On 4th August 1966, Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra christened the Saratoga Performing Arts Center with a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9 in D minor. Thus began a relationship that continues to this day, with three weeks of classical music given to the Philadelphians in this summer idyll. It seemed fitting that for his only SPAC appearance this season, Yannick Nézet-Séguin chose to honor the venue’s 60th anniversary with his own take on the same work, which he described before the concert as a testament to music’s unifying force.
I’ve heard Nézet-Séguin conduct the Ninth four times in as many years, in both Saratoga and Philadelphia, and each interpretation has been sui generis. On this occasion, he emphasized a relentless forward motion in the first two movements, which bred an air of excitement but pushed the musicians to their limit at the end of a long week of performances. Entrances were rushed and ragged, phrases were imprecisely articulated and at times, they seemed to be doing all they could just to keep up. Lyricism often suffered, especially from the woodwinds in the Molto vivace.
The Adagio sustained an appropriately refined quality, but the finale was overtaken with a surfeit of idiosyncratic choices. The statement of the themes in the double basses was so hushed it was practically inaudible, and the lead-in to the entrance of choir and soloists was brash and inarticulate. Albany Pro Musica delivered the heft that Nézet-Séguin desired, but the quartet were spottier: Ryan Speedo Green was taxed by the bruising tempo in “O Freunde”, and Issachah Savage lacked the clarion top notes for “Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen”. Leah Hawkins delivered a stunning B flat, and Eve Gigliotti (replacing J’Nai Bridges) was a warm, mellow presence throughout the movement.
Nézet-Séguin paired the Ninth with the Saratoga premiere of William Grant Still’s Wood Notes, its complete score reconstructed by the orchestra’s librarian Nicole Jordan and former assistant conductor Austin Chanu. Inspired by works of the poet Joseph Mitchell Pilcher, the five-movement piece proved a lovely addition to the repertoire. Shimmering harp and celesta buffeted velvety strings in Singing River, and Autumn Night rustled with a charged undercurrent. Moon Dusk and Whippoorwill’s Shoes buzzed with a bluesy pulse, leading into the peaceful final movement, Theophany. The Philadelphians recorded two of Still’s symphonies for Deutsche Grammophon last year — surely this must be in the hopper as well.
Cameron's press trip was funded by the Saratoga Performing Arts Center
