Buckled in
An emotional thrill ride with Orlando Philharmonic
The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra visited three centuries Sunday afternoon with a roller-coaster ride of a concert that stirred all sorts of emotions.
I had to use that phrase because the opening work, “Roller Coaster: Super 8,” was inspired by an actual Swedish amusement-park ride that composer Katarina Leyman enjoyed in her childhood. The resulting piece, composed in 2014, would be right at home alongside Orlando’s Incredible Hulk Coaster or Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Make sure your seatbelt is fastened.
Conducted by Chloé van Soeterstède with pleasing precision, “Roller Coaster: Super 8” took off to a snaredrum roll and grabbed the attention with an immediate dramatic crash of notes. It’s not a melodic piece — if you’re looking for melody, head to “it’s a small world.” This is a thrill ride.
The chords come as surprises, in unexpected combinations. And there’s a giddy uncertainty about where you’re headed. The sense of motion is palpable right until the final strain that, phew, finally lets you catch your breath.
Next up, Jean Sibelius’s 1904 Violin Concerto in D minor had a beautifully delicate start. Concertmaster Rimma Bergeron-Langlois, soloing in St. Patrick’s Day green, made her violin simply float over the other instruments. It was the kind of performance that had me asking if the sadness was in the music I was hearing or if the music was reflecting the sadness already in my heart.
The thrilling conclusion of the first act prompted intra-movement applause before Bergeron-Langlois’s violin began beautifully weeping again. Bergeron-Langlois handled the difficult passages with aplomb, making them musical, never show-offish. With the emotions of the piece, the orchestra’s musicians seemed to be providing moral as well as musical support.
The final movement laid out a meditation on the power of one — the soaring violin — vs. the power of all, heard in the orchestra’s swells until the triumphant conclusion.
Stepping even further back in time, to 1886, the program concluded with Camille Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 in C major, the “Organ Symphony.” In keeping with our themepark references, I (and likely many others) first heard part of this work as the finale of Epcot’s “Impressions de France” movie — proving you can learn about classical music in unexpected places.
The orchestra was joined by organist Adam J. Brakel on the work, which opens with gorgeously plaintive woodwinds before the strings take flight.
In Steinmetz’s acoustical glory and under van Soeterstède’s watchful eye, the dynamic levels were glorious. Quieter, languid passages lulling the audience, then forte moments provided a jolt.
The basses marched along under the melody lines as Brakel’s organ added steadying gravitas.
The second movement was properly more aggressive but still supremely musical, with ferocious piano arpeggios before the grandeur of those great chords from the organ. The tinkling four-hand piano parts sparkled, and Brakel’s pedals provided a resonant underpinning to a most majestic finale of the work and a wonderful afternoon.
AHEAD FOR THE PHIL
What: ‘Symphony of Illusions,’ music meets magic with special guest Michael Grandinetti, a magician whose illusions are coordinated with the orchestral selections When: 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. April 27
Where: Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave. in Orlando Cost: $20 and up
Info: orlandophil.org