Join us on Sunday, September 4th at 1 PM on WRTI 90.1, and Monday, September 5th at 7 PM on WRTI HD-2 when our Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert broadcast brings you a performance recorded live in December., 2021.
Nathalie Stutzmann leads the Orchestra in works by Franz Schubert and Missy Mazzoli, in her first appearance as principal guest conductor.
The program opens with a fascinating recent work by Philadelphia area native Missy Mazzoli, titled Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres). The composer calls it “music in the shape of a solar system, a collection of rococo loops that twist around each other within a larger orbit.” Its colorful orchestration includes extended string techniques, organ, a melodica, and three harmonicas in different keys.
Nathalie Stutzmann devotes most of her program to the majestic Ninth Symphony by Franz Schubert, known as his “Great” C major symphony. Composed in 1825 as Schubert traveled in the picturesque Austrian countryside, it was the only one of his symphonies that he considered worthy enough to offer the public. Still, it languished unperformed until a decade after his death, when Robert Schumann prompted his friend Felix Mendelssohn to conduct it. Ever since, it has been a monument of orchestral repertoire and a favorite of audiences.
Stutzmann made her debut with the Philadelphians as a contralto soloist in 1997. She has had a long and celebrated career as a singer but has gradually transitioned to conducting as her primary pursuit, and has led The Philadelphia Orchestra frequently since 2016. In addition to her position here as principal guest conductor, she was recently named music director designate of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
We’ll also bring you some chamber music by another composer with close ties to Philadelphia, as Orchestra musicians perform Jennifer Higdon’s Pale Yellow as part of the orchestra’s “Our City, Your Orchestra” initiative.
Read detailed program notes from the concert here.
PROGRAM:
Mazzoli: Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
Higdon: Piano Trio No. 1: 1. “Pale Yellow”
Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Nathalie Stutzmann, conductor
Listen to The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert broadcasts, every Sunday at 1 PM on WRTI 90.1, streaming at WRTI.org, on the WRTI mobile app, and on your favorite smart speaker. Listen again on Mondays at 7 PM on WRTI HD-2. Listen for up to two weeks after broadcast on WRTI Replay.
