Review OM welcomes the Philadelphia Orchestra | Montreal makes Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra a triumph

The Montreal orchestral spring continues in splendor with, a month after the arrival of the Orchester de Paris, that of the Philadelphia Orchestra, on tour with its conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

No soloist for this evening, the third after Toronto and Ottawa, but two symphonies intimately linked to the ancient and recent history of this elite orchestra.

There Symphony n^o 2 in E minor, op. 27, firstly by Rachmaninov, a composer who collaborated closely with the Philadelphian ensemble at the end of his life, going so far as to record his own concertos with him and granting him the premiere of his ultimate masterpiece , THE Symphonic dances, op. 45.

The orchestra would also subsequently record the entirety of the composer’s symphonies three times with Ormandy, Dutoit, then, very recently, Nézet-Séguin (at Deutsche Grammophon). The Russian “language” therefore couldn’t be more natural to him.

As an introduction to this monument lasting almost an hour, a local work was proposed, the Symphony n^o 4 in D minor by the African-American Florence Price, a contemporary of Rachmaninov whose conductor and orchestra have become the main ambassadors, notably through two recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, the first of which was awarded a Grammy.

As with the Orchester de Paris, the Montreal public was there, the administration of the Orchester Métropolitain (OM), which was overseeing the evening, even having to open the standing galleries on the top floor of the Maison symphonique. And almost everywhere, fairly well-known faces: those of the OM musicians who came to listen to their colleagues.

What about the famous Philadelphia sound ? Even if the winds are not necessarily all impeccable for an ensemble of this level, the strings have not usurped their reputation. The sound, as deep as it is warm, penetrates you to the bones, especially in the Symphony by Rachmaninoff (what an adagio!).

There Symphony n^o 4 by Florence Price, found only in 2009, does not provide much for those who have heard her Symphonies n^bone 1 And 3 during the two previous seasons of the Metropolitan. The themes, the harmony, the orchestral colors… we have a bit of a feeling of déjà vu. Except for certain sections of the third movement (always a Juba dance at Price) who, through their fairly exotic percussion, evoke some Native American music.

The second movement is not without interest, but anyone who knows the corresponding movement in the Symphony n^o 9 by Dvořák (the famous largo) will see disturbing parallels: same harmonic sequences, similar orchestration…

Nézet-Séguin conducts this with great love, letting everything breathe in the first two movements, becoming one with the syncopations of the third movement.

It was nothing compared to what was going to await us after the intermission, with Rachmaninov. What is first striking is the match between the tempos chosen by the conductor and what appears on the score. Unlike several conductors who make the allegros heavier, Nézet-Séguin breathes real energy into the second and fourth movements (respectively marked allegro molto And allegro vivace), which exude authentic urgency.

If the adagio seemed a bit hasty to us (but it is true that its length perhaps invites us not to drag on too much…), the initial largo was ideal, filled with a moving affliction.

The chef, visibly over the moon at the enthusiastic welcome given by Montrealers to his other family, went to thank each of the desk leaders. He will still have to present his third orchestra to us, that of the Metropolitan Opera!

Read “Yannick Nézet-Séguin, head of shared custody”