By Nancy Plum

Princeton Symphony Orchestra closed its 2024-25 classical series this past weekend with a journey to Russia and 19th-century Europe, featuring a superstar piano soloist and a local choral ensemble. The performances in Richardson Auditorium on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon brought together instrumentalists, dynamic pianist Natasha Paremski, and the Westminster Symphonic Choir of Rider University for a program of reverent choral music and one of the most demanding piano concerti in the repertory.

The 1868 Schicksalslied of Johannes Brahms combined orchestra and four-part chorus in a powerful statement of faith and hope through long melodic lines and rich orchestration. Inspired by the writings of German philosopher and poet Friedrich Hölderlin, Schicksalslied (Song of Fate) depicts both divine beings and suffering mankind. The Westminster Symphonic Choir, at one time up to 200 members, has suffered from the Rider/Westminster Choir College turmoil of the past years, but now under the direction of noted conductor Donald Nally is getting back on its choral feet. In Saturday night’s performance, the singers showed solid musicianship and tuning with a capability to sustain long phrases and chord streams—all hallmarks of Nally’s choral pedagogy.

Conducted by Princeton Symphony Music Director Rossen Milanov, Schicksalslied began with a lush orchestral introduction, with dynamic swells leading to a gentle and clear entrance of the chorus. The Symphonic Choir well observed the ebbs and flows of the phrasing and a cappella passages were well blended. Decisive rhythms, word emphases, and diction were precise. Although forceful choral passages against the Orchestra could have had more bite, this will no doubt come as the ensemble builds its membership in the coming years.

The Symphonic Choir had a chance to stand on its own as Milanov led the unaccompanied chorus in an excerpt of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, a setting of one of the principal services of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Little can compare in choral performance with the dramatic basso profundo sound of Russian liturgical music. Influenced by the acoustic of cavernous cathedral spaces, Russian choral pieces of the 19th century became instantly recognizable by their rich vocal writing and dense textures, especially from the lower voices. “Hymn of the Cherubim” joined the Russian church tradition with Tchaikovsky’s lush harmonies in a musical tribute to what the composer called “one of the greatest productions of art.” Throughout the work, the Choir sang with uniform vibrato, changing chords well. The tenors sang with a light sound and the women’s voices were well matched.

Princeton Symphony remained in Russia for the program’s closing work, which linked the iconic Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff with the United States. Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor had its roots in the composer’s early 1900s American tour as a piano soloist, for which he had agreed to create a piano concerto to perform with American orchestras. An early review of this piece claimed that its “extreme difficulties bar it from performance by any but pianists of exceptional technical powers,” but guest soloist Natasha Paremski immediately showed her superb command of the technical challenges. The three movements were full of intensity and drama, frequently changing moods and using the full range of the keyboard while requiring nimbleness of fingers.

Often seemingly in a world of her own yet always connected to the instrumentalists, Paremski shifted easily between fire and brimstone passages and fluid scales and arpeggios with hands that moved like the wind. The piano lines were often paired with solo instruments, creating elegant duets with flutist Sooyun Kim, clarinetist Pascal Archer, bassoonist Jensen Bocco and horn player Colby Kleven. Oboist Gilles Cheng played an especially haunting melody in the second movement “Intermezzo.” Milanov frequently conducted with sweeping gestures, well capturing the soaring and expansive palette.

This past weekend’s performances by Princeton Symphony Orchestra brought a challenging season to a close and showed both Milanov’s connections to performing luminaries and the ensemble’s commitment to the local musical community. Not to rest on its accomplishments, the organization has but a short rest before launching into the 2025 Princeton Festival, showcasing musical stars from a variety of genres.

Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s Princeton Festival opens on Friday, June 6 with “ICON: The Voices That Changed Music,” featuring vocalists Capathia Jenkins and Ryan Shaw in a program of music by iconic popular music stars. Information about all Princeton Festival events can be found at princetonsymphony.org/festival/events/2025-princeton-festival.