors. The 2017-18 season marks his sixteenth year as music director of The Cleveland Orchestra, with the future of this acclaimed partnership now extending into the next decade. Under his direction, The Cleveland Orchestra has been repeatedly praised for its innovative programming, support for new musical works, and recent achievements in semi-staged and staged opera productions. The Orchestra has been hugely successful in building up a new and, notably, a young audience through its groundbreaking programs involving students and families.
As a guest conductor, Mr. Welser-Möst enjoys a close and productive relationship with the Vienna Philharmonic. Recent and upcoming performances with the Philharmonic feature critically acclaimed opera productions at the Salzburg Festival, including a production of Aribert Reimann's Lear in August 2017. He led three concerts of the Philharmonic at New York's Carnegie Hall in February 2017.
Mr. Welser-Möst also maintains relationships with a number of other European orchestras and opera companies. His 2017-18 schedule includes concerts with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Zurich's Tonhalle Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and Milan's FilarMonica Della Scala, as well as leading a gala with the Shanghai Grand Opera. He also returns to the Salzburg Festival in 2018.
From 2010 to 2014, Franz Welser-Möst served as general music director of the Vienna State Opera. His partnership with the company included an acclaimed new production of Wagner's Ring cycle and a series of critically praised new productions, as well as performances of a wide range of other operas, particularly works by Wagner and Richard Strauss. Prior to his years with the Vienna State Opera, Mr. Welser-Möst led the Zurich Opera across a decade-long tenure, conducting more than forty new productions and culminating in three seasons as general music director (2005-08).
Franz Welser-Möst's recordings and videos have won major awards, including a Gramophone Award, a Diapason d'Or, a Japanese Record Academy Award, and two Grammy nominations. With The Cleveland Orchestra, his recordings include DVD recordings of live performances of five of Bruckner's symphonies and a multi-DVD set of major works by Brahms, featuring Yefim Bronfman and Julia Fischer as soloists. A new DVD of Brahms's German Requiem was released in 2017.
This past summer, Mr. Welser-Möst was awarded the 2017 Pro Arte Europapreis for his advocacy and achievements as a musical ambassador. His other honors and awards include the Vienna Philharmonic's "Ring of Honor" for his longstanding personal and artistic relationship with the ensemble, as well as recognition from the Western Law Center for Disability Rights, honorary membership in the Vienna Singverein, appointment as an Academician of the European Academy of Yuste, a Decoration of Honor from the Republic of Austria for his artistic achievements, and the Kilenyi Medal from the Bruckner Society of America.
About The Cleveland Orchestra's Touring Legacy
Under the leadership of Music Director Franz Welser-Möst, The Cleveland Orchestra has become one of the most sought-after performing ensembles in the world, setting standards of extraordinary artistic excellence, creative programming, and community engagement. The New York Times has declared it "... the best in America" for its virtuosity, elegance of sound, variety of color, and chamber-like musical cohesion. The 2017-18 season marks the Orchestra's 100th year of concerts, as it begins a Second Century of extraordinary music-making, dedicated service to its hometown, and worldwide acclaim.
Strong community support from across the ensemble's home region is driving the Orchestra forward with renewed energy and focus, increasing the number of young people attending concerts, and bringing fresh attention to the Orchestra's legendary sound and committed programming - including annual opera presentations in innovative stagings and pairings. Recent acclaimed productions have included Debussy's Pelléas and Mélisande (May 2017), a doublebill of Bartók's Miraculous Mandarin and Bluebeard's Castle (April 2016) presented in collaboration with Chicago's Joffrey Ballet, and an innovative presentation of Janá?ek's The Cunning Little Vixen (May 2014, with encore performances in Cleveland and Europe during the autumn of 2017). The 2017-18 season also features concert performances of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde (April 2018).
The partnership with Franz Welser-Möst, begun in 2002 and entering its 16th year with the 2017-18 season, has earned The Cleveland Orchestra unprecedented residencies in the U.S. and around the world, including one at the Musikverein in Vienna, the first of its kind by an American orchestra. It also performs regularly at the Salzburg and Lucerne Festivals. The Orchestra's 100th season in 2017-18 features two international tours, concluding with the presentation on three continents of Welser-Möst's Prometheus Project featuring Beethoven symphonies and overtures; these Beethoven concerts will be presented in May and June 2018, at home in Cleveland, in Vienna's Musikverein, and in Tokyo's Suntory Hall.
The Cleveland Orchestra has a long and distinguished recording and broadcast history. A series of DVD and CD recordings under the direction of Mr. Welser-Möst continues to add to an extensive and widely praised catalog of audio recordings made during the tenures of the ensemble's earlier music directors. In addition, Cleveland Orchestra concerts are heard in syndication each season on radio stations throughout North America and Europe.
Seven music directors - Nikolai Sokoloff, Artur Rodzinski, Erich Leinsdorf, George Szell, Lorin Maazel, Christoph von Dohnányi, and Franz Welser-Möst - have guided and shaped the ensemble's growth and sound since its founding in 1918. Through concerts at home and on tour, via radio broadcasts and a catalog of acclaimed recordings, The Cleveland Orchestra is heard today by a broad and growing group of fans around the world. For more information visit clevelandorchestra.com.
EUROPEAN TOUR SPONSORSHIP AND FUNDING
The Cleveland Orchestra thanks these corporations and individuals for generously supporting the Orchestra's 2017-18 European Tours: Raiffeisenlandesbank Oberösterreich AG, voestalpine AG, Tele München Group, Miba AG, Herbert Kloiber, Wolfgang Berndt, Robert Ehrlich, and Alfred Umdasch.
The Cleveland Orchestra European Advisory board members: Herbert Kloiber (chair), Wolfgang Berndt (vice chair), Richard K. Smucker (Cleveland Orchestra Board President), Gabriele Eder, Robert Ehrlich, Peter Mitterbauer, Elisabeth Umdasch.
JAPAN TOUR SPONSORSHIP AND FUNDING
The Cleveland Orchestra thanks Quality Electrodynamics (QED), and Mrs. Mikiko and Dr. Hiroyuki Fujita, Founder & CEO of QED, for their generous support as presenting sponsors of the 2018 Tokyo Tour.
INTERNATIONAL SPONSORSHIP
With special thanks to Clasart Classic, the Orchestra's Global Media Sponsor, and to Jones Day for international touring sponsorship.
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA INTERNATIONAL TOURS EUROPE AND JAPAN, 2017-18 SEASON (as of September 28, 2017)
2017 EUROPEAN TOUR
Linz, Austria
Brucknerhaus
Thursday, October 12, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring [Le sacre du printemps]
Linz, Austria
Brucknerhaus
Friday, October 13, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Paris, France
Philharmonie de Paris
Monday, October 16, 2017 at 8:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Radio Classique will broadcast the performance live online and on the air. To listen to the broadcast online, visit https://www.radioclassique.fr.
Vienna, Austria
Musikverein
Thursday, October 19, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, October 20, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
featuring
Martina Janková, soprano (Vixen)
Alan Held, baritone (Forester)
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano (Fox)
Raymond Aceto, bass (Harašta)
Daryl Freedman, mezzo-soprano (Lapák)
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone (Parson/Badger)
David Cangelosi, tenor (Schoolmaster/Mosquito)
and with
Sandra Ross, mezzo-soprano (Forester's Wife/Woodpecker)
Clarissa Lyons, soprano (Rooster/Owl)
BrIan Keith Johnson, baritone (Pásek)
Marian Vogel, soprano (Chief Hen/Mrs. Pásek/Blue Jay)
Vienna Singverein
Vienna Boys Choir
Production by Yuval Sharon
JANÁ?EK The Cunning Little Vixen
Opera with digital animation
(Sung in Czech with German supertitles)
Vienna, Austria
Musikverein
Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring [Le sacre du printemps]
Vienna, Austria
Musikverein
Sunday, October 22, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
ORF Radio will record this performance for broadcast at a later date.
Hamburg, Germany
Elbphilharmonie
Tuesday, October 24, 2017 at 8:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring [Le sacre du printemps]
NDR Radio will record this performance for broadcast at a later date.
Hamburg, Germany
Elbphilharmonie
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 at 8:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Philharmonie
Friday, October 27, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring [Le sacre du printemps]
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Philharmonie
Saturday, October 28, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
featuring
Martina Janková, soprano (Vixen)
Alan Held, baritone (Forester)
Jennifer Johnson Cano, mezzo-soprano (Fox)
Raymond Aceto, bass (Harašta)
Daryl Freedman, mezzo-soprano (Lapák)
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone (Parson/Badger)
David Cangelosi, tenor (Schoolmaster/Mosquito)
and with
Sandra Ross, mezzo-soprano (Forester's Wife/Woodpecker)
Clarissa Lyons, soprano (Rooster/Owl)
BrIan Keith Johnson, baritone (Pásek)
Marian Vogel, soprano (Chief Hen/Mrs. Pásek/Blue Jay)
Vienna Singverein
Pueri Cantores
JANÁ?EK The Cunning Little Vixen
Opera in concert
(Sung in Czech with French and German supertitles)
2018 Carnegie Hall
New York, New York
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
JOHANNES MARIA STAUD Stromab (Downstream) [New York Premiere]
[Co-commissioned by The Cleveland Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, Vienna Konzerthaus, and Royal Danish Orchestra]
MAHLER Symphony No. 9
____________________________________________________________________________________
New York, New York
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
Wednesday, January 24, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
Golda Schultz, soprano
Maximilian Schmitt, tenor
Thomas Hampson, baritone
Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
HAYDN The Seasons
(For details of The Prometheus Project in Cleveland, visit https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/second-century/1718-season-schedule/)
The Prometheus Project
2018 VIENNA/JAPAN TOUR
Vienna, Austria
Musikverein
Thursday, May 24, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 1
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 ("Eroica")
Vienna, Austria
Musikverein
Friday, May 25, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2
BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No. 3
Vienna, Austria
Musikverein
Saturday, May 26, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
BEETHOVEN Overture to Coriolan
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 8
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5
Vienna, Austria
Musikverein
Sunday, May 27, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.
The Cleveland Orchestra
Franz Welser-Möst, conductor
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7
Vienna, Austria
Videos
