The Observer, January 27, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 14
Case Concert Celebration rocks audience
Five out of five Clevelanders agree: the only things that surpass the Dutch violinist Janine Jansen's beauty are her musical skills and the Cleveland Orchestra's hospitality at the fourth annual Case Concert Celebration. The concert took place at Severance Hall Monday, Jan. 23 to a sold-out crowd of over 2000, according to Kate Coleman, an assistant director in the Office of Alumni Relations who helped organize the event. Tickets, which went on sale in early December, sold out more than a week prior to the concert.
Some students successfully bought scalped tickets at the door. Such was the case of Louis Burnoski, a senior civil engineering student, who said, "Most [students] didn't even know that the concert was today." By estimates, about 25 percent of those in attendance were students.
Prior to the concert, attendees feasted on catered hors d'oeuvres and drinks. This alone was well worth the cost of a ticket. However, the evening was far from over. After everyone took their seats, President Hundert spoke, thanking the attendees and numerous contributors, notably the Payne Fund, for making the evening possible. Special guest conductor and legendary pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy conducted the orchestra.
One highlight of the evening was Tchaikovsky's "Violin Concerto in D Major" as performed by Jansen on a 1727 Antonio Stradivari violin. The piece, an indisputable classic in the violin repertoire, is one of the most challenging violin concertos ever written. While numerous recordings exist, Jansen's rendition brought new feelings to the piece. "I especially liked Ms. Jansen's rich color palette," commented Costa Petridis, an assistant professor of Art History, and went on to say that, "her fiddle may have helped her a bit, and her very nuanced playing – not being afraid to take time and play softly without losing the overall intensity of the lines."
Jansen was pleased when the audience broke into applause after the first movement. Normally, this would be considered quite inappropriate; however, given that the same reaction occurred at all other performances, breaking tradition is sometimes acceptable. During the finale of the third movement, Jansen smiled as she lunged forward towards the dramatic conclusion and William Preucil, the concertmaster, led the violins to echo the intensity.
The orchestra opened with William Walton's "Scapino: A Comedy Overture." Walton composed this piece in 1940 to escape to another emotionalplace as World War II had just started. While not a very commonly played piece, it suited Ashkenazy's vim and vigor well.
Closing the evening were selections from Tchaikovsky's "The Sleeping Beauty." The piece was not as polished as the other works, but was well received by the audience as many of the tunes are familiar. Some described the "Adagio" listed in the program, better known as the "Pas d'action," as their favorite of the nine selections.
While the Case Concert Celebration will be sure to be one of the grandest events in Severance Hall this year, there are plenty more exceptional concerts in the near future. The Cleveland Orchestra will return from Feb. 2-4 and play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Mendelssohn as well as pieces by Berlioz and Chausson. The following weekend from Feb. 10-12 will surely to be a crowd pleaser as Howard Shore conducts his monumental Grammy and Academy Award-winning score music to the motion picture The Lord of the Rings. If you want tickets, get them while they are still here because they will sell quickly. Student tickets are available from $10-$15 in the Severance box office.
