The same Fairfax Symphony Orchestra that opened its concert Saturday with such a pallid reading of the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 — but then returned after intermission to deliver a performance of his First Symphony full of passion and vigor? What an opening Brahms crafted for this concerto, with timpani roaring and the rest of the orchestra declaiming abrupt, emphatic shouts of confidence. It took off on the symphony as if hungry for all the excitement, grace and lyricism it had to offer. The performance was an example of what the FSO, at its best, can do.

Source: Washington Post November 20, 2016 21:45 UTC