Philadelphia Orchestra finds its animal side

What does it mean that the Philadelphia Orchestra is now stocking its subscription series with lighter works it once used to draw crowds to the Mann Center and as musical primers at children's concerts?

French conductor Stéphane Denève is here for two weeks of populist programming that began Thursday night in the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall with a reprise of a Peter and the Wolf film the orchestra brought to the Mann in 2007. The hall was filled with plenty of grown-ups and a scattering of children who, by their general level of happy buzz, indicated approval. The Academy Award-winning Suzie Templeton animated short came across brilliantly on a screen above the stage, even though the ensemble on stage was still searching for its most confident Prokofiev self.

There was certainly no compromise in the quality of the repertoire. Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals is beautifully crafted, and was presented without Ogden Nash's verse. While the added narration is a staple of children's concerts, the score fared well here as a pure concert piece, especially with the crisp energy of Curtis-trained twins Christina and Michelle Naughton at facing grand pianos.

If you're beginning to detect an animal theme developing, you're on to something. Also programmed were Roussel's The Spider's Feast, and selections from Poulenc's rare and lovely Les Animaux modèles. All told, according to Denève, 25 animals were represented during the concert . This assemblage of pieces provided for some handsome characterizations in sound.

The Poulenc, never before played by the orchestra, was especially welcomed. What sophisticated music this is. Continually inching up to jazz harmonies, the score had a special way of portraying unbearable joy, a pinch of utter poignancy , and a conveyance of grand occasion. Before each movement, actor Michael Goldstrom, perched in the conductor's circle, recited the Jean de La Fontaine fables that inspired the work.