Sunday, November 30, 2014

Bernstein and Gershwin rule in an all-American Thanksgiving weekend with the St. Louis Symphony

Kirill Gerstein
Who: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
What: Music of Bernstein, Gershwin, Michael Daugherty, and Andrew Norman
Where: Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis
When: November 28-30, 2014

St. Louis residents had a great alternative to the teeming multitudes at the malls and movie theaters Thanksgiving weekend: a bracing concert of American music for that most American of holidays.

This weekend's concerts open with a fanciful bit of low comedy and high musical invention: Michael Daugherty's "Hell's Angels." Scored for bassoon quartet and large orchestra (a plethora of percussion, including the massive "Mahler box" and a thundersheet), the piece is a cinematically vivid send-up of the obnoxious noise-making that seems endemic to motorcycle culture in the USA. The composer says it's "the musical tale of a gang of hot-rodding motorcycling bassoonists who ride into town and take over a concert hall" and, in fact, that's how David Robertson has staged it. The orchestra began playing the minuet from Boccherini's Op. 11 string quartet, only to have it rudely interrupted by Daugherty's aggressively discordant opening as SLSO bassoonists Andrew Cuneo, Andrew Gott, and Felicia Foland and contrabassoonist Gregg Henegar swaggered on to the stage all punked up in black leather to play their fiercely difficult solos. The joking suggestion, in my preview article, that Mr. Cuneo, as Principal Bassoon, should be wearing a black leather jacket with an eagle on the back turned out to be unintentionally prophetic.

As you might expect from the composer of the Peter Schickele-esque "Le Tombeau de Liberace" (which the SLSO did back in 2003), "Hell's Angels" is long on visual and musical jokes and features some spectacular virtuoso writing for the soloists, with lightning runs, leaps that employ the full range of the instruments, and what the composer describes as "devilishly difficult polyrhythms." Granted, the noisy movie music orchestrations swamped some of it, but Daugherty has written some wonderfully transparent passages as well.

For me, "Hell's Angels" wore out its welcome a bit before it ended, but it was still great fun. It was also a nice prologue for another work inspired by testosterone-fueled acting out, Leonard Bernstein's "Symphonic Dances from West Side Story."

If your only exposure to the dance music from Bernstein's "West Side Story" is via the film or touring productions of the show, you might not be aware of just how brilliantly scored it is. Theatrical pit bands rarely have enough players to do it justice, so much thanks is due to the composer and his orchestrators, TV and film arrangers Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal, for putting together this nine-movement suite in 1960. It's a remarkable piece, filled with tricky polyrhythms, dissonance, flashy orchestration (including an expanded percussion battery), and a raft of other touches that remind us of how effectively Bernstein bridged the worlds of concert hall and Broadway theatre.

As you might gather from that last paragraph, this is music that requires great precision and drive from the orchestra (to say nothing of the ability to snap fingers and shout "mambo" on cue). I'm happy to report that Mr. Robertson and his forces passed the score's tests with flying colors. The percussion section covered itself with glory, and they weren't alone. Everyone played with such fluid skill that it was easy to forget what a challenging piece this is.

Even in the standard repertoire, by the way, Mr. Robertson has an uncanny knack for reminding us of the dance rhythms that underlie so much of Western music. In openly dance-inspired pieces like this, he is thoroughly in his element.

The big attraction for me this week, though, was the original 1924 jazz band version of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." Usually heard in Ferde Grofe's full-orchestra expansion of 1937, the "Rhapsody" didn't get back to its roots until Samuel Adler reconstructed and recorded the 1924 arrangement in 1971. The jazz band version has a kind of snap and flash that a full orchestra can't seem to match, especially when played by an ensemble as good as this one. Scott Andrews gave the famous opening clarinet solo all the limpid, bluesy grace it needs, nicely seguing into Tom Drake's "wah-wah" trumpet. The addition of saxophonists Nathan Nabb, Paul DeMarinis, and Adrianne Honnold added considerably to the '20s ambience, as did James Betts on banjo.

Pianist Kirill Gerstein played the solo part with all the technical skill you might expect, combined with an impressive sensitivity to the improvisatory nature of this piece. He freely embellished the music more than once Friday night (and even more so on Saturday), but always in a '20s jazz style that was very true to Gershwin. It was a reminder that the composer himself did some improvising when he played the work's Aeolian Hall premiere.

It was, in short, a joy to finally see and hear a live performance of an arrangement that I had previously known only on recordings.

Preceding the Gershwin and, in fact, leading into it without pause, was Andrew Norman's "Try" for piano and orchestra. Composed on a commission in 2011, the work is, according to Mr. Norman, about the difficult process of trying different musical ideas until you come up with one that "finally (fingers crossed) gets it right." It's an interesting notion, but in practice it sounded like a compilation of every "new music" cliché of the last fifty years. After 15 long minutes, it slowly winds down to a single descending figure in the piano repeated well past the point of tedium. It was, you should pardon the expressing, trying.

Throughout the evening—and especially during the last two works—artist S. Katy Tucker provided projections and a light show. They enhanced the Norman and the Gershwin, and provided some mood-setting footage from the film version of "West Side Story" as a prelude to the Bernstein. I don't know that any of it was particularly essential, but it was a nice addition nevertheless.

Next at Powell Hall: Steven Jarvi conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra along with violin soloists Jessica Cheng, Angie Smart, Jooyeon Kong, and Alison Harney Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 8 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m., December 5-7. The program features Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" along with music by Barber and Wagner. The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, visit the symphony web site.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of December 1, 2014

[Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.]

For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's events web site.

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The Theatre Lab and the Players Project present the 24 Hour Play Festival on Saturday, December 6. “We welcome new people to the roster (including Greg Fenner, Em Piro, Anna Skidis, Matt Pentecost, Larissa White and more!) SIX original works instead of five! Members of The Improv Shop will be performing an improv bit to cap off the night! Emcee'd by The Improv Shop's very own Pat Niday!!” The performance takes place at Webster High School, 100 Selma in Webster Groves. For more information: brownpapertickets.com.

The cast of "All is Calm"
Mustard Seed Theatre presents the musical All is Calm Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 and 5 PM through December 14. “Join us in celebrating the power of peace in this acapella musical based on the true story of soldiers during World War I who for one night, put down their arms and played soccer instead of exchanging bullets.” Performances take place at the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre, 6800 Wydown Blvd. For more information, call (314) 719-8060 or visit the web site at www.mustardseedtheatre.com.

Alton Little Theater presents the musical Always...Patsy Cline Thursday through Sunday, December 4-7, at 2450 North Henry in Alton, IL. For more information, call 618.462.6562 or visit altonlittletheater.org.

The Fox Theatre presents the musical Annie Tuesday through Sunday, December 2-7. The Fox Theatre is at 517 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com

Susie Wall as
Dr. Ruth
New Jewish Theater presents Becoming Dr. Ruth December 4-21. “There's more to famed sex therapist, Dr. Ruth Westheimer than meets the eye. Known from her career as a pioneering media sex therapist, Dr. Ruth has spoken frankly about sexual matters since her 1980 radio program. Few, however, know the incredible journey that preceded the fame. From her time as a youth fleeing from the Nazis in the Kindertransport, joining the Haganah, coming to America, marrying three times, we learn that there is much more to the 4'7" matronly therapist than meets the eye. Join her on this humourous, hope-filled journey filled with the honesty and the life affirming spirit of the girl who became "Dr. Ruth."” Performances take place in the Marvin and Harlene Wool Studio Theater at the Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus Drive in Creve Coeur. For more information: www.newjewishtheatre.org or call 314-442-3283.

St. Louis Actors' Studio presents Noel Coward's comedy Blithe Spirit December 5-21 at the Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle. “The smash comedy hit of the London and Broadway stages, this classic from the playwright of Private Lives offers up fussy, cantakerous novelist Charles Condomine, re-married but haunted (literally) by the ghost of his late first wife, the clever and insistent Elvira who is called up by a visiting “happy medium”, one Madame Arcati. As the (worldly and un-) personalities clash, Charles' current wife Ruth is accidentally killed, “passes over”, joins Elvira and the two “blithe spirits” haunt the hapless.” For more information, call 314-458-2978 or visit stlas.org.

"Cannibal the Musical"
Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre presents Trey Parker's Cannibal the Musical through December 6. "Created in the style of the 1950’s movie musical Oklahoma!, Cannibal follows the life of Alferd Packer, the man who lead an ill-fated party of men to Colorado Territory during the winter of 1873-74. Alferd was the lone survivor of this trip and was later put on trial for murdering and eating his party. Along the journey to Colorado Territory, Packer loses his beloved horse, Liane, and encounters trappers, snowmen, ninjas, sheep, Indians, aliens and a cyclops, all in an effort to find her." Performances take place at the Ivory Theatre, 7622 Michigan. For more information: cannibal-stl.com.

Clinton County Showcase presents Christmas Belles December 5-14. “A church Christmas program spins hilariously out of control in this Southern farce about squabbling sisters, family secrets, a surly Santa, a vengeful sheep and a reluctant Elvis impersonator.” Performances take place at the Avon Theater, 525 North 2nd Street Breese IL. For more information, visit ccshowcase.com.

Lindenwood University's J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts presents A Christmas Carol Tuesday through Saturday, December 2-7, at 7:30 PM in the Bezemes Family Theater. The Scheidegger Center is on the Lindenwood campus in St Charles MO. For more information, visit lindenwood.edu/center.

R-S Theatrics presents Courtney Baron's seriocomedy Eat Your Heart Out December 5-14. “A childless couple desperate to adopt become surprisingly involved in the life of their social worker and her daughter.” Performances take place at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive in Clayton. For more information: r-stheatrics.com.

Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville presents the one-act plays Far and Away and A Number by Caryl Churchill Tuesday through Sunday, December 2-7. “Far and Away is a story about a dystopian future where civilization has slipped backwards into an Orwellian barbarism. A Number addresses the concept we hold of ourselves about being unique and individualistic. But how would we feel if we discovered that there was more than one of us? And maybe, we were not the original!” The performances take place on the campus in Edwardsville, IL. For more information, call 618-650-2774.

"The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical"
Stray Dog Theatre presents The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM December 4-20. “In this sequel to the original show [the runaway hit of 2013 at Stray Dog Theatre], Betty, Lin and Pickles jingle all the way with some new neighbors in Florida's Armadillo Acres Mobile Home Park. All is calm and bright with holiday beer until the local Scrooge is stricken by a freak bout of amnesia, putting neighborly love to the test. Just as much cat-fightin', sun-worshippin', chair-throwin' as the first, but with tinsel and Keg Nog to boot!” Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents its Harm for the Holidays December 5-27. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com

Webster University's Conservatory of Theatre Arts presents Noel Coward's comedy Hay Fever Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, December 3 through 14. Performances take place in the Stage III Auditorium on the Webster University campus. Fore more information, call 314-968-7128.

Theatre Guild of Webster Groves Youth Theatre presents Is It Time Yet? Friday through Sunday, December 5-7. Performances take place in the Guild theatre at Newport and Summit in Webster Groves, MO. For more information: theatreguildwg.org or call 314-962-0876.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Murder on 34th Street through December. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com

"A Raisin in the Sun"
Photo: Stewart Goldstein
The Black Rep presents Lorraine Hansberry's drama A Raisin in the Sun through December 21. Performances take place at the Emerson Performance Center at Harris-Stowe State University in midtown. For more information: theblackrep.org

HotCity Theatre presents the world premiere of Reality by Lia Romeo December 5-20. “What happens after the cameras stop rolling on TV's LOOKING FOR LOVE? It's amazingly funny how "happily ever after" can quickly turn into "Hell hath no fury..." Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, visit www.hotcitytheatre.org or call 314-289-4063.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Ring of Fire: the Music of Johnny Cash December 3-28. “Featuring a company of multi-talented performers and over 30 hits from his iconic songbook, this spirited musical takes you on a journey through the life and career of The Man in Black. Exploring love, faith, struggle and success, songs such as “A Boy Named Sue,” “Daddy Sang Bass,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Jackson” and “I Walk the Line” tell the story of Johnny Cash in a salute to this unique American legend.” Performances take place on the mainstage at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

Would you like to be on the radio? KDHX, 88.1 FM needs theatre reviewers. If you're 18 years or older, knowledgeable in this area, have practical theatre experience (acting, directing, writing, technical design, etc.), have good oral and written communications skills and would like to become one of our volunteer reviewers, send an email describing your experience and interests to chuck at kdhx.org. Please include a sample review of something you've seen recently.

Friday, November 28, 2014

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of December 1, 2014

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The Chamber Music Society of St. Louis presents Wind Serenade on Monday and Tuesday, December 1 and 3, at 7:30 PM. "Chamber Music Society of St. Louis presents an updated re-creation of the 18th Century party environment. Music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven." The concert takes place at The Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington. For more information: chambermusicstl.org.

The Jefferson College Concert Band presents a Winter Classics concert on Tuesday, December 2, at 7:30 p.m. The performance takes place in the Fine Arts Theatre at 1000 Viking Drive on the Hillsboro campus in Hillsboro, MO. For more information: jeffco.edu.

The Jefferson College Music Department presents Sounds of the Season, a choral concert, on Sunday, December 7, at 3:30 p.m. The performance takes place in the Fine Arts Theatre at 1000 Viking Drive on the Hillsboro campus in Hillsboro, MO. For more information: jeffco.edu.

The New Music Circle presents The Craig Taborn and Roscoe Mitchell Duo on Friday, December 11, at 7:30 p.m. "An internationally renowned musician, composer and innovator, Roscoe Mitchell began his distinguished career in the spirited 1960s of Chicago. In Mitchell's own opinion, his work is a product of his heritage in the fertile art communities of the AACM (Association for Advancement of Creative Musicians) and The Art Ensemble of Chicago. Both organizations spawned large networks of musicians and inspired radical approaches to performance and musical thought, thus informing his own practice for over five decades. Primarily known for his saxophone playing, Mitchell's multi-instrumental palette also includes various flutes, woodwinds and a broad range of percussion. NYC pianist and ECM recording artist, Craig Taborn, has remained a ubiquitous presence on the jazz scene for the past two decades, performing with jazz musicians and seasoned veterans as well as experimental rock and techno artists. His pianistic approach alludes to the explorations of Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and Cecil Taylor." The performance takes place at The Stage @ KDHX, 3524 Washington in Grand Center. For more information: newmusiccircle.org.

The St. Louis Brass Band presents A Holiday Spectacular on Sunday, November 16, at 2:30 p.m. "This concert will bring a smile to your face and Ho Ho Ho to your lips as the British Brass Band presents holiday and seasonal favorites as only a brass band can. As this concert also falls on December 7th, a portion of this concert will honor the servicemen and servicewomen who have given so much to the freedoms we enjoy. The Band will also be looking forward to their annual visit from that special holiday character from the North Pole." The concert takes place at The Florissant Civic Center, 1 James J. Eagan Drive in Florissant, MO. For more information: stlbb.org.

Steven Jarvi conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra along with violin soloists Jessica Cheng, Angie Smart, Jooyeon Kong, and Alison Harney, on Friday at 10:30 a.m. and 8 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m., December 5-7. The program features Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" along with music by Barber and Wagner. "Drawing inspiration from his everyday surroundings, Vivaldi's Four Seasons evoke the sounds of nature unique among the composer's two hundred violin concertos. Resident Conductor Steven Jarvi makes his subscription debut with Vivaldi's masterwork that puts the soloists—the STL Symphony's own Jessica Cheng, Angie Smart, Jooyeon Kong, Alison Harney—and ensemble on stunning virtuosic display." The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

Saint Louis University's Fine and Performing Arts Music Program presents a holiday concert by the Guitar Ensemble on Wednesday, December 3, at 7:30 p.m. The concert takes place at Boileau Hall, 38 N. Vandeventer Avenue on the St. Louis University campus. For more information: www.slu.edu/department-of-fine-and-performing-arts-home.

Saint Louis University's Fine and Performing Arts Music Program presents a holiday student recital on Friday, December 5, at 5:30 p.m. The concert takes place in Room 348, Xavier Hall, on the St. Louis University campus. For more information: www.slu.edu/department-of-fine-and-performing-arts-home

Saint Louis University's Fine and Performing Arts Music Program presents a holiday String Orchestra concert on Friday, December 5, at 7:30 p.m. The concert takes place in the Xavier Hall Theater, 3733 West Pine, on the St. Louis University campus. For more information: www.slu.edu/department-of-fine-and-performing-arts-home

Saint Louis University's Fine and Performing Arts Music Program presents a holiday concert by the University String Quartets on Sunday, December 7, at 2 p.m. The concert takes place at St. Francis Xavier College Church at the corner of Lindell and Grand on the St. Louis University campus. For more information: www.slu.edu/department-of-fine-and-performing-arts-home

Saint Louis University's Fine and Performing Arts Music Program presents a holiday concert by the University Choirs on Sunday, December 7, at 6 p.m. The concert takes place at St. Francis Xavier College Church at the corner of Lindell and Grand on the St. Louis University campus. For more information: www.slu.edu/department-of-fine-and-performing-arts-home

The Shepley Program of Music and Arts presents A Holiday Gift from Webster University on Sunday, December 7, at 2 PM. "This concert, titled 'A Holiday Gift to the People of Saint Louis' is presented and performed by the Students and Faculty of Webster University." The recital takes place at Christ Church Cathedral, 1210 Locust. Admission is free. For more information: christchurchconcerts.org.

Cardinal String Quartet
The Tavern of Fine Arts presents The Cardinal String Quartet in a program of music by Beethoven and Dvorak on Tuesday, December 2, at 8 PM. The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

The Touhill Performing Arts Center presents a Holiday Concert on Thursday, December 4, at 7:30 PM at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri at St. Louis campus. "Come Join the University Community Chorus, directed by John Smith, the University Orchestra, directed by Dr. Jim Richards, the Arianna String Quartet, and guest choirs, presenting a selection of music for the holiday season." For more information: touhill.org.

The Washington University Symphony presents a free concert on Monday, December 1, at 7:30 p.m. The program will include music by Debussy and Bizet. The performance takes place at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity in University City, MO. For more information: music.wustl.edu.

The 442s
Washington University's Danforth University Chamber Music Series presents The 442s in concert on Tuesday, December 2, at 7:30 p.m. "What happens when you combine two outstanding members of the world-class St. Louis Symphony with two of the city's finest jazz musicians from the Erin Bode Group? You get The 442's, an exciting new acoustic instrumental quartet named for the modern standard tuning of 442 Hz! Brought together by the innovative and inspired compositions of Adam Maness, who also plays guitar, accordion, melodica and glockenspiel in the group, The 442's features Shawn Weil on violin, Bjorn Ranheim on cello and Sydney Rodway on bass. This unique collaboration combines outstanding musicianship, group singing, inventive improvisation, whistle solos and special guest appearances by famed jazz vocalist, Erin Bode. Exploring the boundaries of jazz, classical, folk and rock music, their music can move you to the edge of your seat or comfort you like a lullaby, all within the same set." The concert takes place at the Danforth University Center, 1 Brookings Drive on the Washington University campus. For more information: music.wustl.edu.

The Washington University Department of Music presents a student recital on featuring organist Ethan Schueler on Tuesday, December 2, at 8 p.m. The program includes music by Chopin, Vaughan Williams, Schumann and Beethoven. The performance takes place at Graham Chapel on the Washington University campus. For more information: music.wustl.edu.

The Washington University Department of Music presents a Guitar Gala, featuring students in the university guitar program, on Thursday, December 4, at 8 p.m. The program includes music by Bach, Fernando Sor, and Hindemeth. The performance takes place at Graham Chapel on the Washington University campus. For more information: music.wustl.edu.

The Washington University Department of Music presents the Washington University Flute Choir, Community Flute Choir, and the Clayton High School Flute Choir in a program of works for large flute ensemble. The concert takes place on Sunday, December 7, at 8 p.m. at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity in University City, MO. For more information: For more information: music.wustl.edu.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Symphony Preview: A musical experiement recreated at Powell Hall Thanksgiving weekend

Whiteman in the trailer for the film
"Rhapsody in Blue"
en.wikipedia.org
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"An Experiment in Modern Music" was how bandleader Paul Whiteman billed the February 12, 1924 concert by his Palais Royal Orchestra at New York's Aeolian Hall. This weekend at Powell Hall, the St. Louis Symphony will recapture some of the excitement attendant on that legendary program.

The most memorable piece to emerge from Whiteman's experiment is, of course, Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" (although I have a fondness for the piece that preceded it: an arrangement of Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1" complete with plunking banjo). Until 1971, though, most people who heard the work weren't hearing what the New York audience heard in 1924. That's because it was Samuel Adler's 1971 recording that reconstructed the original Whiteman jazz band arrangement (by composer Ferde Grofe of "Grand Canyon Suite" fame) using parts from the original score. Before then, the "Rhapsody" was always heard in what conductor Maurice Peress (in the notes for his 1986 recreation of the Aeolian Hall concert for the Musicmasters label) calls the "Hollywood version" for symphony orchestra.

He (and I) grew up with that version—as have most classical music fans of a certain age. Hearing a reconstruction of the original, as you will this weekend at Powell, will probably come as something of a revelation. It certainly did to me when I first played that Adler disc. The jazz band version has a kind of snap and flash that the full orchestra can't seem to match, no matter how skilled the musicians.

The soloist for the Gershwin has a fair amount of snap and flash himself. It's Kirill Gerstein, who gave us a surprisingly lyrical Tchaikovsky 1st last September and a bravura performance of British composer Thomas Adès's “In Seven Days" two years ago. A Gilmore Artist Award winner, Mr. Gerstein has shown himself to be equally at home with both Romantic classics and new music—some of which he has commissioned himself.

Bernstein in 1955
en.wikipedia.org
The other big familiar work on the program is Bernstein's "Symphonic Dances from West Side Story," an orchestral suite assembled from the score for the 1957 musical by Bernstein in 1960. The orchestration by TV and film veterans Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal is irresistibly colorful and the piece as a whole does a nice job of distilling the essence of the play down into a nine-movement set lasting just over 20 minutes.

There are two local premieres on the program this weekend as well: "Hell's Angels" (written in 1999 by Michael Daugherty) and "Try" (written in 2011 by Andrew Norman).

Symphony program annotator Michael Durchholz describes the former as "a roaring, chaotic mini-concerto based on the titular outlaw biker gang" which "substitutes long, tubular bassoons for the unmuffled drag-pipes of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, creating a commotion sure to upset the neighborhood. Somebody call the authorities!" The composer himself says it's “the musical tale of a gang of hot-rodding motorcycling bassoonists who ride into town and take over a concert hall.” Appearing in the roles of the biker gang are SLSO bassoonists Andrew Cuneo, Andrew Gott, and Felicia Foland, along with contrabassoonist Gregg Henegar. Mr. Cuneo is the Principal Bassoon, so presumably he gets the "black leather jacket with the eagle on the back" (to quote a famous Leiber and Stoller lyric).

Andrew Norman
andrewnormanmusic.com
"Try," on the other hand, is less aggressive. In his notes on the piece, composer Norman says the music is at lot like him. "It's messy, and fragmented," he writes, "and it certainly doesn't get things right on the first try. It does things over and over, trying them out in as many different ways as it can. It circles back on itself again and again in search of any idea that will stick, that will lead it forward to something new. And, at long last, after ten minutes of increasingly frantic trying, it finds one small, unlikely bit of musical material it likes enough to repeat and polish and hone until it finally (fingers crossed) gets it right."

Scored for solo piano and chamber ensemble (string quintet plus winds), "Try" will segue directly into "Rhapsody in Blue." Which makes more sense than you might think since Gershwin, like Norman, was still trying a lot of things out when he wrote the "Rhapsody." Indeed, at the February 12 premiere Gershwin—who was also the soloist—hadn't quite decided when he wanted the band to enter, so the piano part wasn't actually written down. When he wanted the band to play, he just nodded to Whiteman.

A final bonus with these concerts is that the music will be accompanied by a light show created by artist S. Katy tucker, known for her design work at (among other venues) Carnegie Hall, the San Francisco Opera, and the Sydney Symphony (where Mr. Robertson is Artistic Director and Chief Conductor). Far out.

The essentials: David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra along with Kirill Gerstein, piano; bassoonists Andrew Cuneo, Andrew Gott, and Felicia Foland; and Gregg Henegar, contrabassonon; Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., November 28-30. The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org. The Saturday performance will be broadcast on St. Louis Public Radio at 90.7 FM, HD 1, and web streaming.

Chuck's St. Louis theatre choices for the weekend of November 28, 2014

As always, the choices are purely my personal opinion. Take with a grain (or a shaker) of salt.

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New This Week:

Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre presents Trey Parker's Cannibal the Musical November 28 - December 6. "Created in the style of the 1950's movie musical Oklahoma!, Cannibal follows the life of Alferd Packer, the man who lead an ill-fated party of men to Colorado Territory during the winter of 1873-74. Alferd was the lone survivor of this trip and was later put on trial for murdering and eating his party. Along the journey to Colorado Territory, Packer loses his beloved horse, Liane, and encounters trappers, snowmen, ninjas, sheep, Indians, aliens and a cyclops, all in an effort to find her." Performances take place at the Ivory Theatre, 7622 Michigan. For more information: cannibal-stl.com.

My take: Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre, the illegitimate love-child of St. Louis Shakespeare, is known mostly for concocting its own scripts from pop culture detritus like the films of Ed Wood and superhero cartoons. Producing an actual book musical—by Trey Parker of South Park and Book of Mormon fame, no less—is an unusual step for them, even if it is the same one they took back in 2011. Reviewing the original production, stltoday.com's Gabe Hartwig described it as "hilarious." "'Cannibal!' is full of inside jokes, profanity and toilet humor. If you enjoy 'South Park,' you'll be right at home." And what better way to celebrate Thanksgiving, I ask you?

The "Ghost Brothers" gang
Peabody Opera House presents the musical The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County on Saturday, November 29, at 8 p.m. "Written by Stephen King, with Music and Lyrics by John Mellencamp, and Musical Direction by T-Bone Burnett, this extraordinary collaboration, 13 years in the making, is a haunting tale of fraternal love, lust, jealousy and revenge, performed by an ensemble cast of 15 actors and a four-piece live band, comprised of members of John Mellencamp's band. The staging of Ghost Brothers is an amalgam of different styles - both old fashioned, resembling an old-style radio show, and yet, modern and unique in its interactive use of storytelling, music and singing to move the macabre Ghost Brothers story forward." For more information, visit peabodyoperahouse.com or call 314-622-5420.

My take: I'll confess that I haven't seen this and, because of time constraints, almost certainly won't. But the combination of talents behind this make it impossible not to recommend. I mean: a Stephen King musical? How can you resist that? Besides, most local theatre is taking the Thanksgiving weekend off.

Held Over:

Mustard Seed Theatre presents the acappella musical All is Calm Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 and 5 PM through December 14. "Join us in celebrating the power of peace in this acapella musical based on the true story of soldiers during World War I who for one night, put down their arms and played soccer instead of exchanging bullets." Performances take place at the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre, 6800 Wydown Blvd. For more information, call (314) 719-8060 or visit the web site at www.mustardseedtheatre.com.

My take: This show is apparently going to be a holiday tradition at Mustard Seed, and with good reason. The story of the remarkable holiday truce that spontaneously interrupted the insanity of World War I remains an inspiring reminder of what happens when ordinary people ignore the manipulations of their leadership and allow their basic decency to take control of their actions. The lesson for contemporary politics is clear.

"Motown, the Musical"
The Fox Theatre presents Motown, the Musical Tuesdays through Sundays through November 30. "It began as one man's story... became everyone's music... and is now Broadway's musical. MOTOWN The Musical is the true American dream story of Motown founder Berry Gordy's journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and many more. Motown shattered barriers, shaped our lives and made us all move to the same beat. Featuring classic songs such as "My Girl" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," experience the story behind the music in the record-breaking smash hit MOTOWN The Musical!" The Fox Theatre is at 517 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, visit the web site.

My take: As Amy Burger writes in her review for KDHX, this show is a must see for fans of the record label that brought the national spotlight to so many great black performers: Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations; the list just goes on and on. There's also a more serious reason to see this show, though. "At various points," writes Ms. Burder, "it seemed serendipitous that this particular show should be running at this time in this city. The racial themes and moments reflecting both Motown's and the nation's history felt searingly real and meaningful in light of current racial tensions in St. Louis. To that effect, those scenes were much more impactful than they might be playing to a different city."

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Casual Friday: "Music you Know" with the St. Louis Symphony

David Robertson
Who: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
What: Music You Know
When: Friday, November 21, 2014
Where: Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis

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The title of Friday's St. Louis Symphony concert said it all: "Music you Know." Presented by The Whittaker Foundation, the evening probably was, for the many of those in attendance, something of a reunion with old friends.

Like many such reunions, it was a relatively informal gathering. Many of the audience members were dressed more casually than is usually the case and drinks were allowed in the auditorium. Traditional concert etiquette was relaxed—applauding between movements was OK, and conductor David Robertson even brushed off the almost comic outbreak of coughing that marred a particularly impassioned performance of "Ase's Death" (from Grieg's "Peer Gynt" suite) with a few witty asides.

Printed program notes were minimal as well. SLSO blogger Eddie Silva provided a page of "fun facts" about the popular pieces on the bill, but most of the information about the music came from Mr. Robertson's spoken commentary. Mr. Robertson is an engaging speaker, but in this case most of his remarks ran far too long, so it sometimes felt as though he were simply killing time. Extensive stage resets after each piece also tended to slow down the overall pace of the evening. Normally, SLSO concerts flow more smoothly.

Dana Edson Myers
Still, the essentials were in place. Performances of concert standards like the Mussorgsky/Rimsky-Korsakov "Night on Bald Mountain" and Tchaikovsky's "Marche Slave" were wonderfully precise, crisp, and passionate. The selections from the "Peer Gynt" incidental music had a lovely transparency and grace. There were a few moments of sloppiness in the excerpts from Copland's "Rodeo" ballet (including an uncharacteristic lapse by Concertmaster David Halen) but on the whole the orchestra did justice to this quintessentially American classic.

The two works for violin and orchestra came off well. Dana Edson Myers, of the orchestra's first violin section, gave a deeply felt "Meditation" from Jules Massenet's "Thais" and Becky Boyer Hall (of the second violins) burned up the stage with the world premiere of "Beinn na Caillich (Hill of the Old Woman), Fantasia for a Fiddler" by the SLSO violist Christian Woehr. Based in part on the traditional Scots song "Over the Sea to Skye," the piece vividly depicts the wild Scottish seacoast (complete with wind machine) and comes to a flashy virtuosic finish.

Becky Boyer Hall
"Music you Know" was clearly pitched primarily to people who don't attend the symphony on a regular basis, presumably in hopes of enticing them to attend regular season concerts. That weekend's Saturday and Sunday concerts, with Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde," got a particularly hard sell. I hope it worked. With over 2200 people in attendance, the hall was nearly full. I'd love to see that kind of turnout on a regular basis.

Next at Powell Hall: Mr. Robertson conducts an all-American program featuring the original jazz band version of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," Bernstein's "Symphonic Dances from West Side Story," and two local premieres: "Hell's Angels" by Michael Daugherty and "Try" by Andrew Norman. Kirill Gerstein is soloist for both the Norman and Gershwin works, while nearly all of the SLSO bassoon section is featured in "Hell's Angels." Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., November 28-30. For more information, visit the symphony web site.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Cabaret Review: Chris Limber and friends jive and wail with "Riffs in a Set of 10"

Chris Limber
Who: Chris Limber and Friends
What: Riffs in a Set of 10
Where: The Gaslight Cabaret Festival at The Gaslight Theatre, St. Louis, MO
When: October 20, 2014

I first saw veteran St. Louis actor/director Chris Limber's loving and literate tribute to the hipster attitude of the "Beat Generation" last summer at the St. Lou Fringe Festival. At the time I was pretty much blown away by the way this ingenious hybrid jazz/cabaret act knitted together big band and Great American Songbook classics from the 20s through the 40s with Mr. Limber's original image-rich poetic soliloquies that sounded like they would have been right at home coming from a skinny guy with a goatee, black turtleneck, and shades in an underground coffeehouse circa 1958.

The expanded version (around 16 songs instead of the original 10 that gave the show its name) was unveiled at the Gaslight Theatre on Thursday and, Daddy, it was cool. A masterful cast-iron blast from the past, Jackson. Debonair was in the air everywhere, dig?

The songs covered a wide range, from hits like "Basin Street Blues," The Joint is Jumpin'," and "How High the Moon" (with new and gently satirical lyrics), to lesser-known novelties like "Frim Fram Sauce," which was introduced by Nat "King" Cole back in the '40s. That famously chilling song about lynching, "Strange Fruit" (recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939), was essentially tragic relief in a show dominated by a mood of spirited playfulness.

Those numbers are still here and still solid. They're joined by the likes of the Milton Ager/Jack Yellen novelty "Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)"—recorded by everybody from Billy Murray to Van Halen since its 1924 debut and given a martini-dry delivery here by bassist Dave Torretta. The wonderful scat interlude from the original show is also still here, as is the droll encore, "Jeepers Creepers," a Harry Warren/Johnny Mercer jazz standard from 1938.

Michelle Isam
As he did last summer, Mr. Limber has surrounded himself with other fine musicians for this show. I have already mentioned Mr. Torretta. Also on hand was Michelle Isam on sax and virtuoso jazz vocals. In fact, the musical side of the show was pretty much under Ms. Isam's control. She was giving the downbeats and generally controlling the musical flow. Good choice; Ms. Isam's musical credentials are impeccable.

The always-reliable Joe Dreyer was at the piano. That was also a good choice; he's an accomplished music director with a real feel for jazz. Rounding out this incredibly talented combo was Rose Fisher, whose supple and fluid vocals added so much to the proceedings. She's definitely someone I'd like to see more of on the local cabaret scene.

I don't know what's next for the latest incarnation of "Riffs". Perhaps a run at the newly remodeled Jazz Bistro is in order. "Riffs" is, perhaps, just a little too self-contained to really work as cabaret. To me it ultimately felt more like a jazz act, so I think it might be very much at home either at the Bistro or at the Sheldon Concert Hall. It certainly deserves more than the one appearance it has made so far and cries out for a larger audience.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of November 24, 2014

Jitro
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis presents a holiday concert with Jitro, the Czech Girls Choir, on Monday, November 24, at 8 PM.  "Jitro, meaning “daybreak” in Czech, and based in Hradec Kralove, a town in the Czech Republic, is an organization of 500 girls in seven preparatory ensembles, of which only the best 25-50 qualify to tour. For 35 years they have been admired all over the world for their tone, intonation, and rich blend of sound and energetic vitality. Jitro performs in over 100 concerts annually in the world’s most prestigious concert halls and are committed to inspiring audiences with music performed at the highest level. Jitro has become a new favorite of St. Louis audiences, making their third appearance at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis but their first holiday performance."  The Cathedral is at 4431 Lindell in the Central West End.  For more information: cathedralconcerts.org.

The Confluence Chamber Orchestra
presents a free Holiday Concert on Saturday, November 29, at noon at the Old Courthouse at 4th and Market on the riverfront. " Under the direction of William Bauer, the 21-piece orchestra’s mission is to encourage lifetime enjoyment of playing string instruments and sharing it with others. The group’s players range in age from 18 to 94."  For more information: confluencechamberorchestra.org.

The 442s
The Kranzberg Arts Center presents The 442s on Wednesday, November 26, at 7:00 p.m.  "What happens when you combine two outstanding members of the world-class St. Louis Symphony with two of the city’s finest jazz musicians from the Erin Bode Group? You get The 442′s, an exciting new acoustic instrumental quartet named for the modern standard tuning of 442 Hz! Brought together by the innovative and inspired compositions of Adam Maness, who also plays guitar, accordion, melodica and glockenspiel in the group, The 442′s features Shawn Weil on violin, Bjorn Ranheim on cello and Sydney Rodway on bass. This unique collaboration, formed in the spring of 2012 by a tight-knit group whose love of good food and fine beer makes rehearsals feel like dinner parties, combines outstanding musicianship, group singing, inventive improvisation, whistle solos and special guest appearances by famed jazz vocalist, Erin Bode."  The Kranzberg Center is at the corner of Grand and Olive in Grand Center.  For more information: www.the442s.com.

David Robertson
David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra along with Kirill Gerstein, piano; bassoonists Andrew Cuneo, Andrew Gott, and Felicia Foland; and Gregg Henegar, contrabassonon; Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., November 28-30.  "Since its debut in the Roaring Twenties, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue has thrilled audiences with its reflection of the excitement and energy of New York City.  Kirill Gerstein and the STL Symphony will take you on a ride from its lively opening through the romantic dance of the work’s main theme.  With additional toe-tapping music from Bernstein, David Robertson conducts this American program enhanced by innovative lighting projection by renowned artist S. Katy Tucker. This production features video and lighting elements by S. Katy Tucker, a reknowned artist known for her design work at Carnegie Hall, the San Francisco Opera, Sydney Symphony and more." The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center.  For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The Society for Creative Survival presents Triple Threat, a concert by The Vernacular String Quartet, Nexus, and Creative Delusions, on Tuesday, November 25, at 7:30 p.m.. The performances takes place at  Tavern of Fine Arts, 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood.  For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of November 24, 2014

[Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.]

For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's events web site.

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Mustard Seed Theatre presents the a cappella musical All is Calm Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 and 5 PM through December 14. “Join us in celebrating the power of peace in this a cappella musical based on the true story of soldiers during World War I who for one night, put down their arms and played soccer instead of exchanging bullets.” Performances take place at the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre, 6800 Wydown Blvd. For more information, call (314) 719-8060 or visit the web site at www.mustardseedtheatre.com.

Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre presents Trey Parker's Cannibal the Musical November 28 - December 6. "Created in the style of the 1950’s movie musical Oklahoma!, Cannibal follows the life of Alferd Packer, the man who lead an ill-fated party of men to Colorado Territory during the winter of 1873-74. Alferd was the lone survivor of this trip and was later put on trial for murdering and eating his party. Along the journey to Colorado Territory, Packer loses his beloved horse, Liane, and encounters trappers, snowmen, ninjas, sheep, Indians, aliens and a cyclops, all in an effort to find her." Performances take place at the Ivory Theatre, 7622 Michigan. For more information: cannibal-stl.com.

The St. Louis Family Theatre Series presents Click, Clack, Moo, Cows that Type November 28 and 29 at 2 p.m. ""Cows that type? Hens on strike! Whoever heard of such a thing!" Farmer Brown cries. When his granddaughter Jenny comes for a visit, Farmer Brown declared the farm a "tech-free zone." He confiscates her laptop in the cold barn along with the shivering cows who use her computer to type messages requesting blankets. “No way," replies Farmer Brown. "No blankets!” So the cows go on strike and the chickens join them in solidarity. No blankets: no milk, no eggs! Will Farmer Brown give in to the animals' demands? Will Jenny get her computer back? Find out in a hilariously "mooooo-ving" new musical about negotiation and compromise, Based on the Caldecott Honor book by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin." Performances take place at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre at Parker and Waterford in Florissant, MO. For more information, call 314-921-5678 or visit www.florissantmo.com.

Peabody Opera House presents the musical The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County on Saturday, November 29, at 8 p.m. "Written by Stephen King, with Music & Lyrics by John Mellencamp, and Musical Direction by T-Bone Burnett, this extraordinary collaboration, 13 years in the making, is a haunting tale of fraternal love, lust, jealousy and revenge, performed by an ensemble cast of 15 actors and a four-piece live band, comprised of members of John Mellencamp's band. The staging of Ghost Brothers is an amalgam of different styles - both old fashioned, resembling an old-style radio show, and yet, modern and unique in its interactive use of storytelling, music and singing to move the macabre Ghost Brothers story forward." For more information, visit peabodyoperahouse.com or call 314-622-5420.

Brass Rail Players present the solo stage adaptation of It's a Wonderful Life Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and and Sunday at 2 p.m., November 28 and 29. The performances take place at The Turkey Hill Grange, 1375 Illinois Rte. 15 in Belleville, IL. For more information, visit brassrailplayers.org.

The Fox Theatre presents Motown, the Musical Tuesdays through Sundays through November 30. "It began as one man's story... became everyone's music... and is now Broadway's musical. MOTOWN The Musical is the true American dream story of Motown founder Berry Gordy’s journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and many more. Motown shattered barriers, shaped our lives and made us all move to the same beat. Featuring classic songs such as “My Girl” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” experience the story behind the music in the record-breaking smash hit MOTOWN The Musical!" The Fox Theatre is at 517 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, visit the web site. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Murder on 34th Street through December. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com

The Black Rep presents Lorraine Hansberry's drama A Raisin in the Sun November 28-December 21. Performances take place at the Emerson Performance Center at Harris-Stowe State University in midtown. For more information: theblackrep.org

Would you like to be on the radio? KDHX, 88.1 FM needs theatre reviewers. If you're 18 years or older, knowledgeable in this area, have practical theatre experience (acting, directing, writing, technical design, etc.), have good oral and written communications skills and would like to become one of our volunteer reviewers, send an email describing your experience and interests to chuck at kdhx.org. Please include a sample review of something you've seen recently.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Symphony Preview: Sounds of joy and despair at Powell Hall Saturday and Sunday, November 22 and 23

There are only two pieces on the program this Saturday and Sunday at the symphony, and even though they were written less than 60 years apart, the contrast between them is so stark that they might as well be from different worlds.

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Schumann in 1850
en.wikipedia.org
The concerts open with Robert Schumann's "Cello Concerto in A minor," op. 129. It dates from 1850, which SLSO program annotator Paul Schiavo describes as "a watershed year" for the composer. "His 40th birthday was celebrated with a concert organized by his admirers," writes Mr. Schiavo, "and after what seemed an interminable series of delays his only opera, Genoveva, was finally produced in Leipzig. At about the same time, the composer accepted the directorship of the municipal orchestra and chorus in Düsseldorf and in September moved with his family to that city on the Rhine. The Duüsseldorf appointment represented a significant professional advance for Schumann, and he was cheered at the prospect of finally gaining some measure of the recognition which had thus far eluded him."

Schumann's joy would be short lived—he would try to commit suicide three and a half years later by throwing himself into the Rhine—but for time being the composer was on top of the world, resulting in music that was, in the words of the late British musicologist Eric Sams, "as secure and buoyant as the Rhine itself, with hardly a hint of the dark chill depths to come."

That said, the concerto wasn't all that well received, despite the skill evident in its composition. As with the earlier piano concerto, Schumann disdained the kind of flashy virtuoso writing that typified concertos in the mid-19th century (Liszt and company were very much in fashion). Worse yet, he disapproved of the applause between movements (which was commonplace at the time), so the three sections of the concerto follow each other without pause. Schumann didn't even call it a concerto originally; the autograph score describes it as a Konzertstück (concert piece) rather than Konzert (concerto). Clara Schumann loved the work, but the composer himself seems to have had doubts, not even sending to his publishers until 1854. It wasn't performed publicly until 1860, almost four years after the composer's death.

The lack of obvious fireworks in the cello part doesn't mean that this piece is easy to perform, though. Quite the opposite: it requires for a combination of technical facility and artistic sensitivity that asks a lot from the soloist. As cellist Jan Vogler noted in a 2012 interview, although he had already performed the concerto over 60 times, he was just getting "to the point where he can see the light."

The soloist this weekend, Principal Cello Daniel Lee, certainly looks like the right man for the job. As I wrote in my April 2012 review of his performance of the Dvorak concerto (which, like the Schumann, requires nimble hands and a warm heart), Mr. Lee combines technical proficiency with an emotional openness that allows him to be completely within the moment at every point in the music.

Mahler in 1907
Photo: Moritz Nähr
en.wikipedia.org
If Schumann's concerto comes from a high point in his life, Mahler's "Das Lied on der Erde" ("The Song of the Earth") comes from a low point in his. When Mahler bean work on the piece in the summer of 1907, his eldest daughter has just died of scarlet fever at the age of four and the composer himself had just been diagnosed with the heart condition that would lead to his demise four years later. Suddenly death—which had always been a theme in Mahler's music—became very personal.

Scored for large orchestra and two singers (typically tenor and mezzo-soprano, although Mahler allows for the substitution of a baritone in the second, fourth, and sixth songs), "Das Lied" is essentially a vocal symphony that takes its texts from Hans Bethge's "The Chinese Flute," a German-language re-write of English, French and German translations of some ancient Chinese poems. Further edited and re-written by Mahler, the lyrics contemplate a variety of aspects of life and death. "Every mood," writes Tony Duggan at musicweb-international.com "from cynical and drunken hedonism to serene and Zen-like stasis gets covered in the course of the hour this work takes. At the end, the message is that, since the beauties and mysteries of the earth renew themselves year after year, our own passing should not be feared but accepted calmly and without rancour. The earth, the world and nature goes on without us."

Too true. In particular, the last movement—"Das Abschied" ("The Farewell")—is possibly one of the most emotionally powerful things you will ever encounter in a concert hall. In it, the narrator's farewell to a friend becomes a farewell to life itself: "Die liebe Erde allüberall Blüht auf im Lenz und grünt aufs neu! Allüberall und ewig blauen licht die Fernen! Ewig... ewig..." ("Everywhere the good earth blossoms in spring and turns green once again! Everywhere and forever, distant spaces shine their blue light! Forever...forever..."). "The music of this closing movement," writes Mr. Schiavo "is...by turns heartbroken and serene, and this remarkable dualism persists even in the unresolved sixth—the most gentle of dissonances—which colors its final chord."

This weekend's soloists, Susan Graham and Paul Graves, have impressive but very different resumes. Ms. Graham's is heavily tilted towards opera while Mr. Graves appears to have substantial oratorio and concert experience. That should make for a nice balance in a work that straddles the concert and opera stages. Although he never wrote an opera, Mahler was a composer with an infallible sense for the dramatic.

The essentials: David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra along with mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, tenor Paul Groves, and cellist Daniel Lee in Schumann's "Cello Concerto" and Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde" on Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., November 22 and 23. The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org. The Saturday concert will be broadcast live on St. Louis public radio at 90.7 FM, HD 1, and via the station web site.

Chuck's St. Louis theatre choices for the weeend of November 20, 2014

As always, the choices are purely my personal opinion. Take with a grain (or a shaker) of salt.

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New This Week:

The Presenters Dolan present Christopher Limber: Riffs in a Set of 10 on Thursday, November 20, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Riffs in a Set of 10" is a hip and hot blend of Jazz and poetic interludes recalling the sizzling after-midnight club scene of the 1940's. Homage and affection is paid in joyous, tuneful reflections of the greats: Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Mel Torme, Duke Ellington and Billy Holiday among others. Rhythmical illusion comes alive, setting the scene for 10 classic Jazz numbers rendered faithfully by an ensemble of musicians and St. Louis Cabaret favorites. Featuring Rose Fischer,Michele Isam, Joe Dreyer and David Torretta." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information, visit the web site.

My take: I saw the earlier and shorter version of this at the St. Lou Fringe Festival this past summer and was impressed, to say the least. it was a polished and sophisticated bit of entertainment back then. The intervening months are likely to have made it even more so.

The Presenters Dolan present Lara Teeter: Lucky to Be Me on Saturday, November 22, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. " Join Lara Teeter as he reprises his sold out show (after taking taking it to NY's 54 Below from its debut in St. Louis last spring), in which he shares his journey as artist, teacher, husband and dad. Claimed by both our town and Broadway (a Tony Nominee) as one of its own, Lara Teeter shows us just how fresh the songbook is in a master song and dance man's hands. And feet." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information, visit the web site.

My take: I caught the world premiere of this show last summer at the Gaslight. Back then I described it as "high-energy entertainment from a veteran of the musical theatre stage both in the Big Apple and here in St. Louis." Since then it has been to NYC and back, so expect great things.

Mariposa Artists presents Robert Breig in Making Evert Moment Count: The Music of Peter Allen on Friday, November 21, at 8 p.m. The show is directed by Lina Koutrakos and features Rick Jensen on piano. " After two sold-out performances, Robert Breig is delighted to bring back "Making Every Moment Count - The Music of Peter Allen" on Friday, November 21st 8PM at The Kranzberg Arts Center. And with Rick Jensen as music director and arranger of songs, this show gives us more than just a glimpse of Peter Allen's life in story and song....to Oz and beyond!" The performance takes place at the Kranzberg Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: brownpapertickets.com.

My take: Robert is a very open and engaging personality on stage with a smooth, seamless voice that is a good match for Mr. Allen's music. The fact that he's supported here by cabaret powerhouses like Koutrakos and Jensen (both powerful and fiercely talented performers in their own right) is icing on the cake.

The Presenters Dolan present Meghan Kirk: The Story Goes On on Friday, November 21, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "The beautifully talented Meghan Kirk has recently moved back to St. Louis from Los Angeles, where she performed regularly at The Gardenia. Her new show, crafted for this performance, is about the songs that have followed her throughout her life. Did you ever have a song pop into your head at a pivotal moment? A song that provided direction, that answered a question? That helped get you through? A song that you might not have thought about for years? These are the songs that make up your life soundtrack." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information, visit the web site.

My take: In my capacity as the host/producer of The Cabaert Project's monthly open mic night, I've had a chance to see Ms. Kirk in action many times and have always enjoyed her work. She's polished, poised, and yet open and engaging. Should be a good show.

The Fox Theatre presents Motown, the Musical Tuesdays through Sundays, November 18-30. "It began as one man's story... became everyone's music... and is now Broadway's musical. MOTOWN The Musical is the true American dream story of Motown founder Berry Gordy’s journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and many more. Motown shattered barriers, shaped our lives and made us all move to the same beat. Featuring classic songs such as “My Girl” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” experience the story behind the music in the record-breaking smash hit MOTOWN The Musical!" The Fox Theatre is at 517 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, visit the web site.

My take: As Amy Burger writes in her review for KDHX, this show is a must see for fans of the record label that brought the national spotlight to so many great black performers: Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations; the list just goes on and on. There's also a more serious reason to see this show, though. "At various points," writes Ms. Burder, "it seemed serendipitous that this particular show should be running at this time in this city. The racial themes and moments reflecting both Motown's and the nation's history felt searingly real and meaningful in light of current racial tensions in St. Louis. To that effect, those scenes were much more impactful than they might be playing to a different city."

Mariposa Artists presents Beverly Brennan in A Night With Day on Saturday, November 22, at 8 p.m. The show is directed by Lina Koutrakos and features Rick Jensen on piano. "Beverly Brennan is back on her sentimental journey in "A Night With Day" on Saturday, November 22nd 8 PM, paying tribute to one of her idols, the incomparable Doris Day. The show will feature songs from Doris Day's big band days, her movies and musicals, and her amazing recording career. Bev will also share stories about Doris's life, which has been far from a bed of daisies! With Rick Jensen at the piano - it's magic!" The performance takes place at the Kranzberg Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: brownpapertickets.com.

My take: Ms. Brennan is a local treasure and she's teamed here with one of the great cabaret music directors, Rick Jensen. And that, as her dad (legendary sportscaster Jack Buck) might say, is a winner.

Held Over:

Mustard Seed Theatre presents the a cappella musical All is Calm Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 and 5 PM, November 14-December 14. “Join us in celebrating the power of peace in this acapella musical based on the true story of soldiers during World War I who for one night, put down their arms and played soccer instead of exchanging bullets.” Performances take place at the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre, 6800 Wydown Blvd. For more information, call (314) 719-8060 or visit the web site at www.mustardseedtheatre.com.

My take: This show is apparently going to be a holiday tradition at Mustard Seed, and with good reason. The story of the remarkable holiday truce that spontaneously interrupted the insanity of World War I remains an inspiring reminder of what happens when ordinary people ignore the manipulations of their leadership and allow their basic decency to take control of their actions. The lesson for contemporary politics is clear.

Photo: John Lamb
The West End Players Guild continues their 104th season with Boom Town Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, November 14-23. There will also be a show on Thursday, November 20, at 8 PM. “From the prolific pen of movie and TV star Jeff Daniels, author of more than a dozen plays, comes Boom Town. Angela Tompkins has a husband, a failing convenience store and a dream of running off to Chicago with her lover, the local banker. In an explosive story that mixes small-town politics, love and betrayal, Angela must face reality when her husband discovers the truth.” Performances take place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 North Union at Enright in the Central West End. For more information, call 314-367-0025 or visit www.westendplayers.org.

My take: Daniels has proven to be a prolific and gifted playwright, with an impressive ability to create characters and situations that grab and hold your interest. Full disclosure: I'm on West End's board of directors and play reading committee, which vetted this script for the company.