Kuchar and the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra are electrifying in Cleveland
The full ensemble took the stage next, with a special guest. Carl Topilow is a towering presence in the Ohio arts scene, having been director of the orchestra program at the Cleveland Institute of Music for 37 years and founder/director of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra for 25 years. At CIM, Topilow has regularly brought Kuchar in as a guest lecturer and, for this concert, Kuchar wished to have Topilow step in for a performance of Brahms’s Tragic Overture. It is a piece that is often performed in a reserved, understated way, but Topilow let it earn its dramatic name with a visceral performance that reminded listeners why the piece became famous in the first place.