Cleveland Orchestra 5.24.2025 Under the baton of Franz Welser-Möst and joined by prizewinning French soprano Sarah Aristidou, The Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus pay homage to our most precious instrument in Vox Humana, a bold and era-spanning celebration of the versatility and emotional power of the human voice. Sparks fly straight away as Aristidou weaves a captivating spell over Severance Music Center in the cataclysmic heartbreak of Poulenc's one-act opera La Voix humaine. The two parts of Bach's Komm, Jesu, komm — the only Bach motet without a Biblical source, setting a poem by Paul Thymich — surround the stark and somber Fifth Symphony by Galina Ustvolskaya, scored for just five instruments (with Tony Sias narrating) and subtitled "Amen." Welser-Möst brings his program to a close with the Symphonic Fantasy from Die Frau ohne Schatten, now a long-standing favorite in the operatic repertoire that overcame a chilly initial reception to become one of Richard Strauss's most celebrated works.CastSarah Aristidou — SopranoTony Sias — NarratorThe Cleveland Orchestra ChorusThe Cleveland OrchestraFranz Welser-Möst — ConductorLisa Wong — Director of choruses
