Join us on Sunday, April 14 at 1 p.m. on WRTI 90.1, and Monday, April 15 at 7 p.m. on WRTI HD-2 when The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert brings you an encore presentation of a concert from the 2021-22 season.
Nathalie Stutzmann, making her first appearance as principal guest conductor, leads the Orchestra in works by Franz Schubert and Philadelphia area native Missy Mazzoli.
The program opens with a fascinating work by 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.
Stutzmann devotes most of her program to the majestic Ninth Symphony by 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. This concert began her three-year appointment as principal guest conductor — a position presently held by Marin Alsop.
Read detailed program notes from the concert here.
PROGRAM:
Mazzoli: Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
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 p.m. 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 p.m. on WRTI HD-2. Listen for up to two weeks after broadcast on WRTI Replay.
