David Robertson Conductor
Hai-Ye Ni Cello
Esmail RE|Member
Haydn Cello Concerto No. 1
Beethoven Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”)
Program Notes
Hear Your Philadelphia Orchestra’s legendary strings in full bloom in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”), with its lovely evocations of moody thunderstorms and a cheerful countryside. One of the greatest American conductors today, known for his “strikingly fresh” (The New York Times) approach to classics, David Robertson reveals new beauty in this beloved work.
Joining the Orchestra is Principal Cello Hai-Ye Ni, hailed for her “dazzling performances,” “rapturous string tone,” and “heart-rending eloquence” (San Francisco Chronicle). She is given a bravura showcase in Haydn’s dashing Cello Concerto No. 1, a work that was lost for nearly two centuries, only to be rediscovered when an archivist with the National Museum in Prague recognized it among a cache of papers from a Czech castle.
Written in response to a changed world, Reena Esmail’s ReǀMember honors the experience of coming back together after time apart during the pandemic. Evocative and powerful, the piece is meant to feel like an overture, with inspiration from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and Bernstein’s Candide.