Chuck's Choices for the weekend of November 29, 2012

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

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The Fox Theatre presents Blue Man Group through December 2. In her review for 88.1 KDHX, Em Piro describes it as "a fun show, with just enough provocation to be culturally relevant." The Fox Theatre is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, call 314-534-1678.

Carol Schmidt

The Garden of Life Spiritual Center presents A Jazzy Christmas Cabaret featuring vocalists Deborah Sharn and Tim Schall Sunday, December 2, at 1:30 PM. Carol Schmidt is pianist and music director for the show, which also features Ric Vice on bass. Deborah and Tim can always be counted upon for satisfying performances and Carol is one of the best cabaret music directors around in my opinion. The Garden of Life Spiritual Center is at 9525 Eddie and Park Road. Tickets are $10 (children under 12 free) and available at the door with cash or check.

HotCity Theatre presents Charles Busch's comedy The Divine Sister November 30 through December 15. "This hilariously irreverent tale tells the story of an indomitable Mother Superior (played 'in-drag') trying to cope with a young postulant experiencing 'visions', sexual hysteria among her nuns, a Da Vinci Code style mystery, and a 'well-endowed' former flame intent on luring her away from her vows." Busch's lunatic sensibility is always worth seeing, and this should be a nice antidote to all the Christmas Carol and Nutcracker performances we get around this time. 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 the comedy The Foreigner November 28-December 23. Performances take place on the main stage at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. "In this wild and wacky comedy, Charlie Baker needs to get away, and his friend Froggy knows just the place - his favorite little fishing lodge in rural Georgia. To get Charlie some much needed peace, Froggy convinces the locals that his friend doesn’t understand English. But the plan backfires when all the lodge’s inhabitants start revealing deep secrets and diabolical plans in front of their quiet foreign guest." It has been a few decades since the Rep did this fast-paced and somewhat political comedy. Sadly, the satire of Southern bigotry is still relevant. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

Union Avenue Opera presents The Mini Ring, a free “family opera” based on Wagner's Ring Cycle, on Friday, December 1, at 1 PM. The performance takes place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union at Enright in the Central West End. Anna Russell still has the best condensed Ring ever, but I expect this would be a good way to introduce younger audiences to Wagner's complex universe. For more information, visit unionavenueopera.org or call 314-361-2881.

Held over:

Mustard Seed Theatre presents Imaginary Jesus through December 2 at the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre, 6800 Wydown Blvd. "This hilarious, faced-paced show follows Matt on his journey to discover the true face of Jesus. Along the way he makes friends with St. Peter, a talking donkey and a modern Magadalen; while facing down 'Magic Eight-Ball Jesus,' 'Social Justice Jesus,' 'Legalist Jesus,' and 'King James Jesus' just to name a few." In his review for 88.1 KDHX, Robert Mitchell says this "hilarious look at a young writer's spiritual quest for the perfect personification of his personal Jesus" boasts a "star-studded cast" that's "filled with some of the best, and the funniest that STL has to offer." For more information, call (314) 719-8060 or visit the web site at www.mustardseedtheatre.com.

A family affair

Who: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Robertson with violinist Gil Shaham
What: Music of Johann Strauss, Jr., Haydn, and Beethoven
Where: Powell Symphony Hall
When: November 23-25, 2012

When Gil Shaham stopped to tune his violin after the massive workout that is the first movement of the Beethoven concerto his brother-in-law, maestro David Robertson, turned to the audience and quipped, "it's from 1699; you’d think it would be in tune by now." That one little moment was a distillation of the easy good humor that characterized not only the concerto but the Haydn Symphony No. 104 ("London") and the Strauss Tales from the Vienna Woods as well.

The fact that the Strauss was performed with the original zither solos at the beginning and end (gracefully done by Kurt von Eckroth) was just icing on the torte.

Like many of the great 19th century composers, Beethoven wrote only one concerto for the violin, but it’s a corker. He was, unfortunately, so tardy in completing it that the soloist at the work’s 1806 premiere, Franz Clement (for whom Beethoven had written the piece) had no time to rehearse and reportedly sight read the thorny solo part. Not surprisingly, the premiere was a flop (despite a showy encore in which Mr. Clement played the violin upside-down) and the concerto didn’t begin to enter the standard repertoire until nearly two decades after the composer’s death.

Now, of course, it’s recognized as a masterful blend of solo showpiece and symphonic statement, with a substantial first movement that accounts for over half of the concerto’s 45-minute running time, a mostly serene second, and a cheerfully flashy third. Mr. Shaham’s performance was technically flawless (with a spectacular run through the cadenza Fritz Kreisler wrote for the first movement) and deeply felt, as was Mr. Robertson’s conducting. The transition from the Larghetto to the concluding Rondo was especially dramatic, and the cheerful camaraderie between Mr. Shaham and Mr. Robertson in the finale was a joy to behold. Few things are more gratifying that seeing artists taking delight in their work.

The other big work on the program was Haydn’s 104th and final symphony, usually referred to as the "London", since it was the last of a series of twelve he wrote for his visit to the English capitol. First performed at the Haymarket Theatre on May 4th, 1795, it was a huge hit with critics and public alike. "The whole company was extremely pleased, and so was I," Haydn wrote in his journal, and then noted "I made four thousand guilders this evening." He was nothing if not practical.

The symphony is classic Haydn: structurally straightforward, melodically inventive, and filled with good humor. The finale, with its drone base and cheerful central theme (based on the first strain of the Croatian folk song "Oj, Jelena, Jelena") is especially irresistible. Mr. Robertson’s tempi were a bit on the slow side for my taste, but his interpretation was nevertheless wonderfully precise and winning, and the orchestra played beautifully.

The concert opened with one of the greatest hits of Johann Strauss, Jr., Tales from the Vienna Woods. It was one of six waltzes for which the composer wrote a solo part for the zither, an instrument which, while common enough in Strauss’s Vienna, is a bit harder to find in contemporary America. Happily, the symphony found Mr. von Eckroth, so we got to hear the work as the composer intended.

Or almost as he intended, anyway. Strauss probably didn’t have quite as large a band to work with as Mr. Robertson does and I expect that Mr. Robertson’s tempi might have given dancers pause. They worked very well in a concert setting, though. The result really did feel more like a miniature symphonic poem than a simple dance piece and made for a happy opening to a concert that overflowed with good cheer.

Next on the calendar: David Robertson welcomes pianist Kirill Gerstein (last seen here in a bravura reading of Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in January of 2011) for the St. Louis premiere of Thomas Adès’ In Seven Days along with Richard Strauss’s Don Juan and Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks and Hindemith’s "Matis der Mahler" Symphony. Performances are Friday at 10:30 AM (a Coffee Concert with free Krispy Kreme doughnuts) and Saturday at 8, November 30 and December 1. For ticket information: stlsymphony.org

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of November 26, 2012

Updated Monday, November 26

[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 ArtsZipper site.

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The Fox Theatre presents Blue Man Group through December 2. The Fox Theatre is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, call 314-534-1678. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

The Pub Theater Company presents Bye Bye Liver: The St. Louis Drinking Play, a comedic romp through the joys and pitfalls of The Gateway to the West's favorite pastime. Performances take place on Saturdays at 9 PM at Maggie O'Brien's, 2000 Market Street. For more information, you may call 314-827-4185, email stlouis at byebyeliver.com, or visit byebyeliver.com/stlouis.

Carol Schmidt

The Garden of Life Spiritual Center presents A Jazzy Christmas Cabaret featuring vocalists Deborah Sharn and Tim Schall Sunday, December 2, at 1:30 PM. Carol Schmidt is pianist and music director for the show, which also features Ric Vice on bass. The Garden of Life Spiritual Center is at 9525 Eddie and Park Road. Tickets are $10 (children under 12 free) and available at the door with cash or check.

Lindenwood University's J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts presents A Christmas Carol November 29-December 2. The Scheidegger Center is on the Lindenwood campus in St Charles MO. For more information, visit lindenwood.edu/center.
s
Broadway on the Driveway presents Christmas on the Air on Saturday, December 1, at 5 and 9 PM. “ Broadway on the Driveway's WWII Era Christmas dessert theatre is back by popular demand. Sip warm coffee or cocoa and enjoy delightful desserts as the cast of Broadway on the Driveway and Swing St. Louis ring in the season with nostalgic holiday hits and lively dance routines.” The performances take place at Pillar in the Valley, 229 Chesterfield Business Parkway. For more information: www.broadwayonthedriveway.com.

HotCity Theatre presents Charles Busch's comedy The Divine Sister November 30 through December 15. "This hilariously irreverent tale tells the story of an indomitable Mother Superior (played 'in-drag') trying to cope with a young postulant experiencing 'visions', sexual hysteria among her nuns, a Da Vinci Code style mystery, and a 'well-endowed' former flame intent on luring her away from her vows." 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 the comedy The Foreigner November 28-December 23. Performances take place on the main stage at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. "In this wild and wacky comedy, Charlie Baker needs to get away, and his friend Froggy knows just the place - his favorite little fishing lodge in rural Georgia. To get Charlie some much needed peace, Froggy convinces the locals that his friend doesn’t understand English. But the plan backfires when all the lodge’s inhabitants start revealing deep secrets and diabolical plans in front of their quiet foreign guest." For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

Mustard Seed Theatre presents Imaginary Jesus through December 2 at the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre, 6800 Wydown Blvd. "This hilarious, faced-paced show follows Matt on his journey to discover the true face of Jesus. Along the way he makes friends with St. Peter, a talking donkey and a modern Magadalen; while facing down 'Magic Eight-Ball Jesus,' 'Social Justice Jesus,' 'Legalist Jesus,' and 'King James Jesus' just to name a few." For more information, call (314) 719-8060 or visit the web site at www.mustardseedtheatre.com. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

Union Avenue Opera presents The Mini Ring, a free “family opera” based on Wagner's Ring Cycle, on Friday, December 1, at 1 PM. The performance takes place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union at Enright in the Central West End. For more information, visit unionavenueopera.org or call 314-361-2881.

Windsor Theatre Group presents Music, Magic, and More Fridays at 7:30 PM, Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 PM, and Sundays at 2 PM through December 8. There will also be a matinee on Friday, November 30, at 2 PM. Performances take place at The Historic Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood in Webster Groves. For more information: 314-832-2114.

St. Louis Actors Studio presents Alan Ayckbourn's comedy Season's Greetings November 30 through December 16 at the Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle. "Half a dozen friends and relatives are celebrating Christmas with Neville and Belinda. Various children are also there and, though unseen, their presence is always felt. Petty squabbles break out and some not so petty. The arrival of Clive, a young writer, leads to what momentarily appears to be a tragedy: Clive is shot by trigger happy Harvey who thinks he is a burglar. Hilarious highlights include a chaotically incompetent puppet show and a midnight love scene that sets off a fearful din among mechanical Christmas toys." For more information, call 314-458-2978 or visit stlas.org.

O'Fallon TheatreWorks presents the comedy Steel Magnolias at the O'Fallon Municipal Centre auditorium November 30 through December 9. The O'Fallon Municipal Centre is located at 100 North Main Street in O'Fallon, MO. For more information, visit www.ofallon.mo.us or call 636-379-5606.

Shooting Star Productions presents The Storyteller November 29-December 2. Performances take place at Visitation Academy, 3020 North Ballas For more information, visit shootingstarproductions.org.

The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University presents the musical Yours, Anne, based on Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM, November 29-December 9. Performances take place in the Stage III Auditorium on the Webster University campus. For more information, call 314-968-7128.

Chuck's Choices for Thanksgiving weekend, 2012

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

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Orli Shaham with the Tessera Quartet
photo by Ali Winberry)

The Centene Charitable Foundation presents Baby Got Bach on Saturday, November 24, at 10:30 am. “The acclaimed interactive concert series for children age 3 to 6 returns to town with a free show at Centene Plaza, 7700 Forsyth, at the corner of Forsyth and Hanley Roads in Clayton. Hometown musician and internationally renowned concert pianist, Orli Shaham, is the founder and artistic director of this innovative program. Ms. Shaham will be joined by St. Louis Symphony percussionist Thomas Stubbs and friends. This community event is free of charge and reservations are required, and can be made online at www.BabyGotBach.org.”

Mustard Seed Theatre presents Imaginary Jesus through December 2 at the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre, 6800 Wydown Blvd. "This hilarious, faced-paced show follows Matt on his journey to discover the true face of Jesus. Along the way he makes friends with St. Peter, a talking donkey and a modern Magadalen; while facing down 'Magic Eight-Ball Jesus,' 'Social Justice Jesus,' 'Legalist Jesus,' and 'King James Jesus' just to name a few." I don't know whether the Church of the SubGenius's "Fightin' Jesus" shows up or not, but even without him still still looks sufficiently demented to merit your attention. For more information, call (314) 719-8060 or visit the web site at www.mustardseedtheatre.com.

Mariposa Artists presents Love Grows Here, an eveing of songs by cabaret star Lina Koutrakos performed by local cabaret artists Shauna Sconce, Robert Breig, Dionna Raedeke, and Katie McGrath, on Saturday, November 24, at 8 PM. Rick Jenses in pianist and music director. Koutrakos's music is powerful stuff and Jensen is one of the best in the business. The performance takes place at the Kranzberg Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/285124 or email mariposa.artists at gmail.com.

Winter daydreams

Vadim Gluzman
Photo by Marco Borggreve

Who: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrey Boreyko with violinist Vadim Gluzman
What: An all-Tchaikovsky program
Where: Powell Symphony Hall
When: November 16-18, 2012

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Physics may tell us that you can’t strike sparks with wood, but I’m here to tell you that Vadim Gluzman did exactly that with his exhilarating performance of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Friday morning. The difficult first movement cadenza, in particular, was mesmerizing in its intensity and precision.

Tchaikovsky appears to have written the concerto as a kind of therapy after his disastrous attempt at marriage failed and he was plunged into the despair heard so tellingly in his Symphony No. 4. The concerto, by way of contrast, is unfailingly sunny. It’s also technically demanding, although you’d hardly have known it from Mr. Gluzman’s seemingly effortless performance. He played the way Fred Astaire danced. The audience awarded him with applause after the first movement and a standing ovation at the end of the piece.

Russian-born guest conductor Andrey Boreyko, who began his tenure as Music Director of the National Orchestra of Belgium this season, provided a sensitive and nuanced accompaniment that was, in its own way, every bit as spectacular as Mr. Gluzman’s performance.

Mr. Boreyko’s style on the podium, to begin with, was fascinatingly idiosyncratic. He was very physically expressive and used the baton sparingly, often setting it down and using his hands to seemingly shape phrases in the air. At times he even mimicked the actions of players, with a sawing action here for the strings or a wiggle of the fingers here for a trill in the winds. It brought to mind the showy style of the late Leopold Stokowski.

Let me not, however, leave you with the impression that Mr. Boreyko was all style. His approach to both the concerto and the other two works on the program was solid and insightful, and it served Tchaikovsky very well.

This was perhaps most apparent in the closing work, the rarely heard Symphony No. 1, subtitled either “Winter Dreams” or “Winter Daydreams”, depending on how you translate the Russian. The composer agonized over the work, revised it substantially six years after its premiere in 1868, and didn’t get to hear a full performance of the final version until 1883. It’s a piece I have always found captivating, from the first movement’s mysterious evocation of a wintry landscape, to the melancholy beauty of the adagio (with its flute and oboe duet played beautifully by Mark Sparks and Barbara Orland, respectively), the swirling snowstorm of the Scherzo (which seems to anticipate the “Dance of the Snowflakes from Nutcracke), and the sharp contrasts of the folk–song-based finale. This is a work of extremes in tempi and dynamics, and Mr. Boreyko fully exploited all of them while still pulling everything together into a coherent whole.

That same willingness to follow Tchaikovsky’s highly expressive lead was apparent in the opening work, the even more rarely heard symphonic poem Voyevoda from 1890. Like most of you, I expect, my only exposure to this piece has been on CDs or classical radio stations. The score calls for an orchestra of nearly Mahlerian proportions, including relatively uncommon instruments like the bass clarinet, celesta, and harp. It’s a lot of personnel for a highly poetic ten-minute piece that doesn’t even have (to quote a line from Amadeus) “a good bang at the end...to let them know when to clap.” Mr. Boreyko fearlessly went where the composer led him, and I found the result immensely satisfying.

The final performance of this concert is Sunday, November 18, at 3 PM. Next on the calendar: David Robertson returns to the podium with violinist Gil Shaham for the Beethoven concerto along with Haydn’s “London” Symphony and Strauss’s Tales from the Vienna Woods. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 and Sunday at 3, November 23 through 25. For ticket information: stlsymphony.org

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of November 19, 2012

[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 ArtsZipper site.

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Orli Shaham with the Tessera Quartet
photo by Ali Winberry)

The Centene Charitable Foundation presents Baby Got Bach on Saturday, November 24, at 10:30 am. “The acclaimed interactive concert series for children age 3 to 6 returns to town with a free show at Centene Plaza, 7700 Forsyth, at the corner of Forsyth and Hanley Roads in Clayton. Hometown musician and internationally renowned concert pianist, Orli Shaham, is the founder and artistic director of this innovative program. Ms. Shaham will be joined by St. Louis Symphony percussionist Thomas Stubbs and friends. This community event is free of charge and reservations are required, and can be made online at www.BabyGotBach.org.”

The Fox Theatre presents Blue Man Group November 20 - December 2. The Fox Theatre is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, call 314-534-1678.

The Pub Theater Company presents Bye Bye Liver: The St. Louis Drinking Play, a comedic romp through the joys and pitfalls of The Gateway to the West's favorite pastime. Performances take place on Saturdays at 9 PM at Maggie O'Brien's, 2000 Market Street. For more information, you may call 314-827-4185, email stlouis at byebyeliver.com, or visit byebyeliver.com/stlouis.

Carol Schmidt

The Cabaret Project presents its monthly Cabaret Open Mic Night on Wednesday, November 21, from 7 to 10 PM at the Tavern of Fine Arts. “Drop by and enjoy a night of great music from St. Louis cabaret artists, backed up by the inimitable Carol Schmidt on the baby grand.” The master of ceremonies is 88.1 KDHX senior performing arts critic Chuck Lavazzi. If you're planning to sing, be prepared to do one or two songs and bring music, preferably in your key. It's also recommend that you have your song memorized. The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt at Waterman in the Central West End. There's free parking in the lot right across the street. For more information, visit tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com or call 314-367-7549.

The St. Louis Family Theatre Series presents the musical A Christmas Carol Friday and Saturday, November 23 and 24. 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.

Mustard Seed Theatre presents Imaginary Jesus through December 2 at the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre, 6800 Wydown Blvd. "This hilarious, faced-paced show follows Matt on his journey to discover the true face of Jesus. Along the way he makes friends with St. Peter, a talking donkey and a modern Magadalen; while facing down 'Magic Eight-Ball Jesus,' 'Social Justice Jesus,' 'Legalist Jesus,' and 'King James Jesus' just to name a few." For more information, call (314) 719-8060 or visit the web site at www.mustardseedtheatre.com.

Mariposa Artists presents cabaret star Lina Koutrakos in Love Grows Here on Saturday, November 24, at 8 PM. "Singer/songwriter Lina Koutrakos returns to St. Louis in a big way...singing her own tunes with amazing spirit, extraordinary energy, and perhaps most exciting of all, a joyous celebration that will rock your soul. Lina is thrilled to be joined by featured St. Louis cabaret sensations Shauna Sconce, Robert Breig, Dionna Raedeke, and Katie McGrath, who will be singing Lina's award-winning songs for this one-night special performance that you don't want to miss." The performance takes place at the Kranzberg Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/285124 or email mariposa.artists at gmail.com.

Windsor Theatre Group presents Music, Magic, and More Fridays at 7:30 PM, Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 PM, and Sundays at 2 PM, November 23 through December 8. There will also be a matinee on Friday, November 30, at 2 PM. Performances take place at The Historic Ozark Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood in Webster Groves. For more information: 314-832-2114.

Piwacket Theatre for Children presents Three Bears on Saturday, November 24. Performances take place at MICDS, Mary Eliot Chapel in Ladue. For more information: www.piwacket.com.

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.

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of November 15, 2012

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

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Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble presents Lee Blessing's Eleemosynary through Saturday . Performances take place at The Chapel Venue, 6238 Alexander Drive. I've always liked this script and apparently this is a solid production. In her review for 88.1 KDHX, Andrea Braun says that this is "a beautiful piece, well-played and insightful." For more information: slightlyoff.org.

Peabody Opera House presents The Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes through Saturday. I saw this a few years back at the Fox and found it, for the most part, great fun. In his review for 88.1 KDHX, Robert Mitchell describes the show as "a gaily-wrapped, fun-filled, family-friendly Christmas present."For more information, visit peabodyoperahouse.com or call 314-622-5420.

St. Louis University Theatre presents Radium Girls through Sunday. Performances take place in Xavier Hall, 3373 West Pine Mall. In his review for 88.1 KDHX, Bob Wilcox has praise for everyone involved in this production. For more information, call (314) 977-2998 or visit www.slu.edu/theatre. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

Held over:

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Clybourne Park through Sunday. “Winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize and 2012 Tony Award for Best Play, Clybourne Park is a wickedly funny and provocative new play about the volatile intersection of race and real estate.” As I write in my review for 88.1 KDHX, "I just can't praise this script and the Rep's splendid production of it highly enough. It's entertaining, thought provoking, and complex enough to encourage repeated viewing". Performances take place in the studio theatre at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

The West End Players Guild continues their 102nd season with the St. Louis premiere of This Wide Night by Chloë Moss Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM. "As the play begins, Lorraine arrives at the squalid flat that is now home to Marie. Lorraine is in her fifties and newly-released from 12 years in prison. Her cell mate and prison best friend Marie is a younger woman who served a shorter sentence and has been out for some time. As their tense and tentative reunion quickly makes clear, much more has changed in their lives than simply being able to look out an unbarred window. This Wide Night is the story of Lorraine and Marie’s struggle to determine whether the friendship they treasured in prison is even possible in the outside world, and if so to learn how to trust each other again." Here's another St. Louis premiere by a company that is starting to specialize in them. And, yes, I am on the board of West End, but I think this is an important production regardless. Reviews have been very good across the board. In his review for 88.1 KDHX, Bob Wilcox notes that "a lot of terrific acting happens" during this short (80 minute) play. 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.

Oh, modified rapture!

Katisha (Lindsey Anderson) fails to blow Nanki-Poo's (Isaiah Bell)
cover in the Act I finale of The Mikado

Who: Winter Opera St. Louis
What: The Mikado
When: November 9 and 11, 2012
Where: The Skip Viragh Center

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I have a friend who says he loves directing Shakespeare because it’s so easy to do. Just don’t get in the playwright’s way and you can’t lose. I think the same could be said of the better Gilbert and Sullivan operettas as well. Don’t mess with G&S and you’re golden.

Winter Opera’s Mikado (presented November 9 and 11 at the Skip Viragh Center on the Chaminade campus) does, unfortunately, mess with G&S from time to time. But the tinkering is infrequent enough and light enough to let the jolly good fun of Gilbert’s wit and Sullivan’s delightful score shine through. This wasn’t a great Mikado, but it was a very fine one. If you’re a dedicated Savoyard (like yours truly) I hope you didn’t miss it.

Let’s talk about the good stuff first. The cast was consistently strong, and some performances were downright outstanding. Mezzo Lindsey Anderson, for example, may be too pretty for Katisha (“a most unattractive old thing / With a caricature of a face”) but behind that stylized makeup you wouldn’t have known it, and she sang and acted the role beautifully. Granted, Katisha doesn’t do much, but it takes a good actress to make her (frankly) unnecessary Act II aria interesting. Ms. Anderson certainly did that. Soprano Kathleen Jasinskas was a comic charmer as Katisha’s nemesis, Yum-Yum, beloved of “wandering minstrel” and royal heir Nanki-Poo, sung with equal charm by tenor Isaiah Bell.

Baritone Lane Johnson had the Principal Comedian role of Ko-Ko, the “cheap tailor” raised to the exulted post of Lord High Executioner despite the fact that he literally wouldn't hurt a fly. He’s gotten rave reviews for previous performances of the part elsewhere, and it’s not hard to see why: a solid voice and impeccable comic timing. Bass-baritone Edward Hanlon was an engaging Pish-Tush, making this minor character more interesting than is sometimes the case. Director John Stephens (who also sang the role of the Mikado with great relish) gave him a little romantic subplot with Pitti-Sing (local mezzo Erin Haupt in another charmer of a performance). It wasn’t strictly Gilbertian, but it worked.

Baritone Gary Moss was presumably down at the bottom of his tessitura for in the bass role of the snobbish Poo-Bah, the Lord High Everything Else whose family pride is “something inconceivable”, but you’d not have known it from his singing. His performance involved a bit too much mugging and physical business for my taste—the big joke about Poo-Bah, after all, is his stolid pomposity—but it certainly went down well with the audience. It was also in sync with Mr. Stephens’s direction, which tended to bit too loaded with shtick at times, so I expect my real gripe was with him rather than Mr. Moss.

Then there’s the matter of the updated lyrics. It has been customary for many years now to replace Gilbert’s dated (and occasionally racist) topical jokes with contemporary equivalents, especially in Ko-Ko’s "As some day it may happen" and the Mikado’s "A more humane Mikado". Most of the revisions worked pretty well, with the Mikado’s song getting some especially clever revisions that left the bulk of the lyrics intact. There were a few too many political and sports jokes for me, but that’s just a matter of individual taste. They all went over well with the audience.

I also thought it was a shame that "See how the fates their gifts allot" got cut from Act II, but if you must cut something, that’s probably the best bet.

The chorus was smallish (eight men and eight women) but it sounded big, and elocution was good enough to make the projected English text unnecessary. The orchestra sounded impressive as well under conductor Michael Mishra, although his tempi were sometimes plodding. With smaller opera companies, the band sometimes suffers from anemic violins and sloppy winds, but there was none of that here. The fact that the Viragh Center has an actual orchestra pit also eliminated some of the balance problems you sometimes encounter in performance spaces that weren’t designed with musical theatre in mind.

In fact, the Viragh Center (on the Chaminade campus in Frontenac) might just be one of the best opera spaces in town. The stage is large and deep, sight lines are good, and the seating is comfortable. The move there has raised Winter Opera’s costs, but if they can manage to make this work they will be serious players on the local musical theatre scene.

The production looked as good as it sounded, with bright cartoonish sets from Scott Loebl, colorful Japanese costumes by JC Krajicek, and effective lighting by Sean Savoie.

So, while my rapture over this Mikado was somewhat modified, there’s no denying it was an entertaining piece of work and very welcome in a town that doesn’t see many Gilbert and Sullivan productions since Opera Theatre dropped their annual G&S show at the Edison Theatre many years ago. Winter Opera’s season continues with Douglas Moore’s The Ballad of Baby Doe (a work I haven’t seen in decades) in February and Puccini’s Tosca in March. There’s also a Holidays on the Hill program in December at Dominic’s Restaurant on (naturally) The Hill. For more information: winteroperastl.org.

Influential women

"Women Under the Influence" L-R: Carol Schmidt, Michele Isam, Debbie Schuster, and Katie McGrath

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Ask most folks what kind of music they associate with cabaret and you’ll likely get some mix of “great American songbook” and “show tunes”. No surprise there; the Golden Age of American songwriting is, in fact, well represented on the small stage. Tim Schall’s entertaining and informative Rodgers and Hart Songbook from a couple weeks ago was a classic example.

But the cabaret tent is a big one, and in just the past year here in St. Louis alone we’ve had shows based on such diverse sources as contemporary country (Jeff Wright’s Southern Roots), 1950s and ‘60s TV themes (Ken Haller’s The TV Show), and turn-of-the-last-century vaudeville (my own Just a Song at Twilight).

I bring all this up because on Monday (November 12) I had the pleasure of sitting in on a rehearsal by a new quartet, Women Under the Influence (three of the members of which I’ve worked with on stage in the past), that also takes its inspiration from performers whose work is not particularly well represented on the cabaret scene: the girl groups and soul sisters of the 1960s. Pop and R&B classics like “Met Him on a Sunday,” “He’s So Fine,” “Come See About Me,” and “He’s a Rebel” make up most of the set list, but there are also a few nods to contemporary stars like Adele (“Rumor Has It”), Rhiana (“Take a Bow”), and even Dolly Parton (“Jolene”).

This isn’t just a nostalgia trip, though. The essence of cabaret is the way in which the artist puts his or her own stamp on the music and makes it into something new. The members of WUI—Carol Schmidt and Michele Isam of “Jasmine” fame, along with local cabaret stars Debbie Schuster and Katie McGrath—are well-established performers with their own unique styles. Carol is pianist and music director for the show, with Michele filling in on other instruments (percussion and harmonica at the rehearsal I attended). They’re making all of those tunes their own—with tight vocal harmonies and even a bit of swingin' '60s choreography—and, in classic cabaret style, telling a story in the process.

By artfully arranging the songs, WUI’s show moves from the first crush, through true love, down into betrayal and back up into independence. It’s could be the story of one woman or of late 20th century women in general. It might even be a little of both. WUI are creating a space for ambiguity there, and ambiguity is where art lives.

The Women Under the Influence show is being produced by singer Robert Breig's Mariposa Artists (the increase in local cabaret producers is a positive trend I may address in a future post) and will be presented this Saturday, November 17th, at 8 PM in the Showroom at Joe Buck’s Restaurant at 10th and Clark downtown. The space, I’m told, seats around 120 in a very “night clubby” ambience. And, of course, the bar and restaurant are there for your dining and drinking needs.

Tickets are available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/281908. There’s even a good cause involved; a portion of the evening's proceeds will be donated to Places For People, whose mission is “[t]o provide innovative and effective mental health services to people in need while creating a system of care that promotes personal recovery.”

It’s just another reminder that there’s a lot more to the cabaret scene than one might suppose. It’s why I love going to cabaret shows; you never know when you’re going to encounter something new and surprising. And who doesn’t like a good surprise?

Dona nobis pacem

Jun Märkl; photo by Christiane Höhne

Who: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Jun Märkl with soloists Daniel Lee (cello), Dominique Labelle (soprano), Kai Rüütel (mezzo-soprano), Christoph Genz (tenor), and Stephen Powell (baritone)
What: Music of Schoenberg, Haydn, and Mozart/Süssmayr
Where: Powell Symphony Hall
When: November 9-11, 2012

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The St. Louis Symphony Chorus and their director Amy Kaiser covered themselves with glory Friday night with powerful performances of Schoenberg's Friede auf Erden (Peace on Earth, a fiercely difficult piece for a cappella chorus from 1907) and the Mozart/Süssmayr Requiem under the baton of Jun Märkl. In between, Daniel Lee demonstrated once again what top-notch cello playing sounds like in Haydn's D major concerto.

As I have noted in the past, much as I love hearing the standard repertory at the symphony, encountering a work for the first time has a special kind of excitement. Schoenberg’s Friede auf Erden is not a new piece—it was written in 1907 and first performed in 1911—but this is the first time the Symphony Chorus has tackled it. And (to stretch this metaphor past the breaking point), they scored a touchdown.

One look at the score of Friede auf Erden shows why this is likely the kind of work that gives choir directors the willies. Polyrhythms are frequent, and Schoenberg’s harmony, while still close to the late 19th century mainstream, definitely looks forward to his upcoming abandonment of key-centered composition. One gets the sense the Schoenberg never really understood what Davie Vernier (in a review for Classics Today) describes as “the practicalities of producing pitch-accurate sounds with human rather than mechanical instruments” and, in fact, the first scheduled performance in 1907 was cancelled because the singers just couldn’t hack it.

There were no such problems Friday night. Under Jun Märkl, the chorus delivered a performance that was as powerful as it was precise. The emotional impact of the text—a Christmas poem with a potent anti-war message by the Swiss poet and historical novelist Conrad Meyer that seemed appropriate for Armistice Day weekend—was stunning, assisted by a projected English translation. Anyone who wasn’t nearly moved to tears by those closing measures was made of sterner stuff than yours truly. You couldn’t have asked for a better opener.

Brilliant musicianship was the order of the evening in the next work as well. Haydn’s D major Cello Concerto was written for Esterhazy court cellist Anton Kraft in the 1780s. Based on the difficulty of the solo part, which exploits the instrument’s full range and calls for nearly every technical trick in the book, I’ve got to conclude that Herr Kraft was quite the virtuoso.

Happily, “quite the virtuoso” is a phrase that applies just as well to symphony principal cellist Daniel Lee. If you were fortunate enough to hear his Dvořák Cello Concerto this past April, you know just how good Mr. Lee is. Back then I noted that his playing combined nimble hands with a warm heart. Both were on display once again in the Haydn. His bravura performance of contemporary German cellist Reiner Ginzel’s first movement cadenza (as was customary at the time, Haydn didn’t provide one) resulted in spontaneous applause at the movement’s end, the second movement Adagio radiated ethereal beauty, and the concluding Rondo delivered all the good humor for which Haydn was noted. Mr. Märkl and the orchestra backed Mr. Lee up nicely, and there was good communication between conductor and soloist.

The big draw for these concerts, of course, is the Mozart Requiem. Begun during the final months of the composer’s life, it’s a mostly stirring and affecting setting of the standard Latin mass for the dead that’s understandably popular with performers and audiences alike. I say “mostly” because Mozart died before he could complete it and the parts commonly attributed to his student Franz Xaver Süssmayr (who may or may not have had help from others) are clearly the work of a second-rater. The “Benedictus”, in particular, could do with some editing.*

Still, four-fifths (or thereabouts) of a Mozart masterpiece is still very fine stuff. The anguished shrieks of the violins in the “Requiem aeternam”, the dramatic “Dies irae”, the heartfelt quartet of the “Recordare”, and the famous baritone and trombone duet of the “Tuba mirum” are only a few of the many memorable things in this lovely score.

And what a masterful performance by Mr. Märkl and the chorus! I’ve only seen him conduct the symphony twice in the past. They were both heavily Romantic programs, so it was a pleasure to see him approach Mozart with the same combination of passion and attention to individual performers and sections that he had lavished on Ravel, Dvořák, and Saint-Saëns in those earlier programs. The members of the chorus, of course, were their usual flawless selves.

The vocal soloists for the Requiem had a nice mix of concert, oratorio, and opera appearances in their resumes, so you won’t be surprised to learn that they fully did justice to the music’s drama without ever committing the musical equivalent of overacting. I was especially taken with soprano Dominique Labelle’s work in the “Recordare” and with the way baritone Stephen Powell blended so well Vanessa Fralick’s flawless trombone in the “Tuba mirum”, but all four singers were really impeccable.

Next on the symphony calendar is an all-Tchaikovsky program with conductor Andrey Boreyko and violinist Vadim Gluzman. Performances are Friday at 10:30 AM (a Krispy Kreme Coffee Concert with free doughnuts), Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 3 PM, November 16– 18. There’s also a youth orchestra concert on the 16th at 7 PM. For more information: stlsymphony.org

*Nearly everything about the Requiem has been a source of dispute since Mozart’s death, including the wisdom of using Süssmayr’s completion. At least two other completions were done in the early 19th century and several musicologists have produced their own over the last four or five decades. You can read all about it on Wikipedia or take a look at Christoph Wolff’s 1994 book Mozart’s Requiem.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of November 12, 2012

Updated Tuesday, November 13

[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 ArtsZipper site.

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The Pub Theater Company presents Bye Bye Liver: The St. Louis Drinking Play, a comedic romp through the joys and pitfalls of The Gateway to the West's favorite pastime. Performances take place on Saturdays at 9 PM at Maggie O'Brien's, 2000 Market Street. For more information, you may call 314-827-4185, email stlouis at byebyeliver.com, or visit byebyeliver.com/stlouis.

The St. Louis Family Theatre Series presents the musical A Christmas Carol November 18, 23 and 24. 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.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Clybourne Park through November 18. “Winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize and 2012 Tony Award for Best Play, Clybourne Park is a wickedly funny and provocative new play about the volatile intersection of race and real estate.” Performances take place in the studio theatre at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble presents Lee Blessing's Eleemosynary Wednesdays through Saturdays through November 17. Performances take place at The Chapel Venue, 6238 Alexander Drive. For more information: slightlyoff.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

West County Family Y's Y-Rep Teens present The Giver Thursday through Saturday, November 15-17. Performances take place at the West County YMCA, 16464 Burkhardt Place. For more information, call (636) 532-6515 Ext. 227.

St. Louis Community College at Meramec Theatre Department presents House of Yes Wednesday through Sunday, November 14-18. Performances take place in the theatre on the campus at 11333 Big Bend Road. For more information, call 314-984-7500.

Mustard Seed Theatre presents Imaginary Jesus November 15-December 2 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.

Clayton Community Theatre presents the comedy Lysistrata Friday and Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM. Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre. For more information, call 314-721-9228 or visit placeseveryone.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University presents Shakespeare' s A Midsummer Night's Dream Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM, November 14-18. Performances take place in the Browning Mainstage Theatre at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus. For more information, call 314-968-7128.

Washington University Performing Arts Department presents The Night Season November 15-18. Performances take place in the Edison Theatre in the Mallinckrodt Student Center on the Washington University campus. For more information, call 314-935-6543.

Peabody Opera House presents The Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes through November 17. For more information, visit peabodyoperahouse.com or call 314-622-5420. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

St. Louis University Theatre presents Radium Girls through November 18. Performances take place in Xavier Hall, 3373 West Pine Mall. For more information, call (314) 977-2998 or visit www.slu.edu/theatre. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

Family Musical Theater presents A Song for Christmas II November 15-18 at the Ivory Theatre, 7622 Michigan. For more information, visit familymusical.org or call 314-448-1436.

Center Stage Theatre at St. Charles Community College presents Stepping Out Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM, November 14 through 18. Performances take place in the Donald D. Shook Fine Arts Building on the campus at 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville, MO. For more information, call 636-922-8050 or visit stchas.edu.

R-S Theatrics presents Suicide, Incorporated through November 18. "Jason leaves Hallmark to write for Legacy Letters  a company that believes that your suicide note is the most important letter you'll ever write. What unfolds over the next 80 minutes involves side-splitting laughter, brilliant writing, Krispy Kremes, and incredible performances by an unforgettable ensemble." Performances take place at the Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle. For more information: r-stheatrics.com or 314-968-8070. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

The Tesseract Theatre Company presents Kevin D. Ferguson's A Thing With Feathers Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 4 PM, November 14 - 18. There is a playwright meet and greet on Saturday, November 17, at 2 PM. Performances take place at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar (across the street from The Pageant). Visit www.tesseracttheatre.org for more info or email contact at tesseracttheatre.org.

The West End Players Guild continues their 102nd season with the St. Louis premiere of This Wide Night by Chloë Moss Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM. "As the play begins, Lorraine arrives at the squalid flat that is now home to Marie. Lorraine is in her fifties and newly-released from 12 years in prison. Her cell mate and prison best friend Marie is a younger woman who served a shorter sentence and has been out for some time. As their tense and tentative reunion quickly makes clear, much more has changed in their lives than simply being able to look out an unbarred window. This Wide Night is the story of Lorraine and Marie’s struggle to determine whether the friendship they treasured in prison is even possible in the outside world, and if so to learn how to trust each other again." 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. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

The COCA Family Theatre Series presents The True Story of the Three Little PIgs Saturday and Sunday, November 17 and 18. COCA is at 524 Trinity in University City. For more information, call (314) 725-6555 or visit www.cocastl.org.

The Looking Glass Playhouse presents the drama Twelve Angry Men through November 18. Performances take place at 301 West St. Louis Street in Lebanon, Ill. For more information, visit www.lookingglassplayhouse.com.

The Florissant Fine Arts Council presents The Water Coolers on Saturday, November 17, at 8 PM. The Water Coolers is “a 'laugh-out-loud' musical comedy about the things we share around the water coolers of America everyday: life, work, kids, travel, technology and trying to balance it all.” Performances take place at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre at Parker and Waterford in Florissant. For more information, call 314-921-5678.

Mariposa Artists presents Women Under the Influence on Saturday, November 17, at 8 PM. “Women Under the Influence includes St. Louis cabaret singers Katie McGrath and Debbie Schuster, and features the former Jasmine duo Michele Isam and Carol Schmidt. With a soulful, strong and sultry style, their uplifting harmonies bring new interpretations of their girl-group musical influences, from LaBelle to Adele. Join them for songs of passion, romance, betrayal, survival and joy.” The performance takes place at Joe Buck's Showroom 1000 Clark, downtown. A portion of the evening's proceeds will be donated to Places For People. For more information: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/281908 or check out my blog post at KDHX.

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.

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of November 8, 2012

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 Hawthorne Players present August Wilson's Fences through November 11. The performance takes place at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre at Parker and Waterford in Florissant, MO. Community theatre groups don't often take on challenging material like this, but Hawthorne is an exception to the rule. I appeared in An Inspector Calls with them around ten years ago and again a few years later in Stoppard's Arcadia. This is a group that isn't afraid to do the tough stuff, and I think they deserve our support. In his review for 88.1 KDHX, Bob Wilcox says that "this splendid production...rewards in every way." For more information, call 314-921-5678 or visit hawthorneplayers.com.

Winter Opera St. Louis presents Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado Friday at 8 PM and Sunday at 3 PM, November 9 and 11. Performances take place at The Skip Viragh Center for the Arts at Chaminade College Preparatory School, 425 S. Lindbergh. This is in the list because I love Gilbert and Sullivan and because I think it's cool that we now have three regular opera companies in town. These guys are the newest, but they have already done some impressive work. For more information, visit winteroperastl.org.

R-S Theatrics presents Suicide, Incorporated November 9 - 18. "Jason leaves Hallmark to write for Legacy Letters  a company that believes that your suicide note is the most important letter you'll ever write. What unfolds over the next 80 minutes involves side-splitting laughter, brilliant writing, Krispy Kremes, and incredible performances by an unforgettable ensemble." R-S is one of a small number of groups bringin us new works by local playwrights. The cast includes some fine local actors, including Andrew Keller, Charlie Barron, and the ubiquitous B. Weller. Performances take place at the Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle. For more information: r-stheatrics.com or 314-968-8070.

The West End Players Guild continues their 102nd season with the St. Louis premiere of This Wide Night by Chloë Moss Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, November 9 - 18. There will also be a show on Thursday, November 15, at 8 PM. "As the play begins, Lorraine arrives at the squalid flat that is now home to Marie. Lorraine is in her fifties and newly-released from 12 years in prison. Her cell mate and prison best friend Marie is a younger woman who served a shorter sentence and has been out for some time. As their tense and tentative reunion quickly makes clear, much more has changed in their lives than simply being able to look out an unbarred window. This Wide Night is the story of Lorraine and Marie’s struggle to determine whether the friendship they treasured in prison is even possible in the outside world, and if so to learn how to trust each other again." Here's another St. Louis premiere by a company that is starting to specialize in them. And, yes, I am on the board of West End, but I think this is an important production regardless. 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.

Held over:

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Clybourne Park through November 18. “Winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize and 2012 Tony Award for Best Play, Clybourne Park is a wickedly funny and provocative new play about the volatile intersection of race and real estate.” As I write in my review for 88.1 KDHX, "I just can't praise this script and the Rep's splendid production of it highly enough. It's entertaining, thought provoking, and complex enough to encourage repeated viewing". Performances take place in the studio theatre at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

Electric shocks

Who: Pianist Yefim Bronfman and The St. Louis Symphony conducted by John Storgårds
What: Music of Bach/Webern, Schumann, and Brahms
Where: Powell Symphony Hall
When: November 2 and 3, 2012

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Yefim Bronfman at Carnegie Hall
Photo by Jennifer Taylor for The New York Times

There are few things I love more than hearing a familiar work from the standard concert repertoire—one I’ve heard dozens of times in the past—performed in a way that makes it sound fresh and new. That, for me, is great music making. And that’s what I heard from John Storgårds and the St. Louis Symphony in their dramatic and electrifying reading of Schumann’s Symphony No. 4. From the majestic introduction to the fiery finale, this was a Schumann Fourth that just crackled with energy and theatricality.

The Chief Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic, Mr. Storgårds is a big man with an expansive but precise style at the podium. This does not, however, appear to be the self-conscious theatricality of (say) a Stokowski but rather the result of a passionate commitment to and intense concentration on this music itself.

This serves him well in both of the other works on this weekend’s program, the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 and Webern’s typically kaleidoscopic orchestration of the great six-part fugue (the Ricercata) from Bach’s Musical Offering.

There’s an interesting story behind that fugue. Bach wrote it on, essentially, a dare from Frederick the Great of Prussia. At a meeting in 1747, the king presented Bach with a long and highly chromatic theme (supposedly his own, although he may have lifted it from Handel) and challenged him to use it as the subject for a three-voice fugue. A skilled improviser, Bach did so on the spot, at which point the king, in what might have been an attempt to teach this wise guy a lesson, upped the ante to a six-voice fugue. Two months later Bach replied with his Musical Offering—two ricercars, ten canons, and (for good measure) a sonata all based on that theme. Game, set, and match.

The king’s reaction has been lost to posterity.

Anton Webern’s orchestration from nearly two centuries later raised the ante even further by making this mid-18th century piece sound entirely new. An advocate of Klangfarbenmelodie—the practice of breaking a melodic line up and distributing it to individual instruments a few notes at a time—Webern shattered and re-assigned the individual voices in ways that sound the way a kaleidoscope looks.

The result can be disorienting but makes for fascinating listening. The rapid shifts in instrumental color are nearly hallucinatory at times and must pose a stiff challenge to the players. There’s no place to hide here; every note must be perfect and every entrance precise. Friday night’s performance was stunning in its precision and a credit to all concerned.

Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 2 poses substantial difficulties of its own, at least for the soloist. A pianist of no mean skill, Brahms wrote the piece for himself, and even he acknowledged its technical difficulty when he referred to it (somewhat jokingly) as “the long terror”. It’s not the sort of piece a pianist takes on lightly.

If you’re a regular listener to Public Radio International’s Symphonycast, you know that Yefim Bronfman unquestionably has the chops for this music. His performance with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic (still available as a podcast for a limited time at the Symphonycast web site is nothing if not impressive. His performance Friday night was no less spectacular. He handled the most demanding passages with ease, but the reading of the concerto overall felt less compelling than I had hoped. The excitement of the Schumann wasn’t there for me, although the Andante third movement was truly lovely.

I don’t want to make too much of that, though. This is, after all, a matter of taste and it might sound entirely different to you. The orchestral playing was, without a doubt, of its usual high caliber, with an especially beautiful cello and oboe duet from Daniel Lee and Peter Bowman in the third movement. And there’s no question that Mr. Bronfman fully deserved his standing ovation.

The next regular season concert combines Mozart’s Requiem with Schoenberg’s Freude auf Erden (Peace on Earth) and Haydn’s D major Cello concerto. Jun Märkl conducts with Daniel Lee as the soloist in the Haydn. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 and Sunday at 3, November 9th through 11th. For more information: stlsymphony.org.