Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Juraj Valčuha, conductor
Pablo Ferrández, cello
Heinz Hall
Pittsburgh, PA
November 14, 2025

Wolfe: Liberty Bell
Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33
 Encore:
 Bach: Sarabande from Cello Suite No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009
Strauss: Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40

Featuring a return to the Heinz Hall podium of Juraj Valčuha, this weekend’s PSO program opened with another entry in this season’s survey of American orchestral works. Receiving just its second performance was Julia Wolfe’s Liberty Bell, premiered in September at the Houston Symphony where Valčuha serves as music director. Based in the titular bell’s home of Philadelphia, Wolfe was on hand to introduce the piece in person (I liked how she described Philly and Pittsburgh as “the two pillars of Pennsylvania”).

The 10 minute work opened with the clangor of vigorously tolling bells. Perhaps suggested the Liberty Bell’s iconic crack, the jagged, interlocking rhythms conveyed a fractured texture. The orchestration was brilliantly colored, celebratory yet conscious of the struggle to arrive there. At moments, matters paused as if to provide moments of reflection. Drawing on a diversity of traditions, there was even a raucous rock and roll beat, leading to a bold climax splashed with the resonance of the bell.

Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor saw the return of Spanish cellist Pablo Ferrández (who will also be featured in this season’s first PSO360 performance). Cast in three compact, interconnected movements, the cellist opened with a lyrical, burnished tone, achieving long-bowed, artful phrasing. The orchestra supported him with a supple, sympathetic accompaniment. The central slow movement opened with a hushed passage in the strings, and Ferrández joined in an intimate dialogue with the orchestra. The robust finale was filled with technical fireworks, yet still lyrical at heart. As an encore, Ferrández offered a Bach sarabande, stately and pure.

Strauss’ great orchestral showpiece Ein Heldenleben opened the second half with bold and heroic beginnings. Yet the conductor thoughtfully didn’t begin too loud, allowing ample room for the muscular brass to grow. “The Hero’s Adversaries” which follows depicts the cranky music critics that bedeviled Strauss — listening to this from the vantage point of being a critic is always a delightfully uncomfortable experience. “The Hero’s Companion” was a passionate and affecting portrait of the composer’s wife, the singer Pauline de Ahna. It featured an extensive and demanding passage for solo violin, played by concertmaster David McCarroll with wide-ranging emotion and variegated color.

A battle was heralded by offstage brass in the fourth section, music that really gets one’s blood flowing before devolving into utter cacophony. The final two sections were rather more restrained, in the twilight of the hero’s life, a retrospective on a life’s work. The music faded into graceful triumph, but not without revisiting the iconic opening of Also sprach Zarathustra.