When one thinks of world-class symphonies, Berlin (Berliner Philharmoniker), London (London Symphony Orchestra), Paris (Orchestre de Paris), Vienna (Wiener Philharmoniker), Amsterdam (Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest), Boston (Boston Symphony Orchestra) Chicago (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), and Leipzig (Gewandhausorchester, Leipzig) certainly come to mind. No mystery here, these are among the world’s great cities with rich intellectual traditions.
But many experts also consistently rank the Cleveland Orchestra among the world’s top 10, which begs the question: How did they do it? This is no slam, nor do I condescend. I tip my hat to the citizens of Cleveland and wish other US cities could do so well.
No offense to Cleveland, but its presence among the Top 10 is startling, to say the least–based on demographics ranging from population and concentration of wealth to date of founding and more. Lots more. San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, New York (not a Top 10, many would argue) are all understandable, but how to understand Cleveland’s overachievement? Is there an unusually intellectual-cultural tradition among its populace? Even today, its metro population can’t be much over a half-million, though the urban core has certainly seen a recent renaissance.
What I know of the Cleveland Orchestra is that Russian conductor Nikolai Sololoff helped found it in 1915 or so, that Severance Hall opened in the early 1930s and subsequently played host to perhaps two dozen fully-staged operas, and that the musical directors/conductors since then have read like a Who’s Who: George Szell, Pierre Boulez, Lorin Maazel, Christoph von Dohnaanyi (sp?), and close partnerships with titans Vladimir Ashkenazy and Oliver Knusen.
In spite of your protestations to the contrary I detect that you are under the impression the most Cleveland area residents are knuckle dragging primates.
Shucks man!-didja know that we also have perfesshnal athletes?
Heck-we’ve even got “liberrys” what’ll even letcha borry a book fer thet short table leg!
Why the sun even comes up here ez soon ez it duz in N’yawk!
Cleveland was a much more prominent city at the turn of the 20th century than it is now. I just did a quick check - in 1890, it was the tenth largest city in the US, in 1920 it was fifth place. A lot of cultural development took place there around that time, befitting it’s expanding importance, fueled by a lot of late 19th century industrial development. The symphony has been able to hang onto its reputation.
Yaboob has it correct. Cleveland was a huge industrial center at the turn of the 20th century, one of the largest in the world. Many “Captains of the Industry” lived here during that time, and philanthropy was quite popular. We can thank the likes of Charles F. Brush, Norman Rockefeller, etc. for many of our cultural institutions such as the Cleveland Orchestra and a great chunk of University Circle. Fortunately, a great many of these institutions survive today!
Other Rust Belt cities that were once very wealthy and considered among the largest in the United States – Pittsburgh and Buffalo the first two that come to mind – also have an arts and high culture scene that seems out of proportion to the size and influence of those cities today.
Heck, even Nashville, TN has a top ranked symphony these days (no joke, they’re currently putting the finishing touches on a new hall that cost around $200 million). It’s not an easy task, basically, you need a conductor/symphony director who’s able to reach into the pockets of wealthy benefactors. Once you have that, you’re able hire top musicians, bring in “celebrity” guest conductors (like Philip Glass), pay composers to write new works specifically for some event the symphony is celebrating (say the 100th anniversary of the founding of the host city), or pay composers to have the world premiere of their latest work performed by that symphony. As has been pointed out, Cleveland was lucky enough to have wealthy folks in the early part of the 20th Century pony up big bucks for their symphony, and the symphony has no doubt been able to keep going (even as Cleveland’s fortunes as a whole have waxed and waned over the years) thanks to the hard work of the conductor/director, endowments that would have been established over the years for the symphony, and current donations from corporations and individuals.
But I’m talking about world-class symphonies. Neither Pittsburgh nor Buffalo qualify in this regard.
Many observers no longer consider the New York Philharmonic (Mahler, Toscanini, Stokowski, Mitropoulos, Bernstein, Boulezamong) among the world’s Top 10 orchestras. Cleveland’s has been, currently is and is likely to continue to be into the future. That is an extraordinary achievement and a tribute to the people of Cleveland, unlike your feeble satire, NFL team or no. :rolleyes:
George Szell, one of the great conductors of the 20th century, is usually credited with making the Cleveland what it is today. They developed a string sound during the 1940s that was considered an equal to that of the Vienna…and I guess when you’re THAT good, you keep attracting top-level musicians who will trade off having to live in Garfield Heights for a sinecure with one of the best orchestras in the world.
The real question is, how did the New York Phil drop so damned HARD since its glory days under Mahler and Bernstein? Zubin Mehta was an artistic disaster, but does he really deserve ALL the blame? Things began to look up again under Kurt Masur, but now we’re on the downswing again with Lorin Maazel who, ironically, was able to make even the Cleveland suck when he led it during the 1970s.
Nashville boasts an excellent orchestra–and its $120 million Schermerhorn Hall is a beaut–but Nashville’s orchestra is never heard in the same company as Cleveland’s. Never. To wit, said a Gramophone critic in 2003:
“Schermerhorn and his eager Nashville band more than hold their own by the side of Neeme Jarvi and the Detroit SO.”
Perhaps the question has been answered. But I think CO’s success goes beyond philanthropists and visionaries, to touch on the sensibilities of the people of Cleveland themselves. Ultimately, Ezstrete, I was paying quite a compliment, not maligning in any way.
Ah, but Nashville is a much smaller city than either Detroit or Cleveland, plus Nashville’s orchestra was nearly bankrupt less than 20 years ago. To go from almost nothing to being one of the most financially successful orchestra’s in the country in just a few years is quite an achievement, don’t you think? The question is if Nashville can hold on to it, now that Schermerhorn’s dead.
From one southerner to another, it’s very impressive. But remember: Many of the nation’s orchestras–from first tier to fourth–are teetering on the brink. As Ukelele Ike points out, a top-notch music director/conductor is worth his/her weight in gold. Not only must he be a rainmaker, but also treat his musicians well. A miscalculation or deficiency in any key area can undo years of nurturing.
The Cleveland metro population is around 3 million. Cuyahoga County alone is about 1.5 million. If Cleveland could annex its suburbs, like, say, Columbus, it would be a lot bigger than 500K.
Don’t forget that Cleveland is a huge METROPOLITAN area. While the city itself has been dumpy at times (it’s getting less dumpy lately so they say) and the population continues to go down, the neighboring cities have lots and lots of very wealthy citizens. You’ve got your Beachwood, your Cleveland Heights, your Rocky River et al.
Also, their “summer” home is in the Akron area, which also has it’s share of wealthy citizens and wealthy neighbors. They’re the “local” orchestra from Lake Erie to the Football Hall of Fame.
They really reach a wide audience - their 4th of July concerts are huge and people from the lowest to the highest tax brackets can enjoy them. They do alot of kids concerts, workshops, holiday shows, etc. They get money from everyone.
And once you buy a ticket to ANY show you’re on their donor list for life. They have one hell of a promotional team. I buy tickets maybe once every two years and get alot of solicitations via mail and phone. And I’m not really turned off by them - it feels great to support such a “world class” operation in Cleveland (although I still give more $$ to the Indians in the hopes that someday they are World Class as well )
I know, but I’m talking about high culture in general.
The area in Cleveland city proper might be poor, but its suburbs are fairly well-off. Head east towards the Chagrin River Valley, in eastern Cuyahoga, southern Lake, and western Geauga counties, and you’ll find some of the wealthiest communities in the country; an area of a couple hundred square miles filled with robber baron-style estates. Beachwood? Shaker Heights? Solon? Poverty-stricken compared to Hunting Valley, Moreland Hills, Kirtland Hills, Waite Hill, Pepper Pike, Gates Milla, and many other far eastern suburbs. There’s a lot of old, old money along the Chagrin River, and they contribute millions to the local arts scene.
But remember: Many of the nation’s orchestras–from first tier to fourth–are teetering on the brink. As Ukelele Ike points out, a top-notch music director/conductor is worth his/her weight in gold. Not only must he be a rainmaker, but also treat his musicians well. A miscalculation or deficiency in any key area can undo years of nurturing.