Orlando Philharmonic is right on pitch on the pitch
It was right about the time that the maestro jogged by, accompanied by a fist-pumping lion, that I realized this wasn’t going to be a normal season opener for the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.
Well, maybe that wasn’t the first clue. There was the announcer booming “Ladies and gentleman, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra program will begin shortly.” Then, the appearance of the orchestra’s executive director and board chairwoman on a jumbotron. And those concertgoers eating popcorn from a box and drinking Heineken straight from the can.
I half expected someone to cry “Play ball!” after the orchestra’s rousing rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” After all, we were in a sports stadium.
The Orlando Philharmonic took the pitch at Exploria Stadium, home to Orlando’s Major League Soccer teams, on Saturday for an open-air concert that allowed the audience and musicians to physically distance.
It was the first time an orchestra gave a full-length concert in a U.S. soccer stadium, and perhaps elevated the venue’s tone. I mean, you never hear about rowdy orchestra hooligans in the news, do you?
The mood was one of joy over the return of live music after the pandemic shutdown.
“I can confidently say I’ve never felt these vivid emotions I have right now,” said music director Eric Jacobsen, after racing Robinson, the Orlando City mascot, to the podium — its safety rail freshly painted purple, the team’s dominant color. Robinson dressed up for the occasion, wearing a suit coat. The maestro dressed for the location, eschewing tie and tails for a purple jersey emblazoned with “Jacobsen 93.”
Jacobsen was so moved he blurred his sports references, saying he was exhilarated from not only “running out of that tunnel” but because he knew the audience was giving him a “home-court advantage.” Maybe a home-field advantage? Homepitch?
Whatever it was, Jacobsen wasn’t wrong: The audience was vociferously appreciative of the music, rattling the stadium floor with foot-stomping and applauding between symphonic movements. That’s usually frowned upon by traditionalists, but who could blame this crowd? It has been too long since we had a concert, and besides, in that environment there was a feeling that all bets were off.
The orchestra was as fired up as the crowd, cruising through a jaunty “Maple Leaf Rag” and a more stately “Sophisticated Lady.” By the time Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor came around, Jacobsen had changed to more formal black — it was Mendelssohn, after all — but the high energy level remained the same.
Soloist Simone Porter, who also guested with the Philharmonic in 2019, once again made stellar phrasing look effortless as she roared through Mendelssohn’s impassioned riffs.
Jumbotron closeups meant we could really appreciate the efforts of all the musicians, even as many of them were wiping their faces with towels throughout Tchaikovsky’s athletically robust Symphony No. 4. At times, the image momentarily distorted — as if the very pixels themselves couldn’t keep up with the playing.
Yes, a few sirens blared, helicopters buzzed and a train gave a whistle or two. But this was about more than a pristine listening experience. This was a homecoming — and a triumphant one at that.