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Franz Welser-Möst to Leave the Cleveland Orchestra

One night last fall, Franz Welser-Möst, the music director of the Cleveland Orchestra, walked onto the stage of Severance Hall, crossed over to the podium and faced the audience. He was neither solemn nor particularly expressive; he just flashed a Mona Lisa smile before turning to the players and gesturing the downbeat of a Mozart symphony.

For the regulars in the audience, this was a familiar sight. Welser-Möst, 63, is known more for his authoritative, even demanding, conducting than for his showmanship. And what followed that night was also familiar, as the orchestra turned out a program of the Mozart, a new percussion concerto and a Tchaikovsky rarity at the exhilaratingly high level that has led many to call this ensemble the finest in America.

Unflashy yet unmatched. Such is the culture of the Cleveland Orchestra, an oasis of excellence, maintained and nurtured since Welser-Möst became its music director in 2002. And while there is more to come — the orchestra opens Welser-Möst’s Perspectives series with a pair of concerts at Carnegie Hall on Jan. 20 and 21 — the end of his tenure is in sight: He announced on Thursday that he would not renew his contract when it expires in 2027, which is relatively soon given the far-ahead planning cycles of classical music.

5 Franz Welser-Möst Recordings With the Cleveland Orchestra

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    Suite from ‘Der Rosenkavlier’

    2023

    Franz Welser-Möst assembled this suite from Strauss’s opera “Der Rosenkavalier” himself. It consists of three movements, corresponding to each act, and opens with the sensual, galloping music of the work’s first scene.Full track

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    George Walker’s ‘Antifonys’

    2022

    The long career of George Walker is represented in this survey that opens with his 1968 work “Antifonys.” Written for string orchestra, it is a dense, timely essay on angrily opposing forces.Full track

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    Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony

    2023

    Two of Prokofiev’s symphonies come to Carnegie Hall on Jan. 21. Welser-Möst’s dramatic sense comes through in the second movement of the Fifth, an outtake from the composer’s ballet “Romeo and Juliet.”Full track

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    Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony

    2023

    The Cleveland Orchestra has been referred to as a chamber group on a grand scale. In the third movement of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, the strings pluck with such precision, they sound like a quintet.Full track

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    Schubert’s ‘Great’ Symphony

    2020

    This recording captures the Clevelanders in their last gathering before the pandemic shutdown. The Andante con moto from Schubert’s “Great” Symphony became the subject and theme music for the podcast “On a Personal Note.”Full track

Track previews and album art courtesy of

Spotify.

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Source: Music - nytimes.com


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