Beethoven with the grainier, weaker orchestra of his time was implying the thunderstorm of the "Pastoral".
Admittedly the orchestra was weak, but the chorus sang strongly.
Given a weak conductor, a powerhouse orchestra can override these directives within limits.
The Philadelphia Orchestra suffered unexpectedly weak ticket sales in the fall, an orchestra member said, yet another blow in a spiraling financial crisis that has been coupled with a leadership vacuum at one of the world's elite orchestras.
The brass section, often the weakest link in a professional orchestra, shone in the first movement of Mendelssohn's "Reformation" Symphony and throughout the evening.
By the end of the 19th century, the alto flute, a weak instrument dynamically, had joined the orchestra, but it was exploited most effectively by the French composers of the early 20th century—for example, Claude Debussy.
The only weak link was soprano Anna Netrebko, who joined the orchestra for a selection of Czech and Italian arias, singing with uninvolved accuracy throughout.
The financial difficulties, which stem from a decline in corporate sponsorship and state financing in a weak economy, underscore the challenges of operating an orchestra in the shadow of New York City's musical offerings.
Mr. Levine may still be a little weak on his feet; he did not join the chorus and orchestra onstage to take a bow at the end.
About two-thirds of the orchestra come from Brazil, though, because music education is relatively weak here, all spent time abroad to complete their studies.
