On Friday, October 14, 2016 at 8:00 p.m., Orchestra 19, Northeast Ohio’s new orchestra celebrating and exploring the instruments and music of the 19th century, will give its premier performance at First Baptist Church, 3630 Fairmount Blvd., Cleveland Heights, OH 44118.
Orchestra 19 explores the popular orchestral, band, military and harmonie works of the 19th century. O19 will utilize professional musicians in Northeast Ohio, using period or appropriate instruments and technique. O19 will share the unique instruments and interpretation with audiences, students, and the community to give a fresh experience to this popular repertoire.
Music of the 19th century is among the most popular, beloved, and performed music in the “classical” repertoire. Orchestra 19 will be a new American – and new Cleveland – vehicle for the performance and enjoyment of this repertoire. The ensemble will explore the instruments and performance practices of the 19th century, focusing on the balance and timbres of the period, not for authenticity, but for a 21st century audience to enjoy anew. O19, with its own inventory of wind instruments from the period, provides performance opportunities to highly qualified Northeast Ohio musicians, those who’ve invested in their own period instruments and those wishing to explore this music from a fresh perspective.
The concert will open with the Overture “Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage,” Op. 27 by Felix Mendelssohn, followed by two movements from Johannes Brahms’ “Serenade No. 2,” a rare work which does not include violins, and finishes the first half with a flute concerto by Joseph Schubert, performed by John Rautenberg. The concert will conclude with Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 7.”
Rautenberg, the retired Associate Principal Flutist of The Cleveland Orchestra, is a virtuoso of the 19th century simple‐system flute. He has an immense collection of the instruments, and fashions repairs and new parts for the instruments to suit his needs. Mr. Rautenberg selected the work as being among the many now‐forgotten vehicles for the exemplary skills of 19th century flute players, who did not benefit
from the modern‐system instruments in either their volume or simplicity of chromatic performance. Schubert’s concerto is one of many works that exhibit the full range of expression of a very different instrument to modern ears, and the audience will surely be mesmerized by his musicianship and the unique voice of this charming work.
For this concert, audiences will be treated to trumpets and horns without valves (so‐called “natural” instruments), simple flutes, ancient clarinets, and even a rare appearance by the serpent, a 16th century instrument which remained unchanged until its brief disappearance at the end of the 19th century.
Orchestra 19 will make its premier under the baton of Music Director, Matt Salvaggio. Salvaggio, a native of Huntsburg, Ohio, currently serves as Professor of Wind Ensemble at Hiram College. In addition to teaching at Hiram, he is also director of the University Heights Symphonic Band and is the music librarian and staff arranger for the Cleveland Pops Orchestra. Prior to his serving on the faculty of Hiram, Maestro Salvaggio was the founder and conductor of the Kent Intercollegiate Wind Ensemble with whom he conducted several successful world premieres and recorded two film scores. Matt has also served as Graduate Assistant Director of Orchestras and Graduate Assistant in Bands at Kent State University. In 2007, he served as a guest conductor in residence with the Medina Community Band.
Orchestra 19 is the creation of Music Director, Matt Salvaggio and General Director and musician, J.c. Sherman. Sherman, who makes repairs, and performs on 19th century brass instruments, has also served as a fundraising professional with Cleveland Opera and Cleveland POPS. J.c. also serves as tuba instructor at Cleveland State University. Salvaggio and Sherman both sought to explore this great music anew, and hear what they imagined from the period instruments, their unique programming, and former vogues come to life, and so spawned O19!
General admission tickets can be purchased at the door, and in advance here.