CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA MUSICIANS

This tour is quite unique and special for me as it is my first tour since returning from a two-year medical leave. Following a slip-and-fall on some icy stairs I spent two full seasons and three Blossoms as a full-time patient. That’s another story, but I thought it might be interesting to hear some observations from a fresh set of eyes and ears on what touring with the orchestra is like.

To begin with, I brought my own concerns with me in returning with multiple surgical repairs to the rigors of playing and traveling. It may come as a surprise, but by far the easier of the two has been the playing. Though I was a bit apprehensive initially as to how well and completely I would recover my musical skills after such a long hiatus, my practicing progressed without a hitch over the two months I gave myself to be ready to rejoin the band. Still, the first rehearsal back I was nervous to see if I would fit back in and be up to the level expected. Halfway through that first 10 o’clock service I had my answer. I had always said that this is the easiest orchestra to play in because it is so damn good, and that was still true. That accuracy and refinement made it so incredibly easy to fit right back in, and the warm supportive nature of my colleagues made me feel like I was back home.

Once we left home I had to deal with the travel aspect. I think every case of injury or even just soreness is individual and unique, so I’ll just offer a couple of thoughts about travel and its effects on the body: it’s awful! Cramped plane seats, airless compartments, and slogging through lines of people just as unhappy as you are nothing new. But these have proved to be a challenge to my newly repaired back and shoulder. Though everyone really should be doing some type of preventive or restorative exercise to counter these, for me it is proving to be crucial. So later today, when we arrive in Italy and get checked into the hotel, I will be getting to a gym or at least doing exercises with my therapy bands to try and fix what it feels like this vibrating bus is doing as I write.

But for the interesting part! Once the travel itself has been accomplished, the rest of the tour is fantastic! To be back playing with this orchestra in the venues we have been visiting is wonderful. Last night we performed Bruckner 8 in “his” church in St. Florian. It is a humbling and inspiring experience to hear his music reverberating throughout this impossibly beautiful and rather mystical setting. I followed up the performance immediately with a beer, while in tails and with instrument in other hand, from the small restaurant in the abbey. Similarly if less magnificent, the evening before we played at the outdoor venue of Graffenegg (which loosely translates to “green eggs and ham”) and though the concert hall was acoustically challenging it was great to rip through Ein Heldenleben and be handed a nice glass of Gruner Veldtliner backstage. Nothing quite tops the hall in Cologne for the perform/drink combo, where costumed young Frauleins hand you a local Koelsch beer as you leave the stage. No word yet on my proposal to our management that we institute something like this for all of our Severance Hall concerts.

While Edinburgh’s Usher Hall was quite nice to perform in, what was great about that first tour stop was the town itself for me. Just an easy town to spend a few days in, get over jet lag in, and wander about sightseeing. Of course the castle in the center of town, which offered a spectacular view from my posh hotel room, is a major tourist draw, along with the Royal Mile of shops and street performers just below. But there is much much more outside of those heavily trafficked areas. While many of my colleagues took excursions to golf or sightsee in the surrounding countryside, I contented myself with walks into less popular parts of town where I got more of a local flavor. On one of these I found a lovely small French bistro I would not have otherwise, and four of us had a memorable dinner there the last night. Another great find was the Modern Gallery and its provocative collection, including a couple of Scottish painters I was previously unfamiliar with. Too bad they had a no photography policy, as the first room I entered had a large piece that made me laugh – a table and chairs almost identical to ours at home except blown up to maybe 5 times normal size. As I stood there looking up at the bottom of the table I thought how much it must resemble the view at home for our cat. I resisted the urge to jump up on it- I figured the guard might not lightly scold me and set me down with a scratch on the chin.

So, a week into tour I can report that the orchestra is playing well and traveling well. Even on the couple of hard days where we travel many hours then play a concert, the level of musicianship and courtesy displayed is inspiring. Welcome back, indeed.

Rick Stout, trombone

Clockwise from top left: Mark Jackobs, Sonja Braaten, Alan Harrell, Scott Dixon, Martha Baldwin, Alicia Koelz, Brian Thornton, Joanna Patterson, Emma Shook, Lynne Ramsey. (Photo by Micah Leibowitz)

On a perfect August evening, 10 Cleveland Orchestra string players banded together to perform J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concert #3 for a variety of purposes. The event took place Friday, August 6th, at the Solon Arts Center under the stars (well, under a tent under the stars) and featured a wine tasting, hors d’oeuvres, and dinner as a fundraiser for the Solon Philharmonic. As well as wanting to support another musical arts organization in the Cleveland area, TCO musicians felt compelled to donate their services in honor of their former colleague, violinist Leon Lazarev, who passed away earlier this spring and whose name will be forever attached to the Solon Philharmonic’s concertmaster chair. And yet one more reason for TCO musicians’ involvement in the evening was the exciting announcement of Brian Thornton, cellist with The Cleveland Orchestra, who performed with the group, as the Solon Philharmonic’s Associate Conductor.

Sonja, Alicia, Brian, Martha and Lynne. (Photo by Micah Leibowitz)

The concert began with the first and third movements of Schubert’s Cello Quintet performed by Sonja Braaten and Alicia Koelz, violins, Lynne Ramsey, viola, and Brian Thornton and Martha Baldwin, cello. They were later joined by Emma Shook, violin, Mark Jackobs and Joanna Patterson, viola, David Alan Harrell, cello, and Scott Dixon, bass for the Brandenburg. Lydia Lazarev, Leon’s widow, was in attendance and was very touched by the musicians’ performance, saying, “Leon is smiling.”

Alfresco Friday was generously sponsored by Friends of Solon Center for the Arts as well as Solon Wine and Liquor.  Local personality, John Rinaldi, served as emcee and the young cast from “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (SCA Summer Stock Theater) performed selections from the musical.  Members of the Solon City Council present included Vice Mayor Lon Stolarsky, Bill Tusso, Bill Mooney, and Rick Bell.

On a personal note, I would like to thank my colleagues for donating their time, energy, and talent for this event. At one point in the Brandenburg, I looked around and thought to myself, (not for the first time in my tenure in this Orchestra!) how incredibly lucky I am to work and play music with such a wildly talented group of people.

–Sonja Braaten, violin

(Photo by Micah Leibowitz)