NEWS
Preview: "Cleveland Orchestra's 'E.T.' concerts at Blossom near and dear to outgoing conductor Brett Mitchell"
The Cleveland Orchestra and outgoing associate conductor Brett Mitchell will close the 2017 summer season this weekend at Blossom Music Center with three performances of "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," live with the film.
CLEVELAND — The Plain Dealer has published a preview of Brett Mitchell's upcoming final performances as Associate Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra:
One of his favorite movies. His favorite film composer. Some of the first orchestral music he ever heard. His last appearance in Cleveland as associate conductor.
For all these reasons and more, the Cleveland Orchestra's performances of "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" live with the film this weekend at Blossom Music Center are meaningful to Brett Mitchell.
"There are so many reasons why this is absolutely perfect," said Mitchell by phone from Denver, where he already has begun work as the next music director of the Colorado Symphony. "I'm going to do my best not to become a complete, blubbering mess."
Start with the personal element.
Like many of his generation, Mitchell treasures "E.T." He said it's the first film he saw in the theater with his grandparents, at the tender age of 3.
Beyond that, it's dear to him as an iconic creation of John Williams, a composer the adult Mitchell has long championed, here and elsewhere.
"It almost feels like cheating because I know this movie so well," Mitchell said. "Most of the impactful films of my childhood were films by John Williams."
And those are just Mitchell's associations. Truth is, even if another conductor were on the docket, "E.T." would still be an inspired musical choice for Labor Day weekend.
First off, ye classical purists: "E.T." is fully worthy of the Cleveland Orchestra. Ask any musician and she'll tell you: film scores, especially those by John Williams, can be seriously challenging, every bit as demanding of talent and attention as traditional concert works.
Consider this example of the composer's genius in "E.T." That famous soaring theme, the accompaniment to the airborne bike ride? Part of the reason it's so stirring is that by the time it arrives, we've been waiting for it. We've heard bits of it, and there, for the first time, we encounter it in full.
"He doesn't just come right out and play the themes," Mitchell said. "That's what makes that payoff so extraordinary. It's just fantastic music. I don't think anybody can doubt its integrity."
Then there's the whole matter of audience outreach. As anyone who's attended an earlier film concert at Blossom or an event in the orchestra's "At the Movies" series, there's nothing more effective than film music for attracting new or infrequent listeners.
Imagine, then, the potential impact of "E.T." Between the film itself, one of the most widely beloved cinematic works of all time, and the conductor's abundant, obvious affection for it, a whole lot of people are in for a really big treat.
"It is not a mistake we're doing this," Mitchell said. "When you can get someone on the podium who loves this movie as much as I do, it's kind of a no-brainer."
To read the complete preview, please click here.
Preview: "Movie and music fun at Blossom with ‘E.T.’ and the Cleveland Orchestra"
Brett Mitchell will lead The Cleveland Orchestra in a live performance of the soundtrack while Steven Spielberg's 1982 classic ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ shows on big screens at Blossom Music Center.
AKRON, OH — The Akron Beacon Journal has published a preview of Brett Mitchell's final performances as Associate Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra:
When E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial beamed across America’s movie screens in 1982, the story of a young boy’s friendship with a squashy little alien was a hit with audiences of all ages, but it especially resonated with children.
Brett Mitchell was one of them.
“The first and only movie I ever saw in a theater with my grandparents was E.T. when I was 3 years old,” Mitchell said. “It’s so moving. It’s still one of my favorite movies of all time.”
Steven Spielberg’s masterful film and John Williams’ searing score are timeless crowd-pleasers. Next weekend, when the Cleveland Orchestra performs live while E.T. is screened during three movie nights at Blossom Music Center, the music will be in reverential hands. Mitchell is conducting.
“This score has been a part of me for 35 years now,” he said. “It is unbelievably perfect in terms of matching the kind of tone Steven was trying to capture with the film.”
Mitchell was speaking on the phone from Denver where he is preparing to take over as music director of the Colorado Symphony. After a four-year stint in Cleveland, the orchestra’s associate conductor will start his new job after the Blossom season wraps up Labor Day weekend. “I’m going to try really hard to keep it together, especially on the last night. You know, E.T. and Elliott say goodbye, and I’m saying goodbye at the end of the film.”
He and the orchestra will rehearse E.T. twice on Thursday at Severance Hall, then head to Blossom Friday afternoon for a dress rehearsal.
“There is an element of danger when you’re doing a movie score live. You only get one shot at getting it right,” said Mitchell. “But every performer I know loves that part of it. That’s the joy of live performance.”
Part of that joy is also channeling Williams. “His score for E.T. came at a kind of prime time of his career,” said Mitchell. “He had Jaws in 1975, Star Wars and Close Encounters in 1977, Superman in ’78, The Empire Strikes Back, which was a fantastic score, in ’80, Raiders of the Lost Ark in ’81, then E.T. He was just churning out brilliant score after brilliant score.”
Mitchell’s movie-accompaniment repertoire with the orchestra also included Psycho, Vertigo, Fantasia, Home Alone and It’s a Wonderful Life. He and the orchestra closed out the Blossom season last year with two movie nights for Raiders of the Lost Ark. It proved so popular that the orchestra created three nights for E.T., Friday through Sunday, with each program starting at 8:30 p.m., and the movie followed by fireworks.
To read the complete article, please click here.
Season Preview: "Single tickets to Colorado Symphony 2017-18 season on sale now"
Single tickets are now on sale for Brett Mitchell's inaugural season as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony. (Photo by Peter Lockley)
DENVER — The Denver Post has published a preview of Brett Mitchell's inaugural season as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony as single tickets go on sale on Tuesday, August 1:
This is [...] the first season with 38-year-old Brett Mitchell at the helm as the new music director. Mitchell comes from the renowned Cleveland Orchestra, where he served as associate conductor and as music director of the organization’s Youth Orchestra.
“Our entire 2017/18 season is an outstanding mix of repertoire with concerts for every musical taste,” said Mitchell, who assumed the role of music director on July 1, in a release. “I’m as proud of the wide variety and high quality of programming as I am honored to take the podium for our first season together.”
Mitchell’s arrival has raised hopes of revitalizing the 28-year-old orchestra....
The season will officially kick off on Fri., Sept. 15 with a three-day performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. The canonical classic will be held at the Colorado Symphony’s home, Boettcher Concert Hall, the first “in-the-round” symphony hall in the U.S.
Preview: "Recommended Chicago-area classical concerts"
Brett Mitchell (pictured here with The Cleveland Orchestra) will make his debut with the Grant Park Orchestra with works of Kenji Bunch, Saint-Saëns, and Copland on Wednesday, July 19. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
CHICAGO — The Chicago Tribune has published a preview of Brett Mitchell's upcoming debut with the Grant Park Orchestra on Wednesday, July 19:
Grant Park Music Festival: Brett Mitchell, associate conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, makes his first festival appearance, leading the Grant Park Orchestra in works by Saint-Saens, Copland and Kenji Bunch. Violinist Angelo Xiang Yu is the soloist. 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park...
To read the complete article, please click here.
Preview: "Breckenridge’s National Repertory Orchestra performs Copland’s Third"
Brett Mitchell (pictured here with The Cleveland Orchestra) will lead the National Repertory Orchestra in works of Kenji Bunch, Schumann, and Copland on Saturday, July 1. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
BRECKENRIDGE, CO — Summit Daily has published a preview of Brett Mitchell's upcoming concert with the National Repertory Orchestra:
Another weekend in Summit County means another National Repertory Orchestra concert. This weekend's feature concert is Aaron Copland's Third Symphony featuring music director Brett Mitchell, the associate conductor with the Cleveland Orchestra. This sought-after guest conductor will help bring to life a compelling and diverse program. Benjamin Fryxell, a 22-year-old cellist, will guide attendees through the soulful journey of Robert Schumann's Cello Concerto in A minor....
Aaron Copland...began Symphony No. 3 in 1944, often known as "The Great American Symphony," and said it was meant to "reflect the euphoric spirit of the country at the time." The fourth movement features his popular Fanfare for the Common Man, an inspiring and uniting close to this magnificent work. This program will also include Supermaximum by living American composer Kenji Bunch. Maestro Mitchell's expertise with contemporary music is sure to make this a memorable performance.
To read the complete preview, please click here.
Audio: "Special Interview: Former Longhorn conductor Brett Mitchell talks Texas Music Festival"
Photo by Gregg Barckholtz
AUSTIN — Brett Mitchell spoke with KMFA 89.5 (Austin) about his upcoming performances with the Texas Music Festival and his decade of musical experiences in Texas:
Thirty-seven-year-old conductor Brett Mitchell has served as both the assistant and associate conductor of the venerable Cleveland Orchestra for the last four years. Prior to that, he spent six years in Houston where he was the assistant conductor of the Houston Symphony and later, for a brief time, was music director of the Moores Opera Center at the University of Houston. Effective next month, he’ll start a new job as music director of the Colorado Symphony. But before Denver, Houston, and Cleveland, Brett Mitchell was a Longhorn. He received both masters and doctorate degrees from UT’s Butler School of Music, where he was a student from 2001 to 2005. Coincidentally, Mitchell also made his Cleveland Orchestra debut in Austin when they were here on tour back in 2014.
Mitchell returns to Texas this month for a week-long residency with the Texas Music Festival at the University of Houston. He’ll conduct Elgar, Shostakovich, and Salonen in two concerts. Rideshare host Chris Johnson called him last week to catch up while he was in Florida for a residency with the Sarasota Music Festival.
Preview: "28th Annual Immanuel and Helen Olshan Texas Music Festival highlights classical music rising stars in June and July"
Brett Mitchell, pictured here with The Cleveland Orchestra, will conduct two performances of works by Esa-Pekka Salonen and Edward Elgar at the 2017 Texas Music Festival. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Hot in Houston Now has published a preview of the 2017 Texas Music Festival, during which Brett Mitchell will conduct two performances of works by Esa-Pekka Salonen and Edward Elgar:
This summer, expect to be engaged, enraptured and invigorated when classical music’s rising stars perform major classical and contemporary works by luminaries including Daniel Catán, Chausson, Elgar, Mussorgsky, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Shostakovich and Strauss at the 28th Annual Immanuel and Helen Olshan Texas Music Festival (TMF).
The TMF “Cool & Classical” Orchestra Series, set for June 10, June 17, June 23-24 and July 1, will showcase the crème de la crème of pre-professional musicians here to study and perform with world-class conductors, soloists and faculty artists at the University of Houston (UH) Moores Opera House and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.
The 2017 TMF Season will feature two TMF conductor debuts, [including] Brett Mitchell (Week 3), Houston Symphony assistant conductor 2007-11.
June 23 (Woodlands Pavilion) and June 24 (Moores Opera House)
“Orchestral Variations”
Brett Mitchell, conductor
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Young Artist Competition Winner, soloist
Esa-Pekka Salonen: L.A. Variations
TBA: Solo with CWMYA Competition Winner
Edward Elgar: Variations on an original theme, “Enigma”
To read the complete preview, please click here.
Preview: Cleveland Orchestra closing 2016-17 season with ‘West Side Story’
Brett Mitchell will lead The Cleveland Orchestra in four performances of West Side Story to close their 2016-17 season.
The News-Herald (Cleveland) has published a preview of Brett Mitchell's final subscription concerts as Associate Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra:
Brett Mitchell is, unabashedly, a fanboy of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein. However, unlike Comic Con-goers — whose adoration is limited to “Star Wars” and such things — the Cleveland Orchestra Associate Conductor’s love affair begins with “West Side Story.”
“When you think about American music in the 20th century, it’s impossible not to think of Leonard Bernstein,” Mitchell said. “Notice, I didn’t say American classical music or American orchestral music. I mean, Lenny had his hands in every possible cookie jar he could.
“It’s amazing to me to think Bernstein was music director of the New York Philharmonic from 1958 to 1969. It was literally the year before he started that they released ‘West Side Story,’ which is one of the great Broadway hits of all-time. You’ve got somebody that really was every bit as comfortable in the Broadway world as he was in the classical, orchestral world.”
The Cleveland Orchestra is merging those worlds for “West Side Story,” which is the season finale of its “At the Movies” series. Performances run June 1 through 4 at Severance Hall.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Broadway production.
With Mitchell conducting, the Cleveland Orchestra will perform Bernstein’s electrifying score (including iconic songs “Something’s Coming,” “Tonight,” “America,” “I Feel Pretty” and “Somewhere”) while the remastered film is shown on a high-definition big screen with the original vocals and dialog.
When looking over the score, Mitchell said the challenge for the Orchestra stems around the material, which is very much symphonic but also based in dance music and jazz. The latter finds the musicians coming out of their collective comfort zone.
“It’s very much letting our hair down, and it’s a whole lot of fun for all of us,” Mitchell said. “The great joy for me in particularly doing film projects like this with the Cleveland Orchestra is that there is no more-flexible orchestra in the world. We’re basically kind of retrofitting the accompaniment onto these pre-existing sung vocal lines.
“Having an orchestra like the Cleveland Orchestra — that has no problem playing as quietly and as subtly and as sensitively as possible — that is really a boon for me on the podium and fantastic for the audience. It’s great to do a project like this because it really lets both the Orchestra and the film shine.”
What makes this program different is normally the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra performs the most challenging material that may not appeal to neophytes. This is one example where universal appeal exists for the casual music or movie fan.
“Everybody knows ‘West Side Story,’ everybody can sing a tune from ‘West Side Story,’” Mitchell said. “And the idea you can see it on the big screen, that’s fantastic. But what’s really fantastic is having one of the world’s greatest orchestras, along with a conductor who is an unabashed devotee of Leonard Bernstein, doing this project together in Severance Hall on subscription as the season finale.
“It doesn’t get bigger than that. This is not just a performance, it’s an event. I couldn’t be more excited.”
To read the complete article, please click here.
Preview: "Cleveland Orchestra bidding farewell to conductor Brett Mitchell with 'West Side Story' film"
Associate conductor Brett Mitchell is about to conclude his tenure with the Cleveland Orchestra with a live performance with film of Bernstein's "West Side Story," a project he describes as "tailor-made for my relationship with the Cleveland Orchestra." (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
The Plain Dealer has published a preview of Brett Mitchell's upcoming subscription concerts with The Cleveland Orchestra, his final Severance Hall performances as the ensemble's associate conductor:
No one conceived the Cleveland Orchestra's season finale next week as a farewell to associate conductor Brett Mitchell.
As it turns out, however, that's exactly what it is, and with "West Side Story" as the main attraction, even Mitchell himself couldn't have planned it better.
"For someone like me, it's just about perfect," said Mitchell, the future music director of the Colorado Symphony. "It's tailor-made for my relationship with the Cleveland Orchestra."
Indeed, it's hard to imagine a program more representative of Mitchell's four years at Severance Hall than a live performance of Bernstein's "West Side Story" along with the film.
During Mitchell's tenure, the orchestra's commitment to film music expanded significantly. Meanwhile, all along, he served as a staunch advocate for American music of all stripes, Bernstein's included....
"I wish I could take credit for it, but it wasn't even my idea," said Mitchell of "West Side Story," a film that also taps his lifelong love of American musical theater. "I just feel very fortunate that my musical background has prepared me for this kind of project."
It's a good thing he's prepared. Performing "West Side Story" this way, live and in synch with the film, is a task far more complicated than it would be with many other films, or conducting a traditional performance in concert or as part of a theater production.
The challenge, in this case, is the film itself. Long before anyone could have dreamed of an orchestra performing the film live, the editors of "West Side Story" spliced together tidbits from any number of recorded takes, all of which differ slightly in terms of tempo.
Following along, therefore, becomes something of a "high-wire act," Mitchell explained. "You've got to hit every single one of those transitions live. You really don't have any choice."
Not that there's any real risk of falling. During their time together, Mitchell and the orchestra have become old pros at performing film scores in this manner.
Mitchell therefore knows of what he speaks when he predicts that this account of "West Side Story," his last scheduled appearance as a member of the Cleveland Orchestra, will be unlike any other he's seen or been a part of.
"This is a really special way to experience 'West Side Story,'" Mitchell said. "When you get to hear this score with this orchestra, it's really going to highlight Bernstein's music in a way other versions simply cannot do."
To read the complete preview, please click here.
Audio: "Brett Mitchell's final concert with the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra"
Brett Mitchell and COYO musician Catharine Baek at the WCLV studios on Wednesday, May 10. (Photo by Mark Satola)
CLEVELAND — Brett Mitchell spoke with WCLV's Bill O'Connell about the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's upcoming 2016-17 season finale, which also marks Mr. Mitchell's final performance as the ensemble's Music Director. Mr. Mitchell was joined in the interview by COYO member Catharine Baek, who won the orchestra's annual concerto competition, and will perform Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major on the concert, presented on Friday, May 12 at Severance Hall. To hear this interview, please click here.
Mr. Mitchell and Ms. Baek also spoke with WCLV's Mark Satola in an interview that will air during the intermission of Friday's concert. To hear this interview, please click here.
Preview: Brett Mitchell's final concert with the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and outgoing music director Brett Mitchell kicked off this season with a momentous program pairing: a commissioned work by Roger Briggs with Bruckner's Symphony No. 4. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) has published a preview of Brett Mitchell's final concert as Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra:
This weekend marks more than just the end of another season.
The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra's concert Friday marks both the group's season finale and its final performance with conductor Brett Mitchell, music director since 2013.
"It's hard for me to even talk about," said Mitchell. "I will never have another relationship with an orchestra like the one I have with COYO. It's going to be very hard to say goodbye."
After four years with Mitchell, future music director of the Colorado Symphony, the group is more than ready to present a season finale featuring Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5, the Ravel G-Major Piano Concerto (with pianist Catharine Baek) and Joan Tower's "Made in America."
And that's just the capstone. Under Mitchell's watch, COYO grew by leaps and bounds, taking on such challenges as Bruckner's Symphony No. 4, Bernstein's Symphony No. 1, several contemporary scores and a tour of China. The group soon to be inherited by conductor Vinay Parameswaran will be one capable of just about anything.
For COYO, Mitchell said, what matters most isn't excellence in any one piece but rather a supportive culture. "We have to play for each other. It's not just about playing together. I'm a big fan of everybody being in it for everybody."
Mitchell, for his part, said he's just glad to be going out with Prokofiev's Fifth. If he'd programmed a work that ends with a long note instead of a bang, "I'd be tempted to hold it for five minutes," he said. "I wouldn't want to let go."
To read the complete preview, please click here.
Preview: Brett Mitchell to lead two world premieres with members of The Cleveland Orchestra
Brett Mitchell will lead members of The Cleveland Orchestra in two world premieres this weekend at Knight Concert Hall in Miami.
El Nuevo Herald (Miami) has published a preview of this weekend's Cleveland Orchestra concerts in Miami, including two world premieres by composers from the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, presented by members of The Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of Associate Conductor Brett Mitchell. To read the complete preview (in Spanish), please click here.
Brett Mitchell to lead two world premieres with members of The Cleveland Orchestra
Brett Mitchell will lead two world premieres with members of The Cleveland Orchestra in March at Knight Concert Hall in Miami.
The Cleveland Orchestra and the University of Miami's Frost School of Music Department of Music Composition & Theory have announced the winners of the 2016-17 TCO/Frost Composition Collaboration:
- Dylan Findley (b. 1991): strengthen the body/enliven the soul (2016)
- Julián Brijaldo (b. 1983): Anatomy of Sur (2016)
On January 31, a chamber quintet comprised of members of The Cleveland Orchestra led by Associate Conductor Brett Mitchell gave a reading session of six works composed for the ensemble by Frost student composers. Following the session, Maestro Mitchell and the members of The Cleveland Orchestra selected two winning works, which will be premiered at the Arsht Center in March.
Mr. Brijaldo’s and Mr. Findley’s works will be premiered at 7 p.m. “Prelude Concerts” preceding Cleveland Orchestra concerts on Friday, March 24 and Saturday, March 25. Both works will be performed both nights.
This project is the tenth such collaboration between The Cleveland Orchestra Miami and the Frost School of Music Department of Composition & Theory. It is truly a unique program unlike any other in the country, and a significant opportunity for young composers at the Frost School of Music.
To read the complete press release about this event from the Frost School of Music, please click here. To read The Cleveland Orchestra's press release, please click here.
Preview: "New music director Brett Mitchell fronts a jam-packed season"
Brett Mitchell begins his tenure as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony on July 1, 2017. (Photo by Peter Lockley)
The Denver Post has published a preview of the Colorado Symphony's 2017-18 concert schedule, which marks Brett Mitchell's first as Music Director:
First, the Colorado Symphony showed it’s ready to draw in younger audiences by bringing in a music director under 40; now, it’s taking on “La La Land” and a little “Purple Rain” as part of a stellar 2017-18 season.
New Colorado Symphony music director Brett Mitchell is heading up a dazzling lineup in the coming season, which will include appearances by world-class musicians Yo-Yo Ma and Renée Fleming.
“With Brett coming onboard, this is a huge year that deserves huge names,” Anthony Pierce, Colorado Symphony chief artistic officer, said in a press release. Mitchell officially takes the reins on July 1.
The orchestra will perform with soprano Fleming on Sept. 9, and with cellist Ma on Dec. 10.
“Of course, we’re thrilled to welcome such special guests as Yo-Yo Ma, and Renée Fleming,” said Mitchell. “But I’m every bit as excited to showcase my incredible colleagues who make up the Colorado Symphony as we share the stage together all season long.”
The Classics Opening Weekend is Sept. 15-17, with Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5” and works by composers Kevin Puts and symphonic-electronics artist Mason Bates.
To read the complete preview, please click here.
Preview: "Colorado Symphony reveals 2017-18 season schedule"
The Colorado Symphony performs at Boettcher Concert Hall in Denver. (Photo by Paul Brokering)
Colorado Public Radio has published a preview of Brett Mitchell's inaugural season as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony:
Some big names--including soprano Renée Fleming and cellist Yo-Yo Ma--are set to perform at Boettcher Concert Hall. And conductor Brett Mitchell will assume full-time duties as the orchestra’s new music director.
A few highlights:
- Sept. 9: Soprano Renée Fleming performs with the symphony. The symphony is billing it as a celebration of Mitchell’s official start as music director.
- Sept. 15-17: The season’s official opening weekend features a program with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and music by two living composers: Kevin Puts’ “Millennium Canons” and Mason Bates’ “The B-Sides: Five Pieces for Orchestra.”
- Dec. 10: Cellist Yo-Yo Ma performs with the orchestra.
- May 25-27: The season closes with a celebration of the centennial of Leonard Bernstein’s birth, as Mitchell conducts the “Candide” Overture and “Serenade (After Plato’s ‘Symposium’).” The program also includes Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan.”
View the full season brochure.
Hear David Rutherford’s in-depth interview with Mitchell.
To read the complete preview, please click here.
Preview: "The Cleveland Orchestra Goes All-American This Week at Severance Hall"
Brett Mitchell will lead The Cleveland Orchestra in a subscription program of three American works this weekend at Severance Hall. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Cool Cleveland has published a preview of Brett Mitchell's upcoming subscription program with The Cleveland Orchestra:
The Cleveland Orchestra’s “All American” program at Severance Hall features music by two of this country’s most beloved composers: Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein’s Symphonic Suite from his original film score for the 1954 film On the Waterfront is representative of how he juggled his classical background and popular music forms throughout his career. And in his Symphony No. 3, written between 1944 and 1946, Copland injects American themes including his own Fanfare for the Common Man, composed in 1942.
The concerts will also feature contemporary composer Augusta Read Thomas’ 2008 Juggler in Paradise: Violin Concerto No. 3, with Cleveland Orchestra concertmaster William Preucil as the soloist. The orchestra’s associate conductor Brett Mitchell will be on the podium. Friday evening’s Fridays @ 7 concert will feature only the Thomas and Copland pieces.
To read the complete preview, please click here.
Preview: "Five Classical Music Events to Hit This Week"
Brett Mitchell will lead The Cleveland Orchestra in three subscription performances featuring music of Leonard Bernstein, Augusta Read Thomas, and Aaron Copland. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Brett Mitchell's upcoming subscription weekend with The Cleveland Orchestra has been featured in Cleveland Scene's "Five Classical Music Events to Hit This Week":
Music by American composers Leonard Bernstein, Augusta Read Thomas, and Aaron Copland will be featured on this week’s Cleveland Orchestra concerts at Severance Hall. Concertmaster William Preucil will take the solo role in Thomas’s Violin Concerto No. 3 (”Juggler in Paradise”), and associate conductor Brett Mitchell will lead the Orchestra in Bernstein’s Symphonic Suite from “On the Waterfront” (adapted from the Marlon Brando film), and Copland’s Symphony No. 3 (where the brass suddenly break out in an episode that later became the Fanfare for the Common Man). Performances run from March 2-4 (Thursday at 7:30 pm, Friday at 7:00 pm, Saturday at 8:00 pm). The Friday performance is part of the Orchestra’s Fridays@7 series (no Bernstein, but food, drink, and entertainment before and after).
To read the complete preview, please click here.
Preview: Colorado Symphony announces summer lineup
Brett Mitchell will conduct the Colorado Symphony in a sneak preview of the 2017-18 concert season—his first as its Music Director—on Saturday, July 22. (Photo by Brandon Marshall)
Preview: Adams, Stravinsky, Ravel, and Stewart Copeland with the Colorado Symphony
Brett Mitchell will lead the Colorado Symphony on Saturday, February 25. (Photo by Peter Lockley)
Westword (Denver) has published a preview of Music Director Designate Brett Mitchell's performance this weekend with the Colorado Symphony, featuring works of Adams, Stravinsky, Ravel, and Stewart Copeland, who will join the orchestra to perform his concerto for trap set and orchestra, Tyrant's Crush:
“This is definitely something that’s a little more outside the box, which is something that we do at the Colorado Symphony better than just about anybody in the business," [Mitchell] adds. "This is such an open-minded orchestra. To have the opportunity to play a piece of Stewart’s with Stewart — I mean, the whole experience, even before you crack open the score, already promises all this fun. And then you actually get into the music, and you’re like, ‘Oh, awesome, the music is actually really fun, too.’” ...
“That is the best program that I’ve ever played, by the way,” Copeland says. “That is the best programming. That is fantastic programming.”
Mitchell, who programmed the concert and will conduct on Saturday, says that the influence of those three composers is strong. “I think that on the first half, you’ll hear John Adams’s Chairman Dances and you’ll hear the Stravinsky Pulcinella,” Mitchell says. “And I think that once you’ve heard those two pieces, you’ll come back and you’ll listen to Stewart’s concerto with some very new ears, and you’ll realize, ‘Oh, my God, these worlds aren’t as far apart as I thought they were.’”
Mitchell thinks there will be a lot of fans of the Police in the audience who will open up for the first time to composers like Adams, Stravinsky and Ravel after thinking that classical composers could never speak on the same level as somebody like Copeland.
“And I also think,” Mitchell adds, “that there are going to be a good number of people who are going to come to the concert because of the Adams and Stravinsky and because of the Ravel and are going to hear Stewart’s piece and say, ‘Oh, isn’t that interesting. I thought this guy was in the pop world and just did pop stuff.’ But this is legit, awesome, contemporary, badass classical music. And so I think that it’s going to open ears on both sides — and that’s really what we’re all about at the Colorado Symphony.”
To read the complete preview, please click here.