Boston Classical Review

Benjamin Znader conduced the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Sunday at Symphony Hall. Photo: Hilary Scott

The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra under founding conductor Benjamin Zander opened their season Sunday at Symphony Hall with an intense program devoted to  the relationship between old and new.

Sunday’s program presented a challenge of skill and endurance to the orchestra: Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”) and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring are challenging when performed on their own—let alone performed on one program by a youth orchestra. However, the BPYO, in their solo moments and as an ensemble, performed with precision, style, and impressive technique.

In spite of the difficulty of the program, it was a rare treat to hear these pieces performed together. Both pieces, though different in style, incorporate traditional melodies and the lure of new cultures and musics. While Dvořák’s “New World” mines American musical idioms into the symphonic form—in anticipation of the work of composers like Gershwin, Price, and Copland—Stravinsky’s Rite imagines a primordial Russia through a tonality and musical form that were radically new in 1913.

Preceding the “New World” and the Rite, Zander opened the program with the Overture to Verdi’s La Forza del Destino, which got the afternoon off to a strong start. The chords in the brass that begin the overture were clear, precise, and well-tuned—words that also describe the rest of the afternoon’s performance. No doubt an imitation of the vicissitudes of fate, the sudden stops and starts of this overture require enormous ensemble cohesion, which the orchestra carried off with thrilling precision.

At the end of the overture, Zander gave due attention to harpists, Olivia Lee and Sofia Graupera, who executed a beautiful harp duet in the central adagio section.

In one of several dedications of the afternoon, conductor Zander dedicated the 2024-2025 season to Rosamund Zander, a longtime collaborator who passed away in 2023.  Dvořák’s symphony, which followed the Verdi, was performed at the request of BPYO benefactor, and spouse of Ms. Zander, Hansjörg Wyss.

The Ninth Symphony has been a favorite with audiences since its premiere in 1893. Written during Dvořák’s first visit to America, his decision to include melodies and motifs from African American spirtuals, and the inspiration he took from his idea of Native American culture, drew both criticism and interest.

The cellos continued their strong playing with the melodies that open the first movement. As with the Verdi, the ensemble performance was clean and clear, deftly navigating the rapid sections of the Allegro molto. Zander’s interpretation created good momentum and took especial care to emphasize the “American” tunes and harmonies that characterize the piece.

The highlight of the Dvořák was the second movement Largo. Beginning with superb balance in the brass harmonies, the movement continued with a lovely rendering of the famous English horn solo by Victoria Solis. The soft and open texture of this movement requires pristine harmonies and intonation, which continued in strings and winds throughout.

After a bright molto vivace in the third movement, and a strong finish in the fourth movement, the program continued with The Rite of Spring.

Stravinsky’s ballet, premiered in 1913 with choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky, depicts the ritual sacrifice of a girl by peoples of ancient Russia. In the first section of the piece, the girl is chosen from among her fellows for the sacrifice, and in the second half, dances herself to death in completion of a ritual to mark the coming spring.

The BPYO showed excellent endurance and enormous focus in this difficult piece, which, as Zander pointed out, involves many performers playing instruments in unusual ways. The winds prevailed in an excellent introduction, with bassoon soloist Andrew Salaru, principal flutist Sadie Goodman, and principal oboist Victoria Solis trading the famous opening motif of the rite between them.

Especially noticeable throughout the Rite was timpanist Rohan Zakharia, who led the charge through the Rite’s most difficult passages at the end of Part 1. The percussion in general gave a strong performance, providing both a strong reference point for the orchestra and adding complex texture.

The brass also continued their strong showing in the Rite, making Stravinsky’s masterful voicings and orchestration apparent. In contrast to the lushness of Dvořák harmonies, the piercing trumpets, wild horns, and powerful trombone and tuba showed equal intensity in the fortissimo riots of the “Glorification of the Chosen One” and the “Sacrificial Dance. The strings, under concertmaster Michael Fisher and principal cello Eric Schindler, also held their own in the complex pizzicatos and strange rhythmic interventions of the piece.

Driving to a climax in “The Sacrificial Dance,” the BPYO carried the same focus and intensity through to the coda, as the terrifying final chords of the Rite rang in the hall.

The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra will perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, March 2 at Symphony Hall. bostonphil.org

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