In Sunday’s Post, classical music critic Tim Page asked the question a lot of us are wondering about these days: who will replace Leonard Slatkin at the podium of the National Symphony Orchestra? Slatkin still has two seasons left on his contract, but some rumormongers whisper his name as a possible replacement for Daniel Barenboim, who will be departing the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the end of this season. If Slatkin does vacate the post, James Conlon might make a fine replacement, judging by his latest appearance with the NSO (at a concert DCist reviewed in January). Although Conlon would be a great choice, he has apparently ruffled feathers among the players. Still, his is the only name mentioned by Page that sounded both possible and appropriate. We will keep a close eye on the situation for you.

One of the lesser names that Page listed, although not yet officially “on the radar for this appointment,” was Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, who has appeared in Washington several times as a guest conductor. As it happens, the Spanish conductor led the NSO again last night, and DCist was there to listen.

The program concluded with an extraordinary performance of a favorite work, Igor Stravinsky’s suite of music for his ballet The Firebird (the second version, completed in 1919). Demonstrating clear familiarity with the score that allowed him a freedom of look and gesture, Frühbeck de Burgos sculpted a finely nuanced rendition that exploited every color and dynamic level the orchestra had to offer. This work was the first in a series of ballets that brought Stravinsky from St. Petersburg to Paris to work with Sergei Diaghilev at the Ballets russes, including the calamitous premiere of the infamous and now justly-famous Rite of Spring. The Firebird is far less dissonant and challenging, but it’s fantastic story, drawn from a Russian folk tale about a fire-colored bird that helps Ivan the Tsarevitch, inspired daring and often exotic sounds.