Could this have happened in a hall larger than the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater? Perhaps not. And that gives the Chamber Orchestra the responsibility to deliver such performances when performing repertoire frequented by the Philadelphia Orchestra next door at Verizon Hall.
Oddly, the opening moments of the Mendelssohn promised nothing special. Only three years out of the Curtis Institute, Urioste played with a wiry, not particularly distinguished, tone. And given how easily the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto plays itself, you had to think "Here we go again."
Somewhere in the first movement's second subject, however, things moved into a much deeper emotional world full of secrets and confidences, coming to a conclusion in which the musicians seemed to be tumbling over one another but all arriving in the right places. The slow movement began very slowly, making room to build the music's progression. And it did. The ebullient finale felt like geese flying in perfect formation, everyone together instinctually and effortlessly.
The second half's Beethoven Symphony No. 1 was good but didn't hit that level. Tempos were in the Ignat Solzhenitsyn tradition: not a great deal of differentiation from one movement to the next, but each section distinguishing itself by its rhythmic character and general manner of animation. Beyond that, Brossé left few if any fingerprints - odd for someone who has established himself as an interventionist interpreter of the classics. If I seem disappointed, it's because disagreeing with high-level performances is a compliment to the conductor (it means there was lots of substance) and thus a luxury for the listener.
Additional performance:
7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Temple Performing Arts Center, 1837 N. Broad St. Information: 800-204-2400 or www.chamberorchestra.org.Contact music critic David Patrick Stearns at dstearns@phillynews.com.
