Another first for the Philadelphia Orchestra

During the first half of its latest subscription concert, the Orchestra presented five pieces that didn’t require an orchestra. But it was still a Philadelphia Orchestra program. The Philadelphia Orchestra is the only music organization in Philadelphia that could have carried that off in a single 45-minute half.

Consider my favorite among these five pieces: Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras for soprano and eight cellos. How many music organizations can hire eight cellists just to perform one ten-minute work?

The half opened with a three-minute Renaissance fanfare by Gabrieli and ended with a two-minute fanfare by the 20th-century composer Paul Dukas. The Gabrieli requires eight brass players; the Dukas requires 14. A few other Philadelphia organizations could have presented the Gabrieli, but not on the same program with the Dukas, the Villa-Lobos, a star-quality guest soprano, a short set of cantatas sung a capella by the Philadelphia Singers, and an extensive organ chorale played by the Orchestra’s organist, Michael Stairs. The Philadelphia Orchestra is the only Philadelphia organization that can dip into a pool of performers that large and varied.

The Orchestra management should schedule more programs like this. It’s a simple, cost-effective way to increase the range and appeal of the Orchestra’s programming.

One serious weakness

All the pieces were performed at a high level. Soprano Susanna Phillips possesses an appealing voice that blended perfectly with the eight cellos. When she hummed with the cellos at the end of the Villa-Lobos, she blended so perfectly that it sounded like a ninth instrument had been added to the ensemble.

The Gabrieli was the only entry that displayed a serious weakness. I welcomed the chance to hear it played antiphonally, with two brass choirs playing from opposite balconies. But I would have preferred the lighter, brighter sound I hear at concerts presented by early music ensembles.

The second half brought the full orchestra back on stage, along with two soloists and the Philadelphia Singers Chorale. But it wasn’t quite the orchestra we’re used to seeing. The guest conductor, Alain Altinoglu, had rearranged the seating and placed the violas on his left, where the first violins usually sit. The first violins sat behind the violas. The cellos sat in their usual place, on the conductor’s right, but the section overflowed into the area in front of the conductor.

The reason for this oddball seating became obvious as soon as the orchestra launched into the opening bars of Fauré’s Requiem. I’m fond of Fauré’s music for two reasons: its firm sense of form and a dark surface sheen that sounds like the musical equivalent of polished wood. Fauré creates that sheen with the violas and the cellos, and the seating arrangement emphasized their importance. The violins took a backseat on the stage because the composer gave them a backseat in the score.

For the two solo roles, baritone Philippe Sly joined Susanna Phillips and complemented her work with a beautifully understated style that turned the offertory into a flowing prayer.

Lighthearted Requiem

The Requiem constituted another extension of the Orchestra repertoire. The Orchestra played the Sanctus movement in 1989, in Saratoga, but this was the first time it had played all seven movements. It’s a piece with a highly personal take on its subject — lighter and gentler than sober works like the Brahms Requiem and dramatic outpourings like Verdi’s. At one point, Fauré even calls for a pop-pop-pop from the organ that sounds like it’s coming from a sidewalk calliope.

The last section sums up the Requiem’s overall mood. Light, airy music accompanies a text with lines like “May the angels lead you into Paradise...May the martyrs receive you and lead you into the holy city of Jerusalem.” In Fauré’s version of the Requiem, there’s no weeping among the survivors. Instead, they wish you well as you set off on your last voyage.