Russian National Orchestra with gymnasts at the Mann

Cirque de La Symphonie is a troupe of aerialists, acrobats and tricksters who perform with classical orchestras. The name sounds like something out of Las Vegas, but Cirque appeals to a broad range of audiences, especially children who might otherwise be completely bored at a classic music concert. Cirque dazzled the Mann Center audience, where its greatest challenge was to avoid upstaging the Russian National Orchestra in its first Philadelphia appearance.

Conductor Mikhail Tatarnikov, cool in tails even on a very sultry night, opened with Shostakovich's Festive Overture, displaying a certain road tour brittleness. But the Russians locked in quickly during their next number: During Khachaturian's "Dance of Ayshe" (from the Gayne Suite) the musicians stole glances at aerialist Christine Van Loo, aloft on red fabric, twisting and releasing a series of contortions, split variations and spiral drops.

From there, this program became a musically muscled Russian repertoire, featuring familiar works composed by a lineup of the usual Russian suspects. Only a few lapses marred otherwise sterling musicianship. The clarity in the strings and one rebellious, sometimes livid brass and percussion corps were especially notable.

Flying without a net

Tatarnikov's accents on Borodin's Polovtsian Dances showcased the orchestra's clarion Russian musical character. Blasting past the sometimes cloying "Stranger in Paradise" section, the brass and percussion forged symphonic metal at a thrilling clip. In contrast, the orchestra demonstrated light and airy on confections like Kabelevsky's Comedian's Gallop.

During the aerial duet by Alexander Streltsov and Van Loo to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, the musicians rivaled the aerialists for vibrancy and theatricality. Streltsov and Van Loo demonstrated gorgeous chemistry in their aerial pas de deux, with Streltsov wowing the crowd as he launched into circular flight over the audience and musicians. All of the aerialists performed without a net or spotters.

Novel gimmicks

Even when some of the troupes' tricks— like the hoops— started to grow wearisome, the performer would devise some novel and mesmerizing execution. Elena Tsarkova, a kinetic contortionist, used two bedazzled swiveling stools that would have sent old guard apparatchiks into a tailspin back in Soviet days.

During a headstand sequence, she fluttered her legs Ó la the Dying Swan, and the audience went wild. The kids in the audience (that is, everybody) loved Vladimir Tsarkov, a mime and comic who juggled lit batons while dressed in a glittery harlequin ensemble.

Slow-motion musclemen

The evening's most surreal moment occurred in the finale, when two strapping figures, Dariusz Wronski and Jaroslaw Marciniak, entered in gold body make-up and Grecian briefs, then executed a slow-motion gymnastic routine set to the Shostakovich Fifth Symphony. The two musclemen used each other as apparatus— one incredible movement had one in a one-arm handstand on the other's head. This stunt was doubly impressive because the top body was splayed-out past any vertical balance; it was a purely a strength move, almost as if the orchestra's sonic power alone was keeping them serenely centered.

Could a visual attraction like Cirque de la Symphonie be the answer to the Philadelphia Orchestra's declining attendance figures? Funny you should ask. The Cirque performers will interact with the Philadelphia Orchestra at Saratoga this week.