Symphony Review: The winds are favorable in the SLSO's program of serenades by Strauss and Mozart

We had our share of rain here last weekend (April 30 – May 2), but inside Powell Symphony Hall the forecast was consistently sunny and breezy as Stéphane Denève and members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) winds performed a thoroughly engaging pair of serenades by Mozart and Richard Strauss.

[Find out more about the music with my symphony preview.]

In a reversal of the usual musical cliché, the Strauss Serenade for Winds in E-flat major, op. 7 that opened the concert Saturday night is the short and pithy one, while Mozart's Serenade No. 10 in B-flat major, K. 361 (370a) is the symphony-length work with seven entrancing movements. Both got exceptionally well-crafted performances by Maestro Denève and his musicians, beginning with a pleasant trip through Strauss’s musical terrain.

Stéphane Denève conducts the Strauss Serenade, Op. 7

Written when the composer was a lad of 17 who had yet to graduate from high school, the Op. 7 serenade has often been called a surprisingly mature-sounding work. Presumably that’s a reflection of the mood of quiet contemplation that can be heard in some of the composer’s much later work. Scored for a 13- member ensemble (three pairs of flutes, oboes, clarinets, and bassoons, four horns, and either contrabassoon or double bass) the work got a warm and welcoming treatment from Mr. Denève that neatly balanced the calm outer sections with the more stormy B-minor interlude in the middle.

It’s as if a serene sunset were briefly interrupted by a sudden squall that subsides into a euphonious horn chorale before returning to the more contemplative mood of the opening. Principal Horn Roger Kaza and his fellow players Julie Thayer, Tod Bowermaster, and Victoria Knudtson truly distinguished themselves here and in the Mozart that followed.

Speaking of which: Mozart was only a few years older than Strauss when he wrote the Serenade No. 10. The composition date is a bit obscured by the fog of history, but it probably dates from around 1781—almost exactly a century before the Strauss serenade. Equally obscure is the nickname the work has picked up over the centuries, “Gran Partita” (literally “Large Suite”). Someone other than Mozart scribbled it on the manuscript, and it has clung, like a stubborn barnacle, over the years.

It not hard to understand why, though. At around 45-50 minutes and boasting a 13-piece orchestra (like Strauss’s serenade, but with two basset horns instead of flutes) the piece is over twice the size of the conventional aristocratic garden party wind band of the late 18th century. Everything about it is, for its time, larger than life, from the opening Largo—Allegro molto that feels more like an opera overture, to the theme and virtuoso variations of the sixth movement and the high-stepping Finale seventh movement.

Mr. Denève’s interpretation was appropriately grand and expansive without ever getting within even hailing distance of stodgy. The first Menuetto was dignified and graceful—aristos gliding in the garden—with a bubbly, bucolic trio featuring Scott Andrews and Tzuying Huang on clarinets and Ryan Toher and Jane Carl on the larger and lower-pitched basset horns. The second Menuetto got a good-humored treatment that suggested the servants dancing in the cellar—more openly jolly with a Ländler trio that brings in a bit of brisk Tyrolean air.

Anyone who has seen Peter Shaffer’s play "Amadeus" in any of its multiple stage revisions or its 1984 film adaptation will recognize the exquisite Adagio third movement as the music whose beauty drives poor Salieri to distraction. Here in the real world, Erik Smith has called the Adagio “the loveliest of all movements written for wind instruments.” It was easy to believe both, given the lovely treatment of this music by oboists Xiomara Mass and Cally Banham (usually heard on English horn), along with Mr. Andrews, Ms. Huang, Mr. Toher, and Ms. Carl.

The Thema mit Variationen gave everyone a chance to show off a bit, including bassoonists Andy Gott and Felicia Foland, along with the redoubtable Erik Harris providing a solid foundation on double bass, just as he did in the Strauss. Mr. Denève followed that attacca (without pause) with a frolicsome Finale (to steal a phrase from Benjamin Britten) that brought everything to a happy conclusion. To quote Caitlin Custer’s program notes on that last movement: “Serve the coffee, gather the coats, get the guests on their way!”

Next at Powell Hall: Stéphane Denève returns to conduct a program of music that “connects with our inner child,” featuring Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf,” Stravinsky’s “Pulcinella” ballet suite, and settings of Czech poet Adolf Heyduk’s “Songs My Mother Taught Me” by Antonín Dvořák and Charles Ives, as arranged by contemporary American violinist/composer Michi Wiancko. Performances are Friday at 11:30 am, Saturday at 7:30 pm, and Sunday at 3 pm, May 7-9. Only 300 tickets will be sold for each performance, and strict health protocols will be in place. For more information, visit the SLSO web site.

Meanwhile, the SLSO’s digital concert series continues with on-demand performances of “The Heart of the Matter,” through May 8; and a concert from last fall’s chamber music series featuring works by Debussy, Ravel, and the mightily underrated Germaine Tailleferre through May 22.

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Symphony Preview: Moonlight serenades

It has been quite an active spring for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) string section, with a series of both live and on-demand concerts showcasing what Music Director Stéphane Denève has called the “heart of the orchestra.” In the concerts Maestro Denève will conduct this weekend (April 30 through May 3), though, it’s the SLSO winds who will be in the spotlight with a pair of works by Mozart and Richard Strauss.

Richard Strauss, age 24

“This program of wind music,” observes Mr. Denève in the SLSO program notes “is all about opportunity. For Mozart, it was the opportunity to try out a new ensemble and a new sound. For Strauss, this piece was a big break, an opportunity that led to performances by a major court orchestra and a commission from Hans von Bülow, a leading conductor of the day.”

“A big break” is putting it mildly. The Strauss work that opens the concerts is the Serenade for Winds in E-flat major, op. 7. Completed in 1881 when the composer was a mere lad of 17, it’s generally regarded as a remarkably mature-sounding piece for someone who had yet to take his high school final exams. It sat around for a year while Strauss started (with minimal enthusiasm) his university education, but it finally got a premiere on November 27, 1882, by the Dresden Tonkünstlerverein (Dresden Musicians’ Society) under Franz Wüllner.

Given that Wüllner was an old friend of Strauss’s father, that might not have been all that impressive, but a repeat performance in 1883 got the attention of the influential conductor Hans von Bülow. Von Bülow added the Serenade to the regular repertoire of the highly regarded Meiningen Court Orchestra (which he had founded)—a gesture that led to what Stefan Schenk calls “an effusive letter of appreciation” from Strauss:

Esteemed Herr von Bülow!

To my immense joy I heard the news from Mr Spitzweg the day before yesterday that it is the intention of your Excellency to perform my Wind Serenade Opus 7 in one of your concerts. I am delighted that such great honour has thus been bestowed upon my little beginner’s piece. – And I would like to express my most heartfelt and sincere thanks to you, esteemed master.

Listening to this friendly seven-minute work, all that might seem like a lot of fuss, but that’s just because Strauss achieved such a warm, welcoming effect without straying significantly from traditional musical structures that date back to Mozart—whom Strauss very much admired. Indeed, Strauss’s instrumentation is very close to Mozart’s; he just cuts back on the clarinet family and adds a couple of flutes for a brighter sound. You can hear that clearly in the performance by members of the University of Michigan Symphony Band on YouTube.

Mozart, as drawn by Doris Stock, 1789

Which brings us to Mozart. His Serenade No. 10 in B-flat major, K. 361 (370a) takes up the rest of the program. It picked up the nickname "Gran partita" because that title was added to the manuscript after the fact by a hand clearly not Mozart’s. Presumably it’s a comment on the work’s length (around 45 minutes, with seven movements) as well as the size of the ensemble (12 winds and a double bass).

That’s not large by contemporary standards, of course, but consider that back in Mozart’s day a harmonie (wind ensemble) usually consisted of around a dozen musicians playing pleasant background music for aristocratic garden parties. The harmonie of Emperor Joseph II, for example, “set the gold standard foraristocratic entertainment.” By doubling the size of the band and writing a work of symphonic proportions, Mozart was breaking new ground.

That said, there’s a lot about the origins of this work that are, to say the least, unclear. “The Serenade No. 10 in Bb Major,” writes David Stanley “is both well-known and a mystery”:

We will likely never know the exact date of composition for this serenade.  Scholars have examined a wide variety of sources: Mozart’s manuscripts, the type of paper he used, his thematic catalog, works composed at the same time, correspondence between other musicians—nothing is conclusive.  We know Mozart was in his late twenties and that the piece, or part of it, may have been premiered in Vienna on March 23, 1784

What we can say, just from listening to it, is that it goes well beyond the bounds of simple background music for the idle chatter of the well-born. The opening Largo—Allegro molto fills the standard sonata form with nobility and good humor. The two Menuetto movements are eminently danceable despite being longer and more elaborate than would have been typical for a serenade back then. The Tema con Variazioni sixth movement assigns a different pair of woodwinds to each variation, giving everyone a chance to show off. And the exuberant Finale, in the words of Dr. Michael Fink, “adds a finale on top of a finale. The clipped repeated sections of this rapid Rondo tumble forward impetuously.”

The Adagio third movement has become especially well known, thanks in part to Peter Shaffer’s play “Amadeus.” Shortly after meeting Mozart for the first time and finding himself appalled by the composer’s loutish behavior, Antonio Salieri hears the opening of the Adagio and is thunderstruck by its profundity:

It started simply enough: just a pulse in the lowest registers—bassoons, basset horns—like a rusty squeezebox. It would have been comic if not for the slowness, which gave it a kind of serenity. And then, suddenly, high above it, sounded a single note on the oboe. It hung there unwavering, piercing me through, until breath could hold it no longer, and a clarinet withdrew it out of me, and sweetened it into a phrase of such delight it had me trembling…It seemed to me that I was hearing the voice of God…and it was the voice of an obscene child! [from “Amadeus,” 2003 revision]

If you know the play, you also know that this is not a happy revelation for Salieri.

Buffet Crampton basset horn

One more cool thing about the “Gran Partita” is that it offers a rare opportunity to hear an instrument popularized by Mozart’s friend and fellow Mason Anton Stadler: the basset horn. Essentially a larger version of the clarinet with a more powerful low end and a darker tone quality, it looks a bit like a cross between a clarinet and a sax, especially in the elegant format offered by Buffet Crampton of Paris. Playing the basset horns this weekend will be SLSO E-flat clarinetist Ryan Toher and guest musician Jane Carl.

You can experience that Adagio along with the rest of the Serenade No. 10 in any number of ways on YouTube. If you want just the music with a synchronized display of the score, there’s this 1994 recording conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras. If you’d prefer a live performance, The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France has one for you recorded on March 7, 2016, at the Auditorium of Radio France. Personally, I prefer the latter (they appear to be playing those cool Buffet Crampton basset horns, for one thing), even though there is much to be said for being able to read the score along with the players.

The Essentials: Stéphane Denève conducts members of the SLSO winds in the Serenade for Winds in E-flat major, op. 7 by Richard Strauss and the Serenade No. 10 in B-flat Major by Mozart. Performances are Friday at 11 am, Saturday at 7:30 pm, and Sunday at 3 pm, April 30 through May 2, at Powell Symphony Hall in Grand Center. Only 300 tickets will be sold for each performance and strict health protocols will be in place. For more information, visit the SLSO web site.

This article originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of November 13, 2017

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African Musical Arts presents its IMI Chamber Players on Saturday, November 18, at 7 p.m. "IMI Chamber Players will present music for woodwind quintet and piano, in a rousing concert to commemorate the legacies of two luminary figures in African American music scholarship. Concert will feature Wendy Hymes on flute, Carrie Smith on oboes, Mary Bryant on clarinets, Donita Bauer on bassoon, Peter Ulfers on French horn and Sunghee Hinners on piano. Narration by Fred Onovwerosuoke." The concert takes place at the Parkway UCC Auditorium, 2841 N. Ballas Rd. For more information: africarts.org.

Monday and Tuesday, November 13 and 14, at 7:30 p.m. The Chamber Music Society of St. Louis presents Hits of Greatful Dead Composers. The program features music by Schubert, Dovark, and Beethoven and takes place at the Sheldon Concert Hall on Washington in Grand Center. For more information: chambermusicstl.org.

The Chamber Project St. Louis

The Chamber Project St. Louis presents Voyager on Friday, November 17 at 8 PM. "Experience a concert from a rare vantage point, up on stage with the musicians. This unique seating arrangement is fitting for a program all about travel and its influences. A hidden gem, Paul Emil Cras' String Trio is featured on this program that includes music from American Valerie Coleman, Brit Errollyn Wallen and Toru Takemitsu, a Japanese composer inspired by Emily Dickinson." The concert takes place at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity in University City. For more information: www.chamberprojectstl.org.

The Gesher Music Festival presents a concert by pianist Einav Yarden on Tuesday, November 14, at 7:30 p.m. The concert includes music by Beethoven, Bartok, Haydn, and Schumann, and takes place at The Ethical Society at 9001 Clayton Rd. For more information: geshermusicfestival.com.

David Robertson conducts The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Joélle Harvey, soprano; Kelley O'Connor, mezzo-soprano; Stuart Skelton, tenor; and Shenyang, bass-baritone in Beethoven's Missa Solemnis Saturday at 8 and Sunday at 3 p.m., November 18 and 19. The performances take place at Powell Hall in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

Gemma New

Gemma New conducts The St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra on Friday, November 17, at 8 p.m. "The St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, led by Music Director Gemma New kicks off their 48th season with a stirring program featuring a compelling new work by British-American composer Anna Clyne and Dvorák's Symphony No. 8. Don't miss your chance to hear the most talented young musicians from across the region at Powell Hall. Admission is FREE but a ticket is required." The performance takes place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

Washngton University's Danforth University Center Chamber Music Series presents a concert by pianist Einav Yarden on Wednesday, November 15, at 7:30 p.m. The concert includes takes place at the Goldberg Formal Lounge in the Danforth University Center on the Washington University Campus. For more information: music.wustl.edu.

The Washington University Department of Music presents a Wind Ensemble concert on Thursday, November 16, at 7:30 p.m. The concert takes place at the 560 Music Center at 560 Trinity in University City. For more information, music.wustl.edu or call 314-935-5566.

The Washington University Department of Music presents a Choirs Concert on Sunday, November 19, at 7:30 p.m. The concert takes place at the 560 Music Center at 560 Trinity in University City. For more information, music.wustl.edu or call 314-935-5566.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of April 24, 2017

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The Bach Society of St. Louis presents A Young Artists Concert on Sunday, April 30, at 4 p.m. as part of the St. Louis Bach Festival. "The Young Artist Scholarship Program was established in 1989 to provide performance experience and enhance professional training for career-oriented soloists, some of whom now sing in concert halls and opera houses across the country. The 2016-2017 award recipients present a FREE recital with a variety of music from Bach to favorites from operatic and musical theatre repertoire. Enjoy hearing soprano Madalyn Mentor, mezzo soprano Katherine Menke, tenor Kurtis Heinrich, and baritone Tyler Green accompanied by Sandra Geary." The free concert takes place at Second Presbyterian Church, 4501 Westminster. For more information: bachsociety.org.

The Chamber Music Society of St. Louis presents All Beethoven All the Time on Monday and Tuesday, April 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m. " The Chamber Music Society St. Louis brings you Beethoven…Need they say more?" The concerts take place in the Sheldon Ballroom at 3648 Washington. For more information: chambermusicstl.org.

Eliot Unitarian Chapel presents a Friends of Music concert on Sunday, April 30, at 3 PM. The program includes music by Bach and Prokofiev. The concert takes place at Eliot Unitarian Chapel is at 100 South Argonne in Kirkwood. For more information: fomcstl.org.

Tomas Fujiwara and the Hook-Up

New Music Circle and KDHX present Tomas Fujiwara's The Hook Up on Saturday, April 29, at 8 p.m. "A drummer working along jazz music's fringe, Tomas Fujiwara's résumé boasts memberships in the Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet and the cooperative trio Thumbscrew, featuring acclaimed guitarist Mary Halvorson and veteran bassist Michael Formanek. Fujiwara's flagship ensemble, The Hook Up, performs rhythmically upbeat tunes, their music often alluding to the aesthetic qualities of Wayne Shorter or Miles Davis of the 1960s - sleek, enigmatically post-bop, more suggestive than demonstrative, complicated but never random. 2016 saw the release of After All is Said, The Hook Up's third album, which was honed extensively in 'live' performance, emphasizing Fujiwara's nuanced arrangements while honoring the dynamics of its virtuosic soloists: guitarist Halvorson, tenor saxophonist Brian Settles, trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson and bassist Formanek." The performance takes place at The Stage at KDHX, 3524 Washington. For more information: newmusiccircle.org.

The St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra presents a concert of music by Schumann, Weber, and Stravinsky on Friday, April 28, at 8 p.m. The program includes Schumann's Symphony No. 1, the overture to Weber's opera Der Freischütz, and Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. The concert takes place at the Skip Viragh Center on the Chaminade Preparatory School campus in Ladue. For more information: stlphilharmonic.org.com.

Davide Robertson

David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, along with soloists Julie Thayer, French horn, and Gerard Pagano, bass trombone, in a Whitaker Foundation Music You Know Concert of popular classics on Friday, April 28, at 8 p.m. The performance takes place at Powell Hall in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and violinist Augustin Hadelich in the Brahms Violin Concerto, along with Elgar's Serenade in E Minor and Georges Lentz's haunting Jerusalem, a piece dedicated to those lost in the disappearance of Malaysian Flight MH370. Performances are Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., April 29 and 30, at Powell Hall in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org. The University City Symphony Orchestra presents The USA Cultural Confluence on Sunday, April 30, at 2:15 p.m. The program, which includes music by Copland, Verdi, and Mozart will feature the premiere of On Eagle Mountain by St. Louis composer, Todd Mosby, and also the winners of the 2017 Schatzkamer Young Artist Competition. The performance takes place at All Saints Catholic Church, 6403 Clemens in University City. For more information: ucso.org.

The Washington University Department of Music presents The Washngton University Wind Ensemble in concert on Thursday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m. The concert includes the Overture to Colas Breugnon by Kabalevsky, music from Star Wars, and contemporary pieces by Rossano Galante and Michael Markowski, and takes place the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity in University City. For more information, music.wustl.edu.