Jonathan Nott makes his Cleveland Orchestra debut in program featuring Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra at Severance Hall on November 19 and 21

Cleveland Orchestra Artist-in-Residence Alisa Weilerstein

is soloist in the Dvo‰ôˆ°k Cello Concerto

Concerts include world premiere of Julian Anderson’Äôs Fantasias

CLEVELAND, October 23, 2009 ’Äì Jonathan Nott, chief conductor of Germany’Äôs Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, will make his debut with The Cleveland Orchestra conducting a program featuring Strauss’Äôs Also Sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spake Zarathustra) at Severance Hall on Thursday, November 19, and Saturday, November 21, at 8:00 p.m. (He will also conduct the Orchestra’Äôs Fridays@7 concert on November 20 at 7:00 p.m.)

The program for November 19 and 21 begins with the world premiere of Julian Anderson’Äôs Fantasias. Mr. Anderson was The Cleveland Orchestra’Äôs Daniel R. Lewis Young Composer Fellow for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. The program continues with Antonˆ‚n Dvo‰ôˆ°k’Äôs Cello Concerto in B minor, Opus 104, with Cleveland Orchestra Artist-in-Residence Alisa Weilerstein as soloist. After intermission, the program concludes with Richard Strauss’Äôs Also sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spake Zarathustra), Opus 30.

British conductor Jonathan Nott has established himself as a conductor of opera at the Frankfurt Opera and Wiesbaden Opera, as well as a conductor of orchestral repertoire, through his work as principal conductor of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra (1997-2002), chief conductor of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra since 2000, and guest conductor internationally.

Mr. Nott has an ongoing relationship with the Ensemble Modern and the Ensemble Intercontemporain. He has said, ’ÄúFor some people, contemporary work is put in as a sort of apology. But if I’Äôve programmed a John Adams piece before Beethoven’Äôs Seventh, it’Äôs because people will listen to the Beethoven differently afterwards.’Äù

About Julian Anderson’Äôs Fantasias:

In a program note about Fantasias, Julian Anderson writes, ’ÄúThe tradition of the fantasia in Western music is that of caprice and deliberate willfulness on the surface of the music, as in the wonderful keyboard Fantasias of C.P.E. Bach, with an underlying harmonic coherence holding the whole together. In this work, I have adopted both features.’Äù

Fantasias, written between 2007 and 2009, consists of five movements, each focusing on a different group of instruments ’Äì for example, brass only for the first movement, and full orchestra featuring string and wind textures in the third movement.

Mr. Anderson calls the fourth movement a ’Äúfast, almost comic scherzo’Äù in which different groups of instruments are intercut like a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

The finale he describes as ’Äúa single headlong rush ’Äì with just two moments of repose and slackness to allow the listener, the performers (and the composer!) to get their bearings before, roller-coaster like, the music hurtles on its way.’Äù

FREE CONCERT PREVIEWS:

Concert Previews will be given prior to the November 19 and 21 concerts, beginning at 7:00 p.m., in Reinberger Chamber Hall. The Preview, titled ’ÄúMeet the Composer,’Äù will feature Julian Anderson in conversation with Gary Ginstling, Cleveland Orchestra general manager. Concert Previews are designed to enrich the concert-going experience by providing historical background and critical insight into the music performed at each concert. This series is funded by a generous endowment gift from Dorothy Humel Hovorka.

CALENDAR LISTINGS:

Thursday, November 19, at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 21, at 8:00 p.m.

Severance Hall

THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
JONATHAN NOTT, conductor
ALISA WEILERSTEIN, cello

J. ANDERSON Fantasias
(World Premiere)
DVO‰òˆÅK Cello Concerto
R. STRAUSS Also sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spake Zarathustra)

Ticket Prices: $31-$87 ’Äì Call (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141, or order online at clevelandorchestra.com