Czech conductor Jiri Belohlavek makes his Cleveland Orchestra debut this weekend leading a program of works by Haydn, Rachmaninoff, and Dvorak. The concerts are dedicated to the people of Japan. Music and life are unpredictable. In both pursuits, dramatic surprises are inevitable.
Often, in music, that's a good thing, as it was Thursday at Severance Hall, when conductor Jiri Belohlavek made his Cleveland Orchestra debut with a dashing performance notable for its volatility and fresh approaches to music of great familiarity.
In life, however, unpredictability can have tragic consequences, as Japan continues to learn. Which is why this weekend's programs are dedicated to that nation and why they include pre-concert chamber music and a moment of silence after a special performance of the Allegretto from Beethoven's Seventh.
Another Seventh, Dvorak's, anchored the program, and like the Beethoven, it was an impassioned, highly charged reading, a display of Belohlavek's fondness and affinity for the score.
REVIEW
Cleveland Orchestra
What: Jiri Belohlavek conducts Haydn, Rachmaninoff, and Dvorak.
When: 7 p.m. April 1 and 8 p.m. April 2.
Where:: Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Ave., Cleveland.
Tickets:: $36-$126. 216-231-1111, clevelandorchestra.com
Elsewhere, Belohlavek seemed to favor ponderous tempos, but in the Dvorak, he kept things sizzling. The opening movement was a continual process of renewal, a steady re-corralling of energy and forward surges.
Even more dynamic was the final Allegro, where Belohlavek, conducting from memory, accomplished the feat of channeling the music's several divergent ideas into a single cohesive stream, all while preserving contrasts and dramatic shape.
The orchestra itself grabbed the spotlight in the two central movements, filling out the Adagio with intimate, lyrical statements and delivering a Vivace marked by strong momentum and bold accents.
Haydn's Symphony No. 96, the first work on the program, earned its nickname, "Miracle," when a chandelier fell in the hall where the work was premiered. Luckily, no one was injured. Alas for Japan, earthquakes, tsunamis, and their aftermath aren't so easy to dodge.
Unfortunately, too, the unpredictable element in music led Thursday to mixed Haydn. Belohlavek's performance was trim and crisp but also cautious. Lovely details abounded, including a luminous turn by principal oboist Frank Rosenwein, but sluggish tempos hampered the reading until a zesty Finale.
Few pieces are more widely beloved or better known than Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2. Thus it's a testament to pianist Horacio Gutierrez that his performance Thursday bathed the score in a new light.
Rachmaninoff's technical hurdles amounted to nothing. Between his masterly command of the keyboard and deep knowledge of the piece, Gutierrez strode through the piece with complete confidence.
But it was with his interpretation that the pianist truly distinguished himself. Where many treat this concerto as a lavish, grandiose affair, Gutierrez stripped away the sheen and presented it as something immediate and vital.
At the same time, his approach was conversational, fueled by one-on-one interactions. Especially conspicuous in this regard was the dulcet exchange in the Adagio with assistant principal clarinetist Daniel McKelway.
Such profound communication comes as no surprise, given how long Gutierrez has been visiting Cleveland. May a similar bond develop with Belohlavek.