The Cleveland Orchestra is heading back to Blossom Music Center on Saturday, Aug. 15, for an evening built around one of the most recognizable ballet scores in classical music.

The 7 p.m. performance will feature Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet, with conductor Tabita Berglund leading the orchestra. Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma will also join the program as the featured soloist for Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto.

The performance gives Northeast Ohio audiences a chance to hear two major works from the 20th century in one of the region’s most recognizable outdoor concert settings.

Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet Takes Center Stage

Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet remains one of the composer’s best known works and draws directly from William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy.

Rather than presenting the complete ballet on stage, the Cleveland Orchestra’s program focuses on music from Prokofiev’s score. The music moves through dramatic contrasts, from powerful orchestral passages to quieter moments associated with Shakespeare’s doomed lovers.

The work’s combination of sweeping melodies, intense rhythms and dramatic orchestration has helped make it a staple of concert halls and ballet companies around the world.

Simone Lamsma Featured in Sibelius Violin Concerto

The evening will also spotlight Simone Lamsma, who will perform Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto.

Lamsma has built an international career as a solo violinist, appearing with major orchestras and performing repertoire ranging from classical concertos to contemporary works.

Her appearance at Blossom adds another major dimension to the program, placing a demanding solo work between orchestral selections.

The Sibelius concerto is particularly known for its technical demands and dramatic writing for the solo violin. The piece gives the featured performer an opportunity to move between delicate passages and powerful orchestral exchanges.

Tabita Berglund Leads the Orchestra

Norwegian conductor Tabita Berglund will take the podium for the Blossom performance.

Berglund has emerged as one of the younger conductors gaining attention on the international classical music scene. Her work has included performances with orchestras across Europe and North America.

Her appearance with The Cleveland Orchestra adds another notable element to a program that combines a major ballet score with one of the best known violin concertos in the repertoire.

A 1703 Stradivarius Adds an Unusual Story

One of the most unusual details surrounding the performance is the violin Lamsma is scheduled to play.

Lamsma is associated with a 1703 Stradivarius, known as the “Aurora, ex-Foulis.” The instrument was made more than three centuries ago by famed Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivari.

That means the instrument predates the founding of the United States by more than 70 years.

The age and history of the violin give the Aug. 15 concert an additional news angle beyond the standard summer orchestra schedule. For classical music fans, hearing a historic instrument used in a major concerto can be a major attraction.

Blossom Music Center Sets the Scene

Blossom Music Center provides a distinctive backdrop for the performance. Located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, the venue serves as the summer home of The Cleveland Orchestra.

The outdoor setting allows audiences to experience orchestral music surrounded by the wooded landscape of Northeast Ohio.

The combination of the venue, Prokofiev’s dramatic score and Sibelius’ violin concerto makes the Aug. 15 performance one of the more distinctive classical events on Blossom’s summer calendar.

What to Expect on Aug. 15

The performance begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, at Blossom Music Center.

For audiences looking beyond the venue’s large lineup of popular touring acts, the concert offers a different kind of summer entertainment. It brings together a major American orchestra, an internationally recognized conductor, a prominent violin soloist and two landmark works of 20th century classical music.

The historic Stradivarius also gives the performance an unusual element that could draw attention well beyond Northeast Ohio’s regular classical music audience.

A Distinctive Night at Blossom

The Cleveland Orchestra’s Aug. 15 performance is more than another stop on the Blossom summer schedule. It brings together Prokofiev’s dramatic interpretation of Shakespeare, Sibelius’ demanding violin concerto and a centuries old instrument with its own remarkable history.

For anyone looking for a unique cultural event in Northeast Ohio this weekend, the performance offers a chance to experience major classical repertoire in one of Ohio’s best known outdoor music venues.