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Kantorow’s sublime Brahms and a new face for Bernstein’s MASS Philadelphia
Marian Anderson Hall, Kimmel Center
09/25/2026 - & September 27, 2026
Johannes Brahms: Piano Concerto N° 1 in D minor, Op. 15
Leonard Bernstein: Symphonic Rituals from MASS (arr. Garth Edwin Sunderland) (World Premiere)
Alexandre Kantorow (piano)
The Philadelphia Orchestra, Yannick Nézet‑Séguin (conductor)
Y. Nézet‑Séguin, A. Kantorow (© Pete Checchia)
What an opening to a new season! The Philadelphia Orchestra under Yannick Nézet‑Séguin launched 2026-2027 with a dazzling debut and a world premiere of global significance. I’m referring to French pianist Alexandre Kantorow performing the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1, followed after intermission by an adaptation for orchestra of Bernstein’s MASS by Garth Edwin Sunderland.
Let me say flat out that I have never heard such a performance of the Brahms’ concerto. Like Yannick (revealed in his opening remarks and reminiscences), I have been listening enraptured to this work since I was in my teens. At that time, I’d come across a 33‑1/3 album of this work in the mark‑down basement of Sears. What a life‑changing concerto, here performed by a young talent of breathtaking abilities.
One of the most astounding characteristics of this young man’s playing is his inability to be upstaged by a large roaring orchestra. Yes, the ensemble produces a big sound, but it has been a long time, if ever, that I have heard the piano and orchestra on an even plane of timbre and volume. Kantorow managed this balance while maintaining a pleasant aura of focused intensity. Dressed inconspicuously in black, he appeared even younger than his 29 years, but with a depth of understanding and expression rare for a musician of any age. This is not too astonishing when one considers he won first prize, gold medal, and Grand Prix at the 16th Tchaikovsky Competition in 2019.
The orchestra and soloist did not meet on this common ground immediately and may be forgiven for a few uncertain bars and elusive tones early in the work, but once attained, the concerto soared. Kantorow also has a way of releasing other harmonies and contrapuntal lines that many pianists gloss over, delineating them crisply without drawing undue attention. There is none of the mush that so many artists succumb to in romantic literature, and yet there is a power, a towering sense of dignity and grace completely equal with the orchestra.
The pianist surely has fingers of steel, yet a heart brimming with compassion and gratitude. I was especially moved by passages expressed in the timpani, French horns, and oboes which seemed to herald the arrival of a new musical star in the universe. The soloist responded to a number of curtain calls with an encore: Brahms’ Intermezzo in E‑flat major, Op. 117, No. 1.
Speaking of instruments and stars, the second half of the program was taken up by a novel version of Leonard Bernstein’s MASS, a controversial work of vivid colors and rhythmic excitement. The original MASS was commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for the opening of the Kennedy Center in 1971. The world premiere of Symphonic Rituals was co‑commissioned by Nézet‑Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Sunderland’s arrangement essentially does for this large complex work what Symphonic Dances does for Bernstein’s score for West Side Story. In each case, the composer’s long work for voices and orchestra is recast for orchestra alone and shaped into a cohesive collection of musical thoughts, providing access to a much broader audience.
The work has 14 movements divided into three sections: “Vox populi”, “Vox celebrans”, and “Fraction”. Some of the movements have traditional themes (“Gloria tibi,” “Credo”) while others have a contemporary edge (“Things get broken”). The orchestra falls effortlessly into ensembles of different sizes, ranging from two or three instruments to the full orchestra at maximum volume. Tam‑tam, wooden blocks, and other percussion instruments add a syncopated beat reminiscent of the liveliest airs from West Side Story.
Despite all these pluses, I often felt lost and craved one thing: supertitles, the sort that help us understand operas written in another tongue. The movement titles, as presented in the playbill, will do just fine, provided we can read them in a dimly lit theater. It is, after all, the performance of 14 movements, and at any given time, audience members are sure to want to know where they are and how many movements there are to go.
But that’s a moot point. Throughout this concert, the high‑octane conducting of Nézet‑Séguin kept listeners on the edge of their seats. I know that I for one can’t wait to hear the Symphonic Rituals again and will keep an eye out for future performances by Kantorow. Music doesn’t get much better than this.
Linda Holt
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