On Sunday afternoon British Conductor Mark Wigglesworth led the New World Symphony in a performance of Brahms Symphony No. 1 that was remarkable. The small hall and superb acoustics of the New World Center on Miami Beach afford a different experience than hearing an orchestra in a large venue. The performance was one of the finest that I have heard of a work which is a staple of the orchestral repertoire. The direction and musical intellect of Mr. Wigglesworth created a memorable performance, beyond the anticipated exuberance of the superbly trained New World fellows. Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night on the first half of the program was exquisite. If only Schoenberg had written more in that gorgeous post romantic idiom in which he was as much of a master as Strauss or Mahler.
