It is always a privilege to experience the beauty of the gothic masterpiece that is Washington National Cathedral, and doubly so with music. The space itself is only enhanced by the tones that carry up to the ceiling. One expects the best of any ensemble that plays in this space, and the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra more than rose to the task on Tuesday night as an orchestra made up of students that felt more like a professional ensemble due to how in-sync they were.
First on the program, UNCSA alumnus Malek Jandali premiered his fifth symphony. Before it started, Jandali showed the audience an artifact of Syrian musical notation from 1400 B.C. It came as no surprise, then, that this symphony sounded like a celebration of the Syrian sound-world. One could absolutely hear the Middle East in it. Jandali specifically characterized the second movement as dramatic in his remarks before the performance, but I felt the drama right away from the first. Overall, this symphony had a very atmospheric feel. The slow harmonic progression, often with just a drone underlying the texture, held me in suspense, making me wonder what would come next. Melodically, I’m not sure I could make out longer subjects, but what the composer created definitely evoked hot climates and desert terrain. I felt the slowness one feels in the heat, and also I could picture a night of stars against white sand. Overall, this symphony was a good start to the program. So, what would have made it better? I would have loved to read some program notes from the composer to hear more about his ideas behind each movement.
Now, to the Mahler. After taking a moment to make sure there was quiet throughout the venue, maestro James Allbritten brought us into Mahler’s world with the iconic sleigh bells. Here, the audience got melody that wasn’t as present in the Jandali symphony. Even within just the first movement, one realizes that Mahler has something for each of the instruments to say on their own. As soprano Claire Griffin mentioned in her interview with me, this symphony marked a difference in Mahler’s music from when he earned a reputation for bombastic sounds. That said, even though this symphony is without question less bombastic, it still has its moments. Perhaps the softness that pervades a lot of it makes the loud moments more impactful, as in the first movement. Particularly impressive here were the pianissimos in the cellos.
The second movement opened with a nice violin solo from the concertmaster José Sequeira. He really brought out the romance in this movement for a minute, before darker timbres and harmonies rolled in, like storm clouds. He also seamlessly switched between violins when needed for different tunings, so much so that I did not notice at first. It was here that I couldn’t help but agree with what a wonderful conductor Allbritten is, again as attested by Griffin in her interview. Even beyond his expressive ideas, it felt like he was playing with the orchestra, not just dictating to them. And in the third movement, I started to feel like the orchestra was singing, so much so that the punch-like forte toward the end, plus the key changes Mahler put in, caught me by surprise in the best way. The fact that the orchestra was capable of eliciting that kind of reaction is a credit to them and their playing, which showcases one of the finest conservatory orchestras in the country.
Finally, soprano Claire Griffin took to the stage for the vocal part of the symphony. With an effortless beauty of tone and well-executed German, Griffin’s singing was not at all too childlike, consistent with what she has said about her technical approach to this. I also loved how together she was with the orchestra. They were clearly listening to her, just as Allbritten was. Neither did the orchestra overpower her. Therefore, she could use a lovely light tone as befits the character of a child.
Altogether, one must be grateful that this orchestra had the opportunity to perform these works in this venue. It was a beautiful evening of beautiful music to lift spirits and bring the community together.
Maggie Ramsey
UNCSA Symphony Orchestra – Mahler Symphony No. 4: A Vision of Heaven
Malek Jandali – Symphony No. 5; Gustav Mahler – Symphony No. 4 in G Major
Soprano – Claire Griffin. Conductor – James Allbritten. UNCSA Symphony Orchestra.
Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., April 14, 2026
All photos by Jati Lindsay