Saturday, March 09, 2013

TPTBT (The Place to Be Tonight): Saturday, March 9

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Who: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Robertson with violinist James Ehnes
What: Music of Brahms, Berg, and Beethoven
Where: Powell Symphony Hall
When: Tonight at 8
Why: “Beautiful” isn’t a word you often hear applied to the twelve-tone music of the Second Viennese School, but I can’t think of a better one to describe the performance of Alban Berg’s 1935 Violin Concerto by soloist James Ehnes and the symphony under David Robertson. Yes, the need to derive all of the concerto’s thematic material from a single twelve note sequence (first stated by the violin at the very beginning) can lead to a sense of emotional aridity at times, but on the whole it’s a very compelling piece, especially when played this well. Add in elegant performances of Brahms's Variations on a Theme of Joseph Haydn (it probably wasn't really his them, but what the heck) and Beethoven's Symphony No. 2, and you have nicely varied (if weighty) evening of Viennese music. See my review at 88.1 KDHX for details.

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