Concert Review: 'Music You Know' and maybe some you don't

David Robertson

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Who: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Robertson
What: Music You Know
Where: Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis
When: March 13, 2015

[Find out more about the music with the SLSO program notes and my preview article.]

The schedule at Powell Hall was packed this weekend, with David Robertson and the St. Louis Symphony playing a Whitaker Foundation "Music You Know" concert on Friday and a pair of regular subscription concerts on Saturday and Sunday.

Friday's "Music You Know" event was the second in this series of classical "greatest hits" concerts. The first one last November, while entertaining, had a few issues: too many long stage resets, too much commentary from David Robertson (engaging and enlightening though it was), and not enough precision in the orchestral playing. This time around, none of that was the case. There were fewer stage resets, Mr. Robertson's remarks from the podium were both entertaining and concise, and the orchestra sounded great.

The programming was also a bit more adventurous this time. The bulk of it was, as expected, drawn from the classical Top 40: Brahms' "Hungarian Dance No. 5," Rosas' waltz "Sobre las Olas" ("Over the Waves"; trust me, you know the tune), Borodin's "Polovtsian Dances," and Alfvén's "Swedish Rhapsody No. 1." They all got the kind of intelligent and nuanced readings that I have come to expect form Mr. Robertson and the orchestra. I've heard all of these old chestnuts more times than I can count, but Mr. Robertson still managed to put his own personal spin on each one.

There were also works which, while every bit as immediately appealing, are not necessarily as familiar. That shorter list included two radically different pieces for violin and orchestra inspired by Hungarian folk music: Ravel's flashy "Gypsy music" pastiche "Tzigane" and Bartók's less glitzy but sill technically challenging "Rhapsody No. 1." The soloists for both came from the SLSO violin section: Assistant Principal second violin Eva Kozma for the Ravel and Second Associate Concertmaster Emeritus Silvian Iticovici for the Bartók. Both played well, although I thought Ms. Kozma had the fuller sound.

Larry Kaptain played the cimbalom (hammered dulcimer) in the Bartók beautifully and the instrument itself was quite handsome.

Friday's concert concluded with an electrifying performance of the "Four Dances from Estancia" by Alberto Ginastera. This suite drawn from the 1941 ballet the Argentine composer wrote on a commission from American dance impresario Lincoln Kirstein has only recently started to gain attention from music lovers here in the USA—somewhat surprising, since it's seriously exciting stuff. The expanded percussion section did themselves proud.

The "Music You Know" concerts are clearly intended to attract a wider audience to Powell Hall. Many of the audience members Friday night were dressed more casually than is usually the case, drinks were allowed in the auditorium, and the overall vibe was more informal. I hope that approach works. If the concerts continue at this high level, the orchestra will certainly be putting its best foot forward.

After the regular subscription concerts on March 14 and 15, the SLSO is off to Carnegie Hall in New York for an appearance on Friday, March 20th. They're back for a showing of "The Godfather" with the music performed live March 27-29, and the regular season resumes with a program of Mozart and Shostakovich April 10 and 11 conducted by Hannu Lintu. For more information: stlsymphony.org.