A sweet symphony performance at Cathedral

Sunday, the Symphony and Sir Andrew Davis.

It all added up to a wonderful matinee performance of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at the Scottish Rite Cathedral.

The Symphony, under the direction of Davis, returned to its northern home for the second of a three-performance season. During yesterday’s concert, the orchestra was joined by violinist Andres Cardenes and pianist Emanuel Ax.

This is the fifth consecutive year that the Pittsburgh Symphony has visited the Cathedral’s stage.

Davis, who is in his inaugural season as the Symphony’s artistic adviser, wowed the crowd with his vigorous, energetic and bouncy style of conducting as he directed the musicians through four classical compositions. The musical selections were reminiscent of springtime weather — light, airy and gentle, like spring breezes at times, and then suddenly powerful and loud, like a thunderstorm, at other points in the performance. Davis reacted to each change with a different facial expression and flap of his arms, as he communicated to his musicians the tone and timbre of the music.

“I found the (Cathedral’s) acoustics terrific, very clear,” Davis said in a proper British accent after the performance. “I loved the clarity that I got on this stage. And I thoroughly enjoyed the warmth of the audience.”

And the audience thoroughly enjoyed Davis at the helm of the Symphony and rewarded the performance with a standing ovation.

The crowd of several hundred was a meeting of generations. Teenagers, baby boomers and senior adults, mingled in the main lobby and in the bright sunshine on the Cathedral’s terrace as they waited for the performance to begin.

“It’s so nice to see so many young people here to listen to the Symphony, especially on a Sunday afternoon,” one woman commented during intermission.

She was standing by a group of students from Neshannock High School. For them, spending an afternoon with the Pittsburgh Symphony was just part of indulging their love for music.

“It’s amazing to come here and see what we could do as musicians,” said Courtney Barber, a senior and the drum major for Neshannock’s marching band. “It is really inspiring for us.”

“We all enjoy music and this is one of our hobbies, so this a perfect time to be here,” said Ryan Mooney, also a senior, who plays the french horn. “Seeing these musicians perform is setting the bar.

“This is as good as it gets.”