The Philadelphia Orchestra's tribute to Leonard Bernstein is the amalgamation of the three key elements of any musical performance - tradition, innovation, and humor. I have never seen a better performance at the Kimmel Center.Last night's Bernstein Festival program had a Romeo and Juliet theme. The first piece was Tchaikovsky's Fantasy-Overture, Rome and Juliet, easily recognizable from the scores of many a cheesy romance film. Working against the cliche, the Philadelphia Orchestra made the piece new. For the first time I noticed the pervading sense of doom throughout. It was like watching a Greek tragedy. Every time Romeo and Juliet's romantic movement appeared it was followed by violence and despair. They don't play that part in the movies.
The next piece was my favorite in the program: Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. I have never seen the orchestra handle a work with such playfulness! During the Prologue - the opening scene in the movie with chases and street dance-fighting - the musicians surprised the audience by snapping their fingers at the appropriate moments. During the Latin movemtn they collectively yelled "Mambo!" The orchestra had more energy than I've seen in a long time. Conductor Chritsoph Eschenbach was practically doing the cha-cha around his stand! I was thoroughly impressed. The performance also enabled me for the first time to appreciate the score to West Side Story as a stand-alone piece. Those repeated forced viewings of the movie in grade school art class made me hate that music, but last night made me love it. The sharp contrast between Tony and Maria's innocent love, and the gangs' corruptive violence was never clearer.
The second act began with the debut performance of composer Jennifer Higdon's Concerto 4-3, performed by the orchestra with string trio Time For Three, all graduates of the Curtis Institute. Although I hardly gravitate towards contemporary, abstract compositions, I can honestly say that I liked this piece. My enjoyment was due partly to the innovative ways in which the trio used their instruments, but mostly to their style. The members of Time For Three were the most physically expressive classical musicians I've ever encountered. They swayed, they bopped, and they kicked. I could hardly look directly at cellist Ranaan Meyer for fear of an outburst of mirth. It was almost music/dance fusion. Meyer particularly took on the look of the musically possessed, grinning fiendishly and bobbing his head near off his shoulders. These young men know how to perform.
The program finished with another Tchaikovsky composition - Francesca da Rimini. The only flaw to the evening was that it came after the dramatic Higdon number, making it seem anti-climatic. The orchestra did beautifully with this piece, which has plenty of its own drama, but I almost felt that the program should be reordered so that the second act began with Tchaikovsky rather than ending with it.
The orchestra is in rare form for the Bernstein Festival (www.philorch.org/bernstein/), which continues through February 8th. Student rush tickets are available before performances for $8 at the Kimmel Center box office. The orchestra also has a special program called Access, designed for young people who are new to the classical music scene. On January 24th they are performing the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, followed by a free Mambo lesson by the Society Hill Dance Academy. I won't be missing that.
