Saturday night, at the National Symphony Orchestra’s Season Opening Gala Concert, Maestro Gianandrea Noseda briefly took the mic to thank the audience for their very warm welcome and to declare, humorously, “we are the most active touring orchestra,” referring to the fact that the Orchestra will be performing in six different locations this season. He also encouraged the audience to spread the word about the NSO’s more varied schedule. He added that the program reflected his own musical journey: Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Suite for the decade he spent as principal guest conductor in St. Petersburg; Carlos Simon’s Monuments: A Suite for DC celebrates his 10 years in Washington; and Respighi’s La Boutique fantasque honors his Italian heritage.
The orchestra processed onto the stage at the Music Center at Strathmore in so-called European style and received a standing ovation and cheers. As is the custom for these yearly gala concerts, the women wore colorful gowns—I particularly loved concertmaster Nurit Bar-Joseph's magenta one-shoulder jumpsuit.
After the traditional season opening National Anthem, the concert opened with Tchaikovsky’s Suite from Swan Lake. I especially loved the Scene movement of the suite where Adriana Horne and Nurit Bar-Joseph joined forces in a gorgeous duet for harp and violin.
The whole orchestra shone in Carlos Simon’s 2025 composition: Monuments: A Suite for DC , an homage to his hometown, and so appropriate for this concert. Respighi’s La boutique fantasque, ended the program with a happy-ever-after galloping finale.
There was a moment, after the second or third final ovation, where Maestro Noseda asked Nurit Bar-Joseph to stand, but she shook her head, gesturing that the applause was for him. It was an expression of kindness and civility that reminded me of why I love this art form.
The NSO presents its first subscription concert of the season , “Exotic Tales” October 1 at George Mason University and October 2nd at Strathmore. Gianandrea Noseda conducts Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Ravel’s Boléro.
“Triumph”: October 8,9 at Schlesinger Hall, October 10 at Strathmore: Prokofiev’s Symphony No.5, Haydn’s Symphony No.85 “La Reine” (a favorite of Marie Antoinette) and Stravinsky’s Scènes de Ballet.
“Scheherazade Two Point Oh!” October 15-16 at George Mason. Composer and Conductor John Adams leads his groundbreaking Scheherazade2, joined by violinist Leila Josefowicz for whom the work was written. Also on the program are Three Tangos by Astor Piazzolla arranged by John Adams, and Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kijé Suite.
“Returning Love” October 22, 23 at Schlesinger Hall and October 24 at Strathmore. Leonard Slatkin returns to the NSO to conduct his Schubertiade, Joan Tower’s Love Returns (an NSO co-commission) written for saxophonist Steven Banks, and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No.3
“Serenades and Simple Songs” Nov. 12-14 at Lisner. Teddy Abrams conducts Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments, the world premiere of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Urge with bass-baritone Will Liverman (another NSO co-commission), Michael Tilson Thomas’s Street Song, and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.
“The Nutcracker and Cinderella” November 20, Schlesinger Hall, Nov 21-22 at Lisner. Marie Jacquot conducts Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Prokofiev’s Cinderella Suite and is joined by Jorge Federico Osorio in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 nicknamed “Elvira Madigan” after the 1967 movie.
The year comes to a close with the traditional Messiah concerts featuring the renowned Richard Egarr at the helm. Performances are December 16-17 at Lisner and December 18 & 19th at The Clarice and December 20 at Schlesinger Hall.
The NSO will be performing in six different venues this season: two each in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. They include:
The Lincoln Theatre, and Lisner Auditorium at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
The Center for the Arts at Strathmore in Bethesda, and The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland College Park.
The Center for the Arts at George Mason University in Fairfax, and The Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria.
As you can see, a huge amount of planning went into meeting the challenges of finding not one, but 6 new performance spaces. Kudos to the musicians and staff of the National Symphony Orchestra for persevering and offering us a season that bridges boundaries, and that invites, to quote Maestro Noseda, “discovery and connection through music.”
Be listening to WETA Classical for weekly updates on NSO programs and chats with artists.
For more information, visit WETAClassical.org.
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