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Famed Cleveland Orchestra to tour China
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Stepping into Severance Hall, which stands at the heart of Cleveland, Ohio, one could easily be enchanted by its glittering splendor and sculptural delicacy. Hailed as one of the world鈥檚 most beautiful concert halls, it is home to a matching ensemble 鈥 the Cleveland Orchestra.
Founded in 1918, the Orchestra has grown into one of the world鈥檚 finest, as music critics in mainstream media, such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, have declared.
After concluding the 2017-18 centennial season of concerts, the Orchestra will embark on a tour to China in 2019 marking the beginning of its second century, 21 years after its last visit to the Asian country.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been too long,鈥 said Andre Gremillet, executive director of the Cleveland Orchestra, stressing that the Orchestra will offer 鈥渁 really wonderful classical, romantic repertoire for the Chinese audience.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to be objective, right? I would say it鈥檚 the best.鈥 Gremillet laughed when asked to comment on his 100-year-old team.
Besides its 鈥渦nparalleled virtuosity,鈥 what makes the Orchestra special is 鈥渁 chamber music-like quality of the music-making. The way the (musicians of the) Orchestra listen to one another on the stage.鈥
Though all musicians are wonderful soloists, they understand the importance of collaboration as a team.
鈥淚n this orchestra, no one is more important than the whole,鈥 he noted.
Flexibility is another quality that keeps the Orchestra vibrant and attractive to young audience.
鈥淚t can play opera as well as symphonic music. It can play Mozart as well as contemporary music,鈥 the executive director explained.
The Orchestra is also lucky to have Franz Welser-Most, a world-renowned Austrian conductor as its music director, a partnership that is entering the 17th year in the Orchestra鈥檚 101st season.
鈥淭he relationship between Welser-Most with the Orchestra is very unique, it鈥檚 like a big family,鈥 said Gremillet. 鈥淭hey have been working together for 16 years, so they have evolved together artistically.鈥
The 鈥渆volution鈥 has brought the Cleveland Orchestra unprecedented residencies both at home and around the world, including a recurring biennial residency at the Musikverein concert hall in Vienna, the first of its kind by an American orchestra.
The Orchestra has also been regular guest at the Salzburg and Lucerne Festivals, both represent the world鈥檚 highest level of musicianship and artistic excellence.
Located inside Cleveland鈥檚 University Circle, the Orchestra also spares no effort in its mission of classical music education and promotion. It offers students鈥 advantage programs which reduces the price of a regular concert ticket to as low as US$15. It also seeks student ambassadors annually to promote student attendance at the concerts.
Revisiting China
The Cleveland Orchestra traveled to China for the first time in 1978 with Lorin Maazel, an American conductor famous for his intense and enigmatic style. Twenty years later, the orchestra made its second China tour with German conductor Christoph von Dohnanyi before President Bill Clinton鈥檚 official visit to China.
During the past decades, the orchestra has collaborated with a number of Chinese musicians, such as pianist Lang Lang, who performed with the orchestra in 2000 at the Blossom Music Festival in Cleveland and at Severance Hall in 2002. On September 29, he will join the ensemble again to perform on the orchestra鈥檚 100th Anniversary Gala concert, which features Mozart鈥檚 Piano Concerto No. 24, works by Richard and Johann Strauss, and Ravel鈥檚 La Valse.
The orchestra also currently has three Chinese-born staff musicians, who 鈥渁re very excited to go back鈥 during the ensemble鈥檚 2019 China tour, said Gremillet. The executive director himself is also looking forward to the tour, which will stop in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and other destinations to be confirmed.
鈥淚 expect the Chinese audience to re-discover the Cleveland Orchestra,鈥 he said. 鈥淢any people remember when the orchestra was there 21 years ago, or even remember some older recordings of the orchestra. I am not sure as many people know what the orchestra is today. It remains remarkable, but it has evolved.鈥
Gremillet noted that China has a growing young audience in classical music, partly owing to the trend of musical education and instrument training among Chinese kids.
鈥淲e want our music to touch as many people in the world as possible, and a lot of these people are in China, so we look forward to playing for them,鈥 he said.
As a seasoned orchestra director who had managed New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra before coming to Cleveland, Gremillet strongly believes the power of music in cultural exchanges.
鈥淢usic is the most universal language. Even though we may have different cultures and different environments, we all share this common language,鈥 he said.
鈥淢usic has a way to bring everyone to get together.
鈥淚 think it is very important. And we view the role of the orchestra as bring people together.鈥
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