Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Marin Alsop leads yet another satisfying outing by the PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA at Carnegie Hall

• By drediman
• April 5, 2026
• No Comments

Last week, the terrific Philadelphia Orchestra, led by conductor Marin Alsop, returned to Carnegie Hall for one night only. The focal point of Alsop’s 2025–2026 Perspectives series and the United in Sound: America at 250 festival, the concert was notable for premiering a John Adams commission to New York audiences, as well as being the symphonic debut of young pianist Hayato Sumino — certainly a superstar on the rise — in Gershwin’s jazz-inflected Piano Concerto in F. The program also included healthy selections from Prokofiev’s well-worn Romeo and Juliet ballet score, as well as a couple of crowd-pleasing encores. In short, it was yet another satisfying Carnegie Hall outing by the Philadelphia forces.

The evening started with the New York premiere of the Adams commission The Rock You Stand On, which the celebrated American composer created in honor of Alsop, a close friend and frequent collaborator of his (the work premiered in Philadelphia last fall). Although it begins with the delicate undulation of strings, the ten-minute piece eventually blossoms into one of Adams’ most assertively symphonic compositions, indicating just how much he’s learned over the years to utilize the full range of sounds that a full orchestra can produce (e.g., those harps!). The work unsurprisingly features the composer’s signature rhythmic drive — steadily maintained by Alsop and the orchestra — as well as a discernible underlying muscularity and a touch of discord. The program continued with Sumino’s sturdy and well rounded rendition of Gershwin’s warhorse piano concerto, which exhibited both discipline and a mature sense of bluesy improvisation. As an encore, the youthful soloist doubled down on Gershwin with a virtuosically jazzy “I’ve Got Rhythm”, highlighted by a dizzying array of variations of the catchy tune.

The performance concluded with a terrific rendition of Romeo and Juliet, showcasing the Philadelphia ensemble’s considerable strengths with clarity and intent, particularly the luxurious bloom of the orchestra’s famous string section. For this particular suite of Prokofiev’s powerful and oft-played ballet score, Alsop herself handpicked the musical selections, which collectively amounted to a richly comprehensive musical tapestry that hit with surprising dramatic impact. Throughout the concert, the players responded under Alsop’s baton with precision and vitality, as if to pay homage — with utmost emphasis — to one of our most highly regarded and hardest working maestros.

As if to extend the bill’s celebratory vibe, the evening’s encore was a raucous “General Dance of Enthusiasm and Apotheosis” from Dmitri Shostakovich’s ballet score for The Bolt, a piece that’s rarely heard stateside these days.

RECOMMENDED

THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
Classical Music
Carnegie Hall
Approximately 2 hours (with one intermission)
One night only