Update: Igor Levit won’t play without Franz
OrchestrasWe reported earlier that Franz Welser-Möst had withdrawn from Cleveland’s cycle of Beethoven piano concertos because he is still recovering from the effects of successful cancer treatment.
It has just been confirmed that his chosen pianist has pulled out in sympathy.
Igor Levit is to be replaced by Stephen Hough, Yunchan Lim, Garrick Ohlsson, Minsoo Sohn and Orion Weiss. (Sohn is Lim’s teacher.)
Cleveland’s Associate Conductor Daniel Reith will take over stick duties.
The teacher (Sohn) gets the First, the student (Lim) gets the Fifth.
Lim’s Beethoven 5th at the Proms was … intriguing. See youtube.
But should this guy be conducting them?
https://www.danielreith.com/index.php/media/
TCO has a history of excellent people who have been appointed as assistant conductors, e.g., James Gaffigan, Louis Lane, Robert Shaw.
Robert Shaw was a gift. I remember the impact he made in Atlanta.
Igor is so honorable, recognizing each of these five pianists playing a single concerto is a real treat for everyone; Barack Obama might call it “Redistributing the Shelf.”
One can only wish Dohnanyi could join them
You clearly have not seen or heard Daniel conduct.
@Sue – Igor obviously has!
Yes.
Can any of us stand yet another Beethoven piano concerto? I adore that composer above virtually all others, but his piano concertos are not his greatest works, IMO, and they’re done to death. There are other wonderful concertos in the pantheon which would give us all a reprieve from Ludwig. How about Shostakovich, if you have to play a piano concerto at all?
Quite the impressive lineup! Yunchan’s Cleveland debut is long overdue!
Indeed – although Yunchan has already played in Cleveland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNr2yUiLiFg
Just note that this is the Scranton Symphony orchestra. He played with Cleveland as a part of the Cooper competition not this one.
That was not with the Cleveland Orchestra and the young man has developed incredibly since then.
What a diva! Just as well, because his replacements are better pianists.
That’s quite the opinion.
Ditto. Excellent replacements and for my money mostly better pianists.
Weird, usually you retire in solidarity because of a controversial problem … but it’s Levit, so … … obviously an upgrade on the piano as a result. Really interesting lineup.
Maybe not so obvious to some.
Maestro Welser-Most direction of TCO has provided me wirh countless memorable concerts over past 2 decades. I was looking forward to giving him a standing o this Wed before his already delayed return. Instead, I wish him a speedy and full recovery.
What an insufferable diva! I’ll enjoy the variety of these equally fine or greater pianists.
Good for you.
Yes. I wish FWM a complete and speedy recovery so whatever is needed for his recovery. We understand and hope to see him again soon
And I am totally a Levit fan. But it feels very disrespectful to Cleveland fans and the orchestra musicians
to cancel us.
Congratulations to their programming staff for putting together a fine roster of substitutions
And an opportunity to see Lim is a total win
Wow, Stephen Hough and Garrick Ohlsson. Wonderful.
It really is unfortunate, especially since it put the administration in the difficult position of finding replacements for the entire cycle on short notice. Given that he already had to cancel in March due to illness I can’t imagine this is someone they’d want to have back again soon. Not worth it.
I suspect that without FWM there is no reason for Igor to go to Cleveland, who would wish to go there of their own free will. Berlin infinitely preferable
How absolutely ignorant and insufferable.
Not certain that Berlin preferable
Didn’t Schiff also once cancel when his conductor cancelled (and was not happy with the replacement)?
I had tickets to a Beethoven with Gilels, Szell and the New York Phil in perhaps 1970. Szell was ill ( he died that summer), and Gilels cancelled. I cannot remember the replacements.
A little more info on the Gilels/Szell Beethoven cycle scheduled for November 12-16, 1970. Gilels canceled after Szell died the previous summer. The replacements were Gina Bachauer and Milton Katims. The scheduled programs were changed.