Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Rouvali confidently leads the NY PHILHARMONIC in a program of works by Rachmaninoff, Bartók, and Nelson

• By drediman
• February 23, 2026
• No Comments

This past week, maestro Santtu-Matias Rouvali — principal conductor of London’s Philharmonia and honorary conductor of Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra — returned to confidently lead the New York Philharmonic in a program comprised of staple works by Rachmaninoff and Bartók, as well as the New York premiere of a contemporary composition by Daniel Nelson. Having debuted with the ensemble in 2023, the players responded to Rouvali with relative comfort and familiarity.

The Friday morning performance I attended commenced with Nelson’s Steampunk Blizzard. Aptly described by the composer as a “steam engine ballet in a snowstorm”, the 2017 piece vividly exemplifies Nelson’s fascination with machinery and the idealized futuristic visions of such creative minds as H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. Indeed, the seven minute performance chugged along with repetitious, muscular force and playfully quirky flourishes (those downwardly whooping winds, the cacophonous metallic clattering!). The bill continued with Bartók’s dense yet colorful folk music-driven Violin Concerto No. 2, which was intently grounded by highly accomplished soloist Leonidas Kavakos’s nonchalantly incisive and refreshingly unfussy playing.

The program ended with a lively account of Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, the Russian composer’s last major work for large orchestra (the piece was actually written when he was living in the United States). Although there was nothing revelatory about the interpretation, Rouvali brought out the built-in dance rhythms of the work brilliantly — if you listen closely, you’ll even hear the rounded jazzy tones of saxophones amongst the woodwinds — eliciting admiration from the audience at the conclusion of the concert.

RECOMMENDED

NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
Classical Music
David Geffen Hall
1 hour, 45 minutes (with one intermission)
Closed