United States Weber, Liszt, Beach: Marc-André Hamelin (piano), Philadelphia Orchestra / Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor). Marian Anderson Hall, Philadelphia, 12.3.2026. (SJ)
Weber – Overture to Der Freischütz
Liszt – Piano Concerto No.2 in A major, S125
Encore: Mozart – Allegro from Piano Sonata No.16 in C major, K545
Amy Beach – Symphony in E minor, Op.32, ‘Gaelic’
Music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin led the Philadelphia Orchestra in a trio of works that span the 19th century, tracing the development of Romanticism and its vast possibilities. The pieces were presented in chronological order, and the evening began with the overture to Weber’s landmark opera, Der Freischütz. The unison opening emanated a sense of mystery, countered by the warmth of a choir of horns. The music took flight with Romantic enigma and imagination, though a moment of respite was to be had in a lush clarinet solo from principal Ricardo Morales – an instrument for which the German composer was particularly adept at writing. The overture closed in blazing major-key triumph, concentrating much drama in its 10-minute duration.
For pianist Marc-André Hamelin, appearances in Philadelphia feel like a homecoming: he first arrived in the city to study at Temple University with the late Harvey Wedeen and subsequently made it his home for many years. Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No.2 in A major is a bit more restrained than its predecessor but still features no shortage of high-wire virtuosity. Deftly blended winds began, with the piano entering by way of gently rolling arpeggios. Contrasting material was given with arresting power, and I was struck by the richness of Hamelin’s tone.
This was not all bombast, however, with the heart of the work being the loveliest of duets between cello and piano. Hamelin had a natural, effortless cohesion with the Philadelphians who supported him with sympathetic playing. The primary theme morphed into a rousing march, filled with dazzling octaves and rapid filigree for an exciting close. As an encore, Hamelin somewhat humorously offered the first movement of Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C major, familiar to any young piano student. Under Hamelin’s hands, this was no trifle but a thoughtful antidote to Liszt, radiant in its simplicity.
Amy Beach was in the audience for the Boston premiere of Dvořák’s ‘New World’ Symphony, and she felt duly inspired to write her own homegrown American symphony. Whereas the Czech composer turned to Native American and African American melodies, Beach looked to the music of immigrants, drawing on her heritage and the Irish population in her hometown of Boston. The resulting ‘Gaelic’ Symphony seamlessly weaves folk tunes of the British Isles into her own highly developed writing. Though premiered to acclaim, it is a work that has long fallen out of vogue. The Philadelphia Orchestra performed it in 1915 and again in 1919, the first of which had Beach herself in the audience, but the present performances mark its first local outing in over a century. Its revival felt especially apt during Women’s History Month and the weekend before St. Patrick’s Day.
The substantial forty-minute work opened in motion, with rapid strings backed by strident brass. A lilting folk theme in the oboe introduced the first of several to be used. Nézet-Séguin’s energetic baton seemed to bring out the best in the musicians who were fully committed to giving life to this forgotten work. Following the first movement’s thunderous coda, the subsequent Alla siciliana was touchingly charming. The characteristic rhythms of the sicilienne were carried chiefly by the horn and oboe, and featherlight textures in the strings – with a touch of triangle – recalled Mendelssohn.
In the slow movement, a dusky solo passage from concertmaster David Kim was answered beautifully by the cello in music that captivated in its resonant lyricism. From the first bars of the closing Allegro di molto, it was clear that a big-boned finale was in store. Broadly shaped melodic contours were given with dramatic sweep, pointing towards the grand peroration that capped the symphony off in satisfying fashion. This is major entry in the early canon of American symphonies and speaks to Beach’s consummate compositional skill. Let’s hope the next performance does not entail another hundred year wait!
Sam Jacobson