Bernstein and Leshnoff Shine at the Nashville Symphony
The weekend of February 13th included one of those shows at the Nashville Symphony that attendees will remember fondly. Guest conductor Robert Spano, currently Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, brought an energetic and incisive performance to Laura Turner Concert Hall. The Nashville Symphony sparkled and the chorus sounded as strong and beautiful as ever before.
The short program consisted of two pieces: Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1 (“Jeremiah”) and Jonathan Leshnoff’s The Sacrifice of Isaac, an oratorio that was co-commissioned by the Nashville Symphony. Programming a concert is an art all to itself, and this program was an example of two perfectly paired pieces. Beyond the obvious biblical connections, both pieces touch on faith, sacrifices, and struggles between humanity and their creator. Both pieces also represent composers with a similar compositional style favoring rhythmic and bold statements.
Leonard Bernstein’s first symphony was written when he was 24 years old, and just a year away from making his famous New York Philharmonic debut. The symphony is 25 minutes long and cast into three movements. The first two movements, titled “Prophecy” and “Profanation”, are full of the brash youthful energy that Bernstein never lost. Coupled with that uniquely Bernsteinian flair was a bit of immaturity in the structure of the full piece – ideas are too quickly taken up, abandoned, and discarded before they can reach their full development. Despite this, the piece has an endearing charisma that appeals like Bernstein the person did. The final movement “Lamentation” is a setting of the weeping prophet’s cries over Jerusalem’s destruction. While the vocal line itself is not Bernstein’s best, mezzo-soprano Kelly O’Connor brought an urgency and tenderness to this part. Spano conducted brilliantly and brought some real electricity to the Schermerhorn, more than I have seen in recent memory.
After an unnecessary intermission, it was time for The Sacrifice of Isaac, which was being recorded live that night. The Nashville Symphony and Jonathan Leshnoff have had a fruitful and productive relationship over the past several years. Giancarlo Guerrero was a major supporter of his and the symphony commissioned Leshnoff’s 4th Symphony and co-commissioned his Guitar Concerto. Both pieces were recorded and released on an all-Leshnoff CD for Naxos. The Sacrifice of Isaac was originally premiered with Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 2024. It is a fifty-minute oratorio with full orchestra, including shofarot, chorus, and three vocal soloists representing the main cast of characters – Isaac, Abraham, and God himself. Biblical themes and oratorios go hand in hand and Leshnoff is no stranger to the genre: he has written seven.
The biblical account of the sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22 is fairly short – comprising only nineteen verses – hardly enough to fill fifty minutes. Leshnoff solves this potential problem by supplementing the biblical text with commentaries from various Midrashim, including a scene where Satan taunts Isaac in the moments before the sacrifice. Going into this performance I was intrigued to see how a composer would tackle the various aspects of this story. How do you orchestrate the voice of God? How do you depict the climactic moment where Abraham raises his knife to slaughter his own son? And what interpretation will your music give to the audience about what this all means?
Leshnoff voiced the role of God for a Countertenor, an inspired choice. It kept with the orthodox presentation of God as a male, yet the voice sounded otherworldly and heavenly. Key’mon Murrah, the brilliant last-minute step in, stole the show with his performance. Every time he sang, he had the audience in the palm of his hand. My only regret is that he didn’t have more music to sing. The moment of climax, as Abraham raised his knife on Isaac, was another stunning moment by Leshnoff. The full ensemble builds up to a crescendo and drops out leaving just Isaac in a moment of stillness to sing the “Yedid Nefesh”, a traditional Hebrew prayer sung before death. For several minutes we were treated to Joshua Lovell’s beautiful voice singing over the orchestra as he prepares to hand his soul over to God: “My life and death are in Your hands. If I die, may it be an atonement for me.” Baritone Nmon Ford gave a sympathetic Abraham, a man struggling with what it means to follow God.
The piece left quite an impression on me. Leshnoff crafted a wonderful story that had you on the edge of your seat for the entire fifty minutes. The orchestra played marvelously, even if the brass were too loud at several points throughout the night. I always appreciate the Nashville Symphony’s positive engagement with new music. The chorus, led by Tucker Biddlecombe, sang fantastically, particularly in the a cappella section “Remember Us!” at the end of the piece.
Leshnoff leaves the audience with a story of faith and struggle, and comfort in God’s providence above it all. It was refreshing to hear an honest and sincere engagement with a religious story, one that does not try to subvert the text in any way but provide a framework for interpretation even for this ancient story. A fantastic night overall, one that makes me excited for the next performance.
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Daniel Krenz is a conductor and composer currently living in Nashville. Currently he serves as the Music Director for the Blueprint Ensemble, a collective dedicated to playing and placing Art music, both new and old, in exciting and refreshing contexts.
