CLEVELAND, Ohio – Nothing wrong with a nice dinner or a box of chocolates. Here in Cleveland, though, Valentine’s Day can be a whole lot more interesting, especially if you and your special someone enjoy classical music.
On and around Feb. 14, Northeast Ohio is host to any number of concerts, many of them conceived directly with the romantic holiday in mind and intended for couples seeking something special.
The highest-profile of the bunch is the Cleveland Orchestra’s presentation of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb 14. Conductor Justin Freer will lead a live performance of Henry Mancini’s score in real time with a big-screen projection of the film starring Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly.
No need to look elsewhere for dinner, either. Because it takes place at Severance Hall (11001 Euclid Ave, Cleveland), “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” easily can be paired with a pre- or post-concert meal or cocktail at Severance Restaurant. Tickets are scarce and dinner reservations are recommended. Go to clevelandorchestra.com or call 216-231-1111 for tickets and info.
Similar in spirit is an upcoming, slightly post-holiday production by Opera Circle Cleveland titled “Opera Valentine.”
Five vocalists associated with Opera Circle will join forces with the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra and conductor Robert Cronquist in two performances of opera excerpts loosely described as “Valentine favorites.”
The first performance, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, at the Polish-American Cultural Center (6501 Lansing Ave., Cleveland) is an open dress rehearsal, and is therefore free of charge. The second, at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, at First Baptist Church (3630 Fairmount Blvd., Shaker Heights) is a ticketed event including buffet-style refreshments.
Tickets range from $5 for students to $55 and are available at the door, online at operacirclecleveland.org, or by phone at 216-816-1411.
Not every concert these days is concerned with Valentine’s Day. As it happens, there are plenty of classical events taking place in mid-February wholly unrelated to Cupid and his bow.
Apollo’s Fire, for instance, is about to dive into the world of “Virtuoso Bach.” On five concerts in as many days, Cleveland’s Baroque orchestra and conductor Jeannette Sorrell will take up Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 1, the Oboe Concerto in G Minor (with oboist and Les Delices founder Debra Nagy), and Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 3 and 4.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, at Lake Erie College in Painesville; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 17 and 18, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights; 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, at Rocky River Presbyterian Church; and 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20, at Bath Church. Go to apollosfire.org or call 216-320-0012 for tickets and other information.
This Sunday, Feb. 12, at 4:30 p.m., ContempOpera, a new company founded by soprano Andrea Anelli, will present “My Lord What a Morning: The Legacy of the Negro Spiritual.” The soprano will collaborate with baritone Brian Keith Johnson and pianist Jeannette Davis on a program of well-known spirituals composed or arranged by luminaries in the field.
Admission to the concert is free. The location is Christ Episcopal Church (3445 Warrensville Center Road, Shaker Heights). A free presentation of a related film titled “When I Rise” will precede the concert at 3 p.m. For more information, contact Anelli at aanelli@contempoperacleveland.org.
Also this Sunday, at 2 p.m., the chamber ensemble Panoramicos will give the local premiere of “I Remember,” a work based on the now-70-year-old writings of Holocaust victim Anne Frank. The free performance takes place at The Temple-Tifereth Israel (26000 Shaker Blvd., Beachwood) in conjunction with a related talk and ongoing exhibit titled “Remembering Anne Frank: A Selection from the Holocaust Wall Hangings.” For more information, go to ttti.org.
“A Hope for Spring” is the cheery title of the next concert by BlueWater Chamber Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Breen Center for the Performing Arts (2008 West 30th St., Cleveland). Music director Carlton Woods will preside over a program featuring Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” Wagner’s “Siegfried” Idyll, and Britten’s Sinfonietta. Tickets, $9-$23, are available at bluewaterorchestra.com or by phone at 440-781-6215.
Also in the ring this busy week: the Rocky River Chamber Music Society. In fact, the high-level chamber series currently has not one but two distinct programs up its sleeve, both courtesy of the Factory Seconds Brass Trio, an ensemble composed of Cleveland Orchestra’s second-chair brass players.
The first, at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, is a children’s program highlighting Poulenc’s Sonata for Horn, Trumpet and Trombone amidst storytelling and audience participation. The second, at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20, is intended for adults and features works by Bach, Hindemith, Loeb and Nelhybel.
Both programs are free and open to all. For information, go to rrcms.org or call 440-333-4296.
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