@veni, vidi Fwiw, it was a “meh” evening. Messiaen is always an acquired taste, although the choice to open with his contribution to the Mozart bicentennial was appropriate, I suppose. There’s a lot to love about Quasthoff, but for his selection of Mozart arias his platform was set too low so his incredible bass-baritone was often lost in the wall of strings. And while it’s occasionally acceptable to read from the score at a mid-year student recital, odd that a world-class teacher & performer would choose to do so at Carnegie. (Amusing, too, that a performer known for criticizing the “authenticity” of crossover artists like Bocelli would encore with a schmaltzy, a capella rendition of “Swing Low”….) The Bruckner was crystalline–to be expected from Cleveland–and flutist Joshua Smith was a particular stand-out. What was -unexpected- was the mediocre performance by the brass. Cleveland has long been the standard-bearer for that section on this continent, so to hear Bruckner done with anything less than perfection from them was a bit of a letdown.

The billing of this performance as a “Weekend Casual” may have contributed to the irregularities. The audience skewed younger & more “first-timer” than usual, with all of the cell phone ringing (and ringing and ringing), misplaced applause, yakkety-yak, snoring, and auto-ovations that can engender. (It’s cool if you don’t know when the piece is over vs the end of a movement–just remember not to clap until the conductor’s arms go down) Don’t get me wrong, I’m a proponent of the denim-ization of the American concert hall–ridiculous that you can’t bring a beverage in to a crowded, 2+-hr performance–and I appreciate the swell of youth-marketing our orchestras are finally coming ’round to here. But I’d much rather see more of my peers at the regular concerts than suffer them all at once on amateur night for half price.

@Anna the bwog editor Hello to those of you who emailed Cuarts for tickets. The bwog was a little miffed that you got stood-up, so we emailed cuarts and asked them what was up. Apparently, you will be receiving an apology and an offer for free tickets to some other shows very shortly.