The Philadelphia Orchestra begins its season of meeting the elements this week. Saturday night, the orchestra plays Longwood Gardens (whose Peirce's Park is pictured here). It's the first time the ensemble has matched its plush with Longwood's bird calls and fountain splashes since 1941, which is funny considering the fact that the orchestra and Longwood have something in common: horticulturist and very active orchestra board member, Elise du Pont, who championed the concert at the du Pont-founded and -underwritten 1,050-acre patch of formal gardens, meadows, woodlands and conservatories three miles northeast of Kennett Square.
Tickets are going fast, but are steep ($35 to $150) considering that it's an outdoor concert, and the fact that Longwood certainly has pockets deep enough to underwrite the event a little more generously. Last look at its tax forms reveals a startlingly huge endowment: $572 million. But powering up those lawnmowers must be a big line item these days. And as Longwood's spokeswoman says, fireworks are included, and, for the most expensive tickets, a reception.
In any case, the orchestra presents essentially the same program of Bernstein, Gershwin, Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky at Cabrini College the night before, Friday, at 7 p.m., at its first free neighborhood concert of the summer.
Then, Monday night, Yo-Yo Ma opens Philadelphia Orchestra season in Fairmount Park. After the first three nights, the Mann Center concerts take a break while the orchestra heads to Colorado for the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.
