Philadelphia Orchestra

Fri. and Sun., April 18 and 20, 2 p.m., $10-$113, Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St., 215-893-1999, philorch.org.

by Peter Burwasser

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Published: Apr 16, 2008

classical

The music of Leonard Bernstein, despite the popularity of his Broadway classics, has struggled to gain a foothold in the concert hall. This situation may be changing. The performance led by Christopher Eschenbach of his Symphony No. 1, featured as part of the Philadelphia Orchestra's Bernstein Festival earlier this year, revealed a cogent work of considerable beauty and power. This week's concerts feature the Symphony No. 3, "Kaddish," no less than an attempt by the composer to engage in a dialogue with God. This is a sprawling work for a large orchestra, choir, boys choir and speaker. It is hard to imagine such a conceit being wishy-washy; it should be either magnificent, or a mawkish embarrassment. It has been described both ways — you will have to judge for yourself. The all-American program also includes the only symphony of Erich Wolfgang Korngold, a bona fide musical genius who was much better-known for his great Hollywood film scores.

Fri. and Sun., April 18 and 20, 2 p.m., $10-$113, Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St., 215-893-1999, philorch.org.

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