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Celestial harmonies and a train-whistlin’ fiddle
The Philadelphia Orchestra presents Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, with conductor Dalia Stasevska
Linda Holt
As part of its 125th anniversary celebration, the Philadelphia Orchestra is featuring seven performances this month directed by Ukraine-born Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska, who has wowed Philly audiences in the past with her energy and brilliance. The opening concert of the series was no exception, with a 20th-century program full of opportunities for Stasevska’s signature robust style to shine, though she also beguiled listeners with extended periods of tenderness and warmth.
Mahler, Barber, Harvey, and Hadelich
The major work on the program was Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with soprano soloist Joelle Harvey. However, a special treat was Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto. This work is a delight on its own significant merits, but especially fascinating in the way Stasevska emphasized the harmonic understructure of Barber’s discordant passages, making it seem more modern and edgier than I have heard before.
New York City-based Augustin Hadelich, one of the leading young virtuosos of our time, brought a spectacular display of technique in the finale. But it was the whisper softness of his playing in the second movement, contrasted with Stasevska’s bold range of dynamics, that I found mesmerizing. Special note must be made of principal oboist Philippe Tondre, whose artistry, in this movement in particular, ran like a musical shiver down the spine.
While I’m not especially fond of Mahler’s Fourth, there were many worthwhile features in this performance. Stasevska’s take on the first movement brought out its Sound of Music-ish qualities (you can almost smell the Edelweiss). The symphony unrolled like a patchwork quilt: dozens of charming vignettes, but not a strong sense of connectedness or development. The last movement includes a child’s vision of heaven, taken from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, a collection of German folksongs. Clad in a gown of scarlet and saffron, Harvey sang the concluding poem with a sweet, bright tone, adding some magic of her own to Mahler’s musical potpourri.
A welcome return
On a lighter note, the concert opened with John Adams’s Short Ride in a Fast Machine, which sounds exactly as you would imagine it, a perfect vehicle for Stasevska to dazzle with her lively podium style. An unexpected delight was Hadelich’s encore, Orange Blossom Special by Edwin T. Rouse (1917-1981) which the artist arranged for solo violin. This short selection is widely known as a song sung by Johnny Cash and played on the harmonica. The Special starts out with the whistle of a train as it gathers steam. To judge by his fiddling prowess, Hadelich should be able to get a job with Willie Nelson and the Family any time he wishes!
This was an enjoyable concert and a welcome return to one of Philadelphia’s most popular guest conductors. Stasevska will be back on January 14 with a program featuring Yo-Yo Ma; an Orchestra After 5 performance on January 15 featuring Mendelssohn’s “Italian” Symphony and John Williams’s Tuba Concerto with soloist Carol Jantsch; and a program featuring Williams, Mendelssohn, and Julius Eastman January 16-17.
Editor’s note: Before you go, did you know that BSR is celebrating 20 years at our Party with the Critics event on January 15? All are welcome! Get your tickets now.
What, When, Where
John Adams, Short Ride in a Fast Machine; Barber, Violin Concerto, op. 14; Mahler, Symphony No. 4 in G Major. Conducted by Dalia Stasevska, Philadelphia Orchestra. Augustin Hadelich, violin; Joelle Harvey, soprano. January 9-11, 2026 at the Kimmel Cultural Campus’s Marian Anderson Hall, 300 S Broad Street, Philadelphia. (215) 893-1999 or philorch.ensembleartsphilly.org.
Accessibility
The Kimmel Cultural Campus is an ADA-compliant venue. Patrons can purchase wheelchair seating or loose chairs online by calling (215) 893-1999 or emailing patron services. With advance notice, patron services can provide options for personal care attendants, American Sign Language, Braille tickets and programs, audio descriptions, and other services.
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