Yannick Nezet-Seguin is their current conductor, a position he has held since 2012. He is signed through the 2025-26 season. I will come back to him in a moment.But first, I want to go back to May 19, 1981. That's when I saw the Philadelphia Orchestra the first time. Eugene Ormandy was still the conductor then, and he brought the Philadelphia Orchestra to Omaha, Nebraska for a performance at the Orpheum Theater. My Dad made sure we had tickets for this concert...I went with him and my mom. I wish I could find the program. I know it's in a box somewhere, but I do remember that they played Prokofiev's Symphony no. 1, the "Classical Symphony." To this day, it remains one of my most special concert memories. The "sound" was unbelievable...lush, rich...decadent. Every attack was precise. Every phrase was developed with care and intent. The dynamic range was almost limitless. We floated out of the Orpheum when it was over. My dad, who had already seen all of the Big 5, said it was one of the greatest concerts he had seen, and that says a lot.
Little did I know that just over a year later...June 17, 1982, I would see Maestro Ormandy conduct the Philadelphia Orchestra again, this time at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia. The program for that performance was:
Prelude to Die Meistersinger - Wagner
Romeo and Juliet Overture - Tchaikovsky
Hungarian Fantasia for Piano and Orchestra - Liszt
Concerto in the Hungarian Style - Liszt/Tchaikovsky
Polonaise from Eugene Onegin - Tchaikovsky
Les Preludes - Liszt
Even outdoors, the sound was exceptional and the performance was once again stellar.
So yes, I have great memories and high expectations for this fine orchestra and I was curious how it would sound 36 years later.
A lot has changed of course since then. I don't know if any of the musicians in the orchestra today were part of the ensemble back when Ormandy conducted. From the look of it, very few if any were. The current ensemble appears very youthful, and much more diverse. Back in the day, it was almost all men. And I don't recall seeing any people of color then either. That's just the way it was. But not anymore. The youth and diversity of the musicians in the orchestra today is very inspiring. The technical prowess of the musicians today is also top notch. It was certainly evident Wednesday night. Every attack, every phrase, every entrance and all of the notes were rock solid.
The sound? Was it still the famous "Philadelphia" sound? I'd say so. Playing in our Helzberg Hall didn't hurt either! The strings were lush..sure...but I was equally impressed with the other sections too, and I thought it was a very well balanced sound. The strings did not steal the show, which, even as a violinist, I'd have to say is a good thing. Maestro Yannick has figured out that to win in the big leagues, one needs a good balance of offense and defense.
My friend Patrick Neas, whom I consider a music expert, is also a great writer for KC Arts Beat. Patrick wrote a great review of the performance, as well as a great article leading up to the concert for the Kansas City Star, and he interviewed David Kim, the orchestra's concertmaster. Kim told a story about asking Yo-Yo Ma if he believes the Philadelphia Orchestra still has that trademark sound. If anyone is qualified to answer that question, it would certainly be Mr. Ma. And he did confirm it is true...the famous sound is still alive and well.
As I have stated, I don't consider myself a critic and I that's not a role I want play. I do enjoy sharing my thoughts and reflections of a performance, but please take them as such...just thoughts and perceptions. I am not a music scholar. I just love music.
Nezet-Seguin has a ton of energy! He does not use a baton...just his hands, which he uses to great effect shaping, molding, pulling, squeezing, chopping and caressing every note, phrase, and sound from his musicians. On the podium, Nezet-Seguin MOVES...up down, around...he bends, dances, struts and pretty much any other adverb you can think of. He is clearly IN the music and it flows through him. The musicians watched him like a hawk. I could not always see his beat...but they never missed or dropped it. Especially in the Tchaikovsky...he and Ms.Batiashvili seemed to have some sort of mind-meld that kept them in sync..which he was able to relay to the orchestra at the speed of light.
Liar, Suite from Marnie by Muhly kicked things off. I had not heard this piece before and I enjoyed it very much. Some of the words/comments I wrote to express how I felt about it were: brooding, syncopated, rhythmic, pedal-tone oriented, somewhat beautiful but not sweet, angular, phrases are not aligned and very long musical lines. It felt like there were two pieces being played at the same time that were not necessarily lined up together...and that is why it worked so well. The oboe and trombone solos stood out, as did the gong, which was used in a sort of pedal fashion a couple of times, washing under the entire thing.
Lisa Batiashvili played the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. Played might not ever be the right word for this concerto. We now recognize this as one of the truly great violin concertos, but it did not start out that way. When it premiered in December 1881, as the program noted, the critic Eduard Hanslick wrote the famous review saying "Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto gives us for the first time the hideous notion that there can be music that stinks to the ear." Ouch. Tchaikovsky's brother Modest wrote that "Hanslick's criticism hurt Tchaikovsky's feelings very deeply. To his life's end, he never forgot it, and knew it by heart..." It is a very physical concerto and demands great stamina, huge chops, and courage I might say too. It demands everything a violinist has to pull it off well. The delicate harmonic passages immediately following a four-octave, lightning-fast arpeggio run illustrates the span of control necessary to play this "beast". I say beast affectionately...what was once vulgar and obscene in Tchaikovsky's day is now regarded as beautiful and inspiring. Depending on my mood, I might say this is my favorite violin concerto of all, even over Beethoven's or Mendelssohn's or Brahms'..
D major is great for the violin. It offers the most amazing double-stops for the biggest and brightest sound possible. (Beethoven and Brahms also used D major for their violin concertos.) I thought Batiashvili crushed it...just nailed it. Her technique seemed flawless to me. Her violin came to life and her tone was rich and warm. Nezet-Seguin and the orchestra did the most important thing well....they stayed out of her way. They played SOFTLY when she was playing. They did not overpower her nor get in her way. But when the melody or phrase was handed from the violin to the orchestra, they POUNCED! Pianissimo to Fortissimo instantly. And then back down to Pianissimo for the violin's next entrance.
The clarinet shined. The pizzicato of the strings was a highlight for me. How many times can you say that?!? I loved the doubled flutes in the Finale. It was pretty amazing that after the first movement and cadenza, her violin was still in tune! It is such a "shred" piece...I would expect the strings to surrender at some point. And so the violin and orchestra worked very well together...tempos, entrances, balances....all were excellent. Nezet-Seguin and Batiashvili were in constant communication, literally a foot or two from each other, making eye contact, facial expressions, smiling, and challenging each other to give it all they had.
And then there was a standing ovation when it was over. We were also treated to an encore. Accompanied by Nezet-Seguin on piano, Ms. Batiashvili played "None But the Lonely Heart," also by Tchaikovsky.
Then it was time for wine! Yep, there are several bars in the Hall that serve beer/wine/cocktails. So my mom and I had pre-ordered our wine for the intermission. We enjoyed this and took our traditional "cheers" selfie to share on social media.
After intermission, we were treated to Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, Op. 45. The KC Symphony played this last weekend, so it was still fresh in my head. How cool to learn that Rachmaninoff composed this piece for Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra and had its premiere in Philadelphia in 1941. This work really allowed Nezet-Seguin and the musicians to shine. Every section has substantial material to dig into.
The best line of the evening came after the Rachmaninoff. After much applause and bowing, Nezet-Seguin came out with a microphone and addressed the audience. I am paraphrasing here but he said something like "I feel like we've given you a pretty substantial meal. But you are used to BBQ...you have a little room left." With this, they treated us to a gorgeous version of Rachmaninoff's Vocalise. Rich? Yep. Lush? Yep. Decadent? Absolutely. I was totally full now...this was a very filling desert.
The Philadelphia Orchestra has not been immune in recent years to labor strife and fiscal uncertainty. It appears to be on solid ground now, and just like the KC Chiefs, the Philadelphia Orchestra has the right quarterback at the helm and will be in good hands for many years to come. Thank you for coming to our city and treating us to such a great performance.
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