The Philadelphia Orchestra opens its season with fanfare and frivolity

Lang Lang, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, BalletX and the Philadelphia Orchestra

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra

By Cameron Kelsall, 29 September 2022

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“some of the finest music-making they've delivered in years”

Reviewed at Kimmel Center: Marian Anderson Hall, Philadelphia on 28 September 2022

Coleman, Umoja: Anthem of Unity

Saint-Saëns, Piano Concerto no. 2 in G minor, Op.22

Sherman, Mary Poppins: Feed the Birds (arr. Hough)

Dvořák, Symphony no. 8 in G major, Op.88

The Philadelphia Orchestra

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Conductor

Lang Lang, Piano

BalletX

Ballet Nights 007 – Pillars and Pioneers: same formula but better!

Deborah Weiss, 1st April

Ballet Nights returns to Cadogan Hall in its latest incarnation with plenty of excitement and surprises.

****1

BalletX: Jamar Roberts and Jennifer Archibald top an uneven mixed bill

Carla Escoda, 27th September

BalletX, a contemporary ballet company that prides itself on its diversity and its commitment to commissioning new work, brings an ambitious and mostly successful mixed bill to the Joyce Theater.

****1

Harlem, Funk and a bit of Schubert

Hilary Stroh, 7th March

It’s not about being on the biggest stage that matters, but what you do on any stage at all – dance like there is no-one watching. But, happily in this case, we are.

****1

Beautiful Decay

Hilary Stroh, 29th November

BalletX's exploration of the cycle of life in Beautiful Decay is a clever and truly profound choice (choreography: Nicole Fonte)

****1

Alsop conducts a substitute Marsalis symphony at Carnegie Hall

David Wolfson, 29th May

The premiere of Wynton Marsalis’ Symphony no. 5 is postponed, substituted by selections from his Jungle Symphony, along with a disappointing Beethoven’s Seventh at Carnegie Hall.

***11

Philadelphia Orchestra debuts Tyshawn Sorey’s static Piano Concerto

Cameron Kelsall, 15th May

Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads the premiere of For Marilyn Crispell alongside the 1873 version of Bruckner’s “Wagner Symphony”, the Third.

***11

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Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall is a classical music critic and cultural reporter. He has written for Bachtrack since 2019, and his byline has appeared in many national and international classical music publications. Based in Philadelphia, he regularly travels around the United States for musical events. In addition to his career in journalism, Cameron also teaches in the Theatre Arts program at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a certified sommelier and avid home cook. His favorite composer is Mahler. Twitter: @CameronPKelsall.