“Planes, trains, and foreign automobiles are back on the agenda for the Cleveland Orchestra,” writes Zachary Lewis in Thursday’s (5/5) Plain Dealer (OH). “On Thursday, the group announced plans for a fall European Tour, its first international journey since 2019 and first appearance in Europe since 2018. Music director Franz Welser-Möst will preside over the 17-day trek and pianist Igor Levit will join the group in Austria. The trip, the orchestra’s … 20th with Welser-Möst, commences Wednesday, Aug. 31, in Hamburg, Germany. From there it runs to Friday, Sept. 16, with stops in Berlin, Dresden, and Cologne, Germany; Amsterdam in the Netherlands; Lucerne in Switzerland; Prague in the Czech Republic; and Vienna and Linz, Austria. The repertoire for the road will be primarily Germanic, too. Programs include Schubert’s ‘Great’ Symphony in C Major, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9, Three Pieces from Berg’s ‘Lyric Suite,’ Wolfgang Rihm’s second and third ‘Verwandlung’ pieces, and three orchestral works by Strauss…. In Vienna, Levit also will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21. When the Cleveland Orchestra heads overseas, ‘it is important to present a range of repertoire that showcases the orchestra’s abilities and lets the artistry of this ensemble really shine,’ said Welser-Möst.”
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