Philadelphia Orchestra Plays in Vero Beach, FL

Conductor Nathalie Stutzman and Soloist Gil Shaham Join the Fabulous Philadelphians

We journeyed from Port St. Lucie to Vero Beach on Thursday, February 16, 2023 to see and hear the great Philadelphia Orchestra perform Tchaikovsky’s Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Major and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C Minor. The music was vibrant and particularly dynamic under the baton of Principal Guest Conductor, Nathalie Stutzmann, and world renown violinist, Gil Shaham was spectacular as the smiling soloist for the Brahams Concerto.

The event was held in a large church near downtown Vero Beach under the auspices of the Indian River Symphonic Association, an organization hosting a festival of orchestras for 29 years.

Our entry to the venue was more interesting than we contemplated. We parked the car in a designated spot and then entered the church through the nearest available door. Upon entering we realized we had found a stage entrance, and there standing in the narrow hallways in front of us was the entire Philadelphia Orchestra, and as we walked past the various orchestra members we noted how we had lived in Philadelphia for many years and saw the Orchestra at the Academy of Music and then the Kimmel Center. Still looking for a way into the audience area, we passed David Kim, the Concertmaster, putting his traveling clothes into his backpack, and Gil Shaham, the evening’s soloist. What a splendid, though accidental way, to get up front and personal with the fantastic artists comprising the Philadelphia Orchestra. We finally found an exit into the main audience area.

The church seating was somewhat arranged like the layout at Tanglewood with a large seating area curved around the stage:

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The conductor was Nathalie Stutzmann, who demonstrated tight command of the Orchestra. She moved her body not just her arms to direct the ensemble, and in one move she arches her back and then her head and shoulders rise like a swan straining its neck as she pulls every ounce from the musicians. Besides her frequent duties with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Philadelphia Kimmel Center, she is scheduled to conduct them in Vail, Colorado and Saratoga Springs, NY. She is in her first season as the music director of the Atlanta Symphony, only the second woman to lead a major American Orchestra. And she also serves in her fifth season as music conductor of the Kristiansand Symphony in Norway. Besides those she has scheduled performances as conductor with the Munich Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Helsinki Philharmonic, the London Symphony and the Orchestre de Paris. She also sings as a contralto and has made 80 albums. Very busy lady.

Conductor Stutzmann started the program with the Polonaise from Eugene Onegin. It was a vigorous dance, this Polonaise, and Stutzmann showed the musicians how to turn and swivel and twirl as she conducted the ensemble. Not since watching the great Leonard Bernstein have I seen such extraordinary body movement in a conductor. With Lenny you had to be with his moves and speed or else, and similarly with Ms. Stutzmann, her vigor on the stage pulled every ounce of musicality from the musicians as one could see the dancers whirl and twirl in your minds eye.

Next came a real treat with Gil Shaham as the soloist in Brahms Violin Concerto in D Major. I had not seen Shaham for several years, and he was particularly energetic and with a Yo Yo Ma kind of smile, though wider, perpetually on his face. One could tell he was thoroughly enjoying himself. Shaham was born in 1971 at my alma mater, the University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana, three years after I graduated. The family then moved to Israel. At ten years old he made his debut with both the Jerusalem Philharmonic and the Israel Philharmonic. He later was a student at Julliard and Columbia. Recently, he recorded J.S. Bach’s compete sonatas and partitas for solo violin. He regularly plays as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Shaham did an outstanding job as soloist under conductor Stutzmann’s baton in the Brahms Concerto in D Major. He was vibrant and silky with bursts of high energy, and his playing was absolutely superb as he picked up the music as the Orchestra paused and let him shine as soloist. As Aaron Beck wrote in the program notes, in the first movement, “A sudden dotted rhythm in minor presupposes the arrival of the soloist, who enters tempestuously and attacks this mercurial movement, challenging the most virtuosic of violinists.”

The second and third movements are rollicking and vibrant with fast paced rhythms followed by melodic passages. Shaham takes advantage of every opportunity to shine with his intense violin playing as the Orchestra quiets to give him space to excel.

Standing ovations for both Shaham and Stutzmann from a most appreciative audience of sophisticated classical music listeners.

Finally, Brahms Symphony No. 1 in C Minor with conductor Stutzmann showing off all her talents of musicality and command. Drum beats of the Tympani begin both the First and Fourth movements, and each then slides into Brahms melodic tales. Strings present a stately theme followed by a majestic trombone chorale leading to the glorious finale brought to a powerful close by conductor Stutzmann.

Standing ovations for the Conductor and Orchestra.

I enjoyed may fine Philadelphia Orchestra performances lead by Eugene Ormandy, Riccardo Muti, Christoph Eschenbach, Charles Dutoit, Wolfgang Sawallisch and of course the indomitable Yannick Nezet-Seguin, but Nathalie Stutzmann can hold a candle to them all as she really shines and will go far.