Classical Concert Reviews Cinci

@cincysymphony entered its final weeks of performances for the 2025-26 season with a program shining a spotlight on one of the most well-known orchestral works of Felix Mendelssohn, his Scottish Symphony.
Under the direction of Kristiina Poska, principal guest conductor of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra opened the evening with an exciting performance ofcUnderneath the Sheen, a fairly recent work by American composer Julia Adolphe inspired by the majesty and quiet beauty of California’s Redwood trees. In her inimitable style, Poska wonderfully conjured the fragility of nature and splendor that arises from experiencing said nature through instruments such as temple blocks and tam-tam and soft writing for low strings.
Guest pianist Lise de la Salle, making a welcome return to Cincinnati, joined to give a gracefully high-spirited performance of Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2. From the first notes, le Salle played with crisp articulation, a sensitive understanding of dynamics and passionate dexterity of sound; this was most prevalent in the second and third movements. She then encored with a solo piano arrangement of Franz Schubert’s song An die Musik as her message of hope for a better and more peaceful world order.
Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3, composed mostly during the composer’s sojourn in Scotland in the early 1830s but not finished until 1842, was given a passionate and jolly, if occasionally svelte sounding performance. Maestra Polska gave the piece a relaxed atmosphere while also bringing the perfect sense of emotion to each of its four movements. While the orchestra’s playing was top notch as expected, there were a couple of small moments throughout the work that could have used a bit more rehearsal time, more so at the end of the first movement.
Nevertheless, a fantastic way to end an unseasonably cool evening in the Queen City.