SHOSTAKOVICH
SYMPHONY 5
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Beachwood HS | 25100 Fairmount
Free Admission
Beachwood HS | 25100 Fairmount
Free Admission
SHOSTAKOVICH SYMPHONY 5
LIFE DEFIES, LIFE PERSEVERES
FARRENC: Overture No. 1
SCHUMANN: Cello Concerto
Eleanor Pompa, cello
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony 5
Conducted by Domenico Boyagian
LOBBY PHOTO GALLERY
Come early and stroll the gallery featuring work by Cleveland Photographic Society | Opens at 3:00pm
THE MUSIC
LIFE DEFIES, LIFE PERSEVERES
Tense interrogations, sarcastic dancing, sobbing laments, forced enthusiasm. For us, it’s just a normal day in corporate America. For Shostakovich, it was the tapestry of his fifth symphony – a symphony of survival that saved his literal life…and his soul. Life finds a way.
Written under threat of execution during Stalin’s Great Purge, this heart-wrenching work weaves strands of hidden meanings, veiled defiance and inner fortitude into the cover of compliance. The people got it; the premiere received a 40 minute standing ovation… so wear comfy shoes, just in case.
But this is classical music, afer all, and Shostakovich wasn’t the only one with troubles…
Composer Louise Farrenc fought for her own life in a more metaphorical way, outsmarting and subverting “the patriarchy” to become a successful piano professor and published composer. Her energetic overture will delight and inspire.
And Robert Schumann, struggling with mental illness, composed his captivating (and wife-pleasing) cello concerto during a manic two week period of intense inspiration. In the midst of all this drama and rebellion, cellist Eleanor Pompa brings sensitivity and grace to this lovely, lyrical piece.
PREVIEW THE MUSIC
MEET THE ARTISTS
Celebrated for his expressive artistry, clarity of vision, and dynamic leadership, Maestro Domenico Boyagian has been hailed by The Cleveland Plain Dealer as “a born conductor” and “a conductor for whom the music is the sole point of standing before musicians.” Milwaukee’s Shepherd Express praised his “insightful grasp of style” and his ability to lead “with sensitivity in tempo and phrase.”
Now in his ninth season as Music Director of the Suburban Symphony Orchestra, Boyagian has guided] the ensemble through a vibrant period of growth, highlighted by a complete Beethoven Cycle that culminated in a sold-out Ninth Symphony at Severance Hall to celebrate the orchestra’s 70th anniversary. The 2025–26 season features works by Holst, Grieg, Prokofiev, Saint-Saens, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, as well as the annual Young Soloist Concerto Competition. A dedicated advocate for education, Boyagian collaborated with pianist Lang Lang on the “101 Pianists” program to inspire young performers.
As Music Director of Cleveland Opera Theater, Boyagian has elevated the company to a leading regional force, conducting productions across the U.S. with companies such as Florentine Opera, Opera Southwest, Florida Grand Opera, Opera North, Opera Delaware, Opera Baltimore, and the Manhattan School of Music. Guest engagements have included the Milwaukee Symphony, Delaware Symphony, Palm Beach Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, and the Bulgarian Festival Orchestra.
Born in Bologna, Italy, Boyagian studied at the Bologna Conservatory, Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, and the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has recorded Grieg works with Antonio Pompa-Baldi and the Ohio Philharmonic for Centaur Records, as well as Margaret Brouwer’s Voice of the Lake with Blue Streak Ensemble. His honors include a “Most Distinguished Artist” grant from Cleveland’s Community Partnership for Arts and Culture and recognition as one of the “Top 10 Most Successful Italians Under 40 in the U.S.” by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce of New York.
A Cleveland native, Eleanor Pompa hails from a musical family. Beginning her studies at an early age, she started piano lessons at five years old and has played the cello since she was eight. Currently, she is a fourth year undergraduate student at the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying cello under Si-Yan Darren Li. With an international and diverse performance career, Eleanor has appeared in England, Italy, and the US at Severance Hall, the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., the Cleveland Institute of Music, Aronson Cello Festival, Todi International Music Masters (TIMM), and a UNICEF benefit hosted at the Cleveland Steinway Piano Gallery. In orchestra Eleanor has served as principal cellist of the National Orchestral Institute and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. She currently serves as principal cellist for the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra. In addition to her solo and orchestral work, Eleanor is an experienced chamber musician. She has appeared in groups at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the National Orchestral Institute, Encore String Quartet Intensive, and Bowdoin International Music Festival. Some of her notable chamber music coaches include Phillip Setzer, Stanley Konopka, Carolyn Warner, Anita Pontremoli, Todd Phillips, and Si-Yan Darren Li.
Eleanor has performed in masterclasses for Phillip Setzer (Emerson String Quartet), Peter Salaff (Cleveland Quartet), Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Klaus Mäkelä, Alan Harris (Eastman), Sharon Robinson (CIM), Merry Peckham (Cavani String Quartet), and Tom Landschoot (Arizona State University). In 2017 she made her solo debut at the age of 12 with the Napolinova Orchestra in Todi, Italy. Since then, Eleanor has been awarded first prize in the 2019 Cleveland Cello Society Competition junior division, and her trio won the 2022 Glass City Chamber Music Competition junior division. In 2023 her piano trio reached the semifinal round of the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition junior division. In the spring of that same year, Eleanor won the Suburban Symphony Orchestra Young Soloists Concerto Competition. This granted her the opportunity to make her United States debut, performing the Saint-Säens Cello Concerto with the orchestra. At home Eleanor alternates performing with her mom, Emanuela Friscioni, and her dad, Antonio Pompa-Baldi. When not playing the cello, she loves reading and playing with her pitbull-labrador, Cocoa.
PROGRAM NOTES
Program notes will be available approximately one week before the performance.
Eduard Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole
Notes by violinist Yi-Chuan Li
Edouard Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole, although directly translated to, “Spanish Symphony”, is considered a violin concerto by today’s standards. It was written in 1874 for violinist Pablo de Sarasate, the composer of Zigeunerweisen. It contains many Spanish themes and motifs throughout, including gypsy-style gestures in the first theme. This piece sparked a period of Spanish themed music, such as Bizet’s opera Carmen. Symphonie Espagnole also had an influence on Tchaikovsky. After Tchaikovsky went through a rough period of his life, his student Iosif Kotek introduced him to Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole. He enjoyed it so much that he set aside his ongoing compositions to write his violin concerto in D major
Camille Saint-Saens: Cello Concerto No. 1
Notes by cellist Nick Jacques
Saint-Saëns’ first cello concerto is a piece with drama and operatic storytelling. I associate the first movement with a hero finding himself in a storm, followed by expansive themes in both the first and third movements where this character wrestles with doubt. By the time we get to the coda, our hero has come out victorious, signalled by the transition from A minor to A major. My favorite part of the piece is the deep F major theme in the third movement, which reminds me of a wise old man.
Felix Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 1
Notes by pianist Max Tian
Mendelssohn’s First Piano Concerto shifts moods so quickly in the last two movements that it feels like a series of scenes in a film. The Andante, to me, is the warmest part of the piece. It feels like a song shared in a quiet space with the piano just floating over the strings in a calm, singing line. From there, the music does not really stop, since it connects straight into the finale, where the piano suddenly has a sparkling, rapid-fire energy that is flowing rather than heavy
VENUE
The concert takes place in the auditorium at Beachwood High School, 25100 Fairmount, Beachwood OH 44122 (entrances off Fairmount Blvd or Richmond Rd).
The auditorium is accessible directly from the main entrance
Parking: Ample free parking is located steps from the main entrance and a drop off zone is available for those with mobility needs
THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS
