St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 31, 2022

Now including both on-line and live events during the pandemic. To get your event listed here, send an email to chuck [at] kdhx.org Your event information should be in text format (i.e. not part of a graphic), but feel free to include publicity stills.

Ken Haller

The Blue Strawberry presents Ken Haller: When I’m 68 Thursday at 8:00 pm, November 3. “Looking back on his life and looking forward to what’s ahead through songs from Broadway and the Great American Songbook by Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, Lerner and Loewe, Ira Gershwin, Harold Arlen,William Finn, and Stephen Sondheim among many others, Ken creates ‘…a varied and neatly balanced song list, just enough patter to let us know why the list made sense, and a perfect mix of the mirthful and the moving… ingenious [and] emotionally compelling [with]a heaping helping of humor!” (Chuck Lavazzi, KDHX).’" Nic Valdez is pianist and music director for the show. The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

Frozen
Photo: Deen Van Meer

The Fabulous Fox presents the musical Frozen, based on the Disney film, opening on Wednesday, November 2, at 7:30 pm and running through November 13. “From the producer of The Lion King and Aladdin, FROZEN, the Tony®-nominated Best Musical, is now on tour across North America and the critics rave, “It’s simply magical!” (LA Daily News). Heralded by The New Yorker as “thrilling” and “genuinely moving,” FROZEN features the songs you know and love from the original Oscar®-winning film, plus an expanded score with a dozen new numbers by the film’s songwriters, Oscar winner Kristen Anderson-Lopez and EGOT winner Robert Lopez. Oscar winner Jennifer Lee (book), Tony and Olivier Award winner Michael Grandage (director), and Tony winner Rob Ashford (choreographer) round out the creative team that has won a cumulative 16 Tony Awards. An unforgettable theatrical experience filled with sensational special effects, stunning sets and costumes, and powerhouse performances, FROZEN is everything you want in a musical: It’s moving. It’s spectacular. And above all, it’s pure Broadway joy.” The Fabulous Fox is on North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

The Hawthorne Players present The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Fridays and Saturday at 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm, November 4-13. “Fifteen-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain. He is exceptional at mathematics but ill equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. Now it is seven minutes after midnight, and Christopher stands beside his neighbor’s dead dog, Wellington, who has been speared with a garden fork. Finding himself under suspicion, Christopher is determined to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington, and he carefully records each fact of the crime. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a thrilling journey that upturns his world.” sPerformances take place in the Florissant Civic Center Theatre in Florissant, MO. For more information: www.hawthorneplayers.info

The Lemp Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre and Jest Mysteries present A Dickens of a Killilng November 4th through January 27th, 2023. "Death is in the air as guests join Marilyn Monroe, Babe Ruth, Baaaaa Huuuumbug!!! Ebenezer Scrooge will be back to his old tricks and is bound to make a few enemies at this Christmas Party chock full of Charles Dicken's Characters. Just when Beep (The Minstrel) gets everyone in the Holiday Spirit, Scrooge barges in and starts talking about gruel. Geez, hope no one snuffs Scrooge out before he stops bellowing! Guests will dive into the fictious world of Charles Dickens and join Pip, Martha Cratchit, Oliver Twist, The Ghost of Jacob Marley, Tiny Tim and so many more in this cheerful murder mystery parody of a Holiday Classic. Whether you want to participate a little or a lot, you're sure to have a jolly good time, in jolly olde England, where there is sure to be "A Dickens of a Killing!" The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place in south city. For more information: www.lempmansion.com

Seedfolks
Photo: Jennifer A. Lin

Metro Theater Company presents Seedfolks live through November 6. “A vacant lot in a broken neighborhood in the middle of the city can become a lot of things. How could it ever be a source of hope? A dozen different characters and their stories come to life, beginning with Kim, a nine-year-old Vietnamese immigrant who plants six precious lima beans. One by one, the people of his community, many also immigrants, sow seeds of hope amid the dirt and grit, tending dreams to full bloom. As the garden grows, so does the community, blooming into something bigger, better, and beyond all expectations. As told by award-winning novelist Paul Fleischman, the garden draws neighbors out of their lonely isolation to rediscover and celebrate the community around them.” Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre in Grand Center and can also be viewed via streaming video beginning on October 19th. For more information: www.metroplays.org

Barefoot in the Park
Photo: Carla Gibson

Moonstone Theatre Company presents Neil Simon’s comedy Barefoot in the Park through November 13. “The romantic comedy Barefoot in the Park tells the story of Paul and Corie Bratter, who are newlyweds in every sense of the word. He’s a straight-as-an-arrow lawyer, and she’s a free spirit always looking for the latest kick. Their new apartment is her most recent find – too expensive with bad plumbing and in need of a paint job. After a six-day honeymoon, they get a surprise visit from Corie’s loopy mother and decide to play matchmaker during a dinner with their neighbor-in-the-attic, Velasco, where everything that can go wrong does. Paul just doesn’t understand Corie, as she sees it. He’s too staid, too boring.  She just wants him to be a little more spontaneous – and running “barefoot in the park” would be a start.” Performances take place at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center in Kirkwood, MO. For more information: moonstonetheatrecompany.com.

The St. Louis Writers' Group presents a reading of the screenplay The Curse of Father Hitchens by Joe Link on Tuesday, November 1 at 6:30 pm. An urban gritty crime drama with a supernatural twist. A Tarantinoesk screenplay that tells the story of a recently released convict, a hardworking cobbler, a coke dealer, the pushers that work for him, a certain bag of cocaine and the importance of having the right pair of shoes.The reading takes place at Big Daddy’s in Soulard. For more information, visit the St. Louis Writers' Group Facebook page.

The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves presents the thriller Deathtrap Fridays and Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, November 4-13. “Sidney Bruhl, a successful writer of Broadway thrillers, is struggling to overcome a dry spell which has resulted in a string of failures. A possible break in his fortunes occurs when he receives a script from a student in the seminar he has been conducting at a nearby college – a thriller that Sidney recognizes as a potential Broadway smash. Sidney’s plan is to offer collaboration to the student for co-credit. Or is it?” Performances take place at the Guild theatre at 517 Theatre Lane, at the corner of Newport and Summit in Webster Groves. For more information: theatreguildwg.org.

Upstream Theater presents the world premiere of The Good Ship St. Louis, a new play by Philip Boehm with original music by Anthony Barilla., opening on November 3 and Running through November 20.“ On May 13, 1939, a ship left Hamburg flying the German Nazi flag and carrying over 900 Jewish refugees. They held valid visas for Cuba and most planned to emigrate to the United States. But when they reached Havana their documents were declared invalid, and the US declined to admit them. The ship returned to Europe, where the refugees were caught up in the tide of war and occupation. The ship was the MS St. Louis, and we are taking this voyage a starting point for a soulful examination of the basic human right to asylum by linking its story to the history of our city with the same name, known for welcoming refugees from the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s”. Performances take place at the Marcelle Theatre, 3310 Samuel Shepard Dr. in Grand Center. For more information: upstreamtheater.org.

Webster Conservatory presents Sueño, translated and adapted by José Rivera from the play by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, November 4-13. “Sueño is Obie Award–winning playwright José Rivera’s sharp translation and adaptation of Calderón de la Barca’s Golden Age classic Life Is a Dream. Sueño follows the life of young Prince Segismundo, heir to the Spanish throne, who is imprisoned at birth when astrologers predicted his reign as king would result in the country’s ruin. When his father King Basilio finds his own life ending without a legitimate heir, he releases Segismundo and places him on the throne. If Segismundo is gentle, he will be allowed to reign. If he is as barbaric as the stars predicted, he'll be sent back to his imprisonment and told that his brief moment of freedom and power was only a dream. In this brisk, contemporary adaptation, Rivera asks the question that haunted Calderón: If life is a dream, who is dreaming us?” Performances take place in the Emerson Studio Theatre in the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus in Webster Groves. For more information: webster.edu/conservatory

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 Calendar.

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.

Symphony Preview: From Russia with love

The Russian government may be stinking up the place right now, but that’s no reason not to appreciate the all-Russian program Thomas Søndergård will conduct in his debut. Sir Stephen Hough will be the soloist for Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and the orchestra will play works by Prokofiev and Anatoly Liadov.

[Preview the music with the SLSO's commercial-free Spotify playlist.]

Anatoly Liadov
en.wikipedia.org

If you’ve never heard of Liadov, that’s hardly surprising. Although he studied composition with no less than Nikolay Rimski-Korsakov at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, he was, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “expelled for idleness in 1876.” He would eventually complete his education and even teach at the Conservatory, where his students would include Prokofiev.

And what did Prokofiev think of his mentor? Based on what he wrote in his autobiography (published in the West as “Prokofiev by Prokofiev: A Composer’s Memoir” in 1979) the answer is: not much. “He was a rather lazy man,” wrote the composer, “and in no hurry to start teaching… He regarded teaching at the Conservatory as a burdensome duty and showed no interest in his students.”

Liadov's laziness (and resulting unreliability) essentially conspired with his self-criticism to prevent him from producing a large body of work, although he did write a number of piano miniatures (his 1893 "Musical Snuffbox" still regularly shows up as an encore piece). Even so, he became associated with (if not an actual member of) the "Mighty Handful" (a.k.a. the "Russian Five") of composers who were so important in the formation of the Russian nationalist school. The actual five were Mily Balakirev (composer of the fiendishly difficult "Islamey" for piano), César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Alexander Borodin.

Appropriately for a Russian nationalist, Liadov is represented this weekend by "The Enchanted Lake" (Op. 62), one of two orchestral miniatures based on Russian folklore (the other is "Kikimora" Op. 63) that were part of sketches for an opera he never got around to writing. It’s a neat piece of work in which the harp, strings, and woodwinds suggest a quiet lake that might or might not have something unpleasant lurking down there in the low strings. In a letter to a friend, the composer wrote that the music contains “no entreaties and no complaints; only nature—cold, malevolent, and fantastic as a fairy tale.”

Make of that what you will.

Prokofiev in 1950

The concerts close with the Symphony No. 7 in C-sharp minor, op. 131 by Sergei Prokofiev. Unlike his former teacher, Prokofiev was a hard-working professional composer with a string of well-known and highly regarded works to his credit by the time he started composing the seventh in 1951.

Alas, that meant nothing to Stalin’s Central Committee, which had started enforcing the so-called “Zhdanov Doctrine” in 1946. Named for its creator, Committee secretary Andrei Aleksandrovich Zhdanov, the doctrine condemned what it regarded as “decadent formalism”—a vague term which, in practice, mean any type of music that did not explicitly promote the Communist Party line. Any work that seemed too abstract, too intellectual, or even vaguely dissonant was banned and its composer condemned.

Such was the fate of Prokofiev and his Symphony No. 6 Op 111, which had the misfortune to appear in the same year as the dreaded Doctrine. Although received with enthusiasm by both audiences and critics at its premiere ("another stunning victory for Soviet art," declared Pravda), only one year later the symphony’s spare and uncompromising sound provoked Zhdanov and company to declare it a failure. Suddenly those who praised it—Prokofiev’s biographer Israel Nestyev for one—suddenly decided was “clearly formalist.” “Prokofiev was stripped of his pension and left in poverty,” writes SLSO Communications Manager Caitlin Custer in her program notes “his name erased from cultural conversation."

By 1951, as a result, Prokofiev’s physical and fiscal heath were both poor. In an effort to improve both, he wrote the Symphony No. 7 in response to a commission from the Children’s Division of State Radio. He hoped its apparent simplicity and charm would earn him the 100,000 ruble Stalin Prize, and at the behest of conductor Samuil Samosud, even went so far as to re-write the original wistful and enigmatic ending to make it more upbeat.

It was all for naught. The symphony didn’t win the prize and the competing endings have led subsequent conductors with the dilemma of which one to use. Custer says Søndergård will be using the “happy” ending, but others have opted for the composer’s original. That includes Seiji Ozawa, whose 2000 recording with the Berlin Philharmonic is the one you can hear in the SLSO’s Spotify playlist.

Kirill Karabits, who recorded a complete Prokofiev symphony cycle with the Bournemouth Symphony in 2014, agrees. “You could call it a farewell symphony,” he said in a 2016 interview for The Gramophone. “It’s a symphony that looks back over his life and childhood—an old man’s dream of childhood. But he’s also saying farewell. Look at the ending—it’s just a heartbeat that slows down and then stops.” The Karabits recording includes the upbeat ending as a separate track and I have to say it does sound rather like the last-minute addition that it was.

Tchaikovsky circa 1872

The Seventh Symphony was, in any case, a true “farewell symphony” in that it was Prokofiev’s last completed work. He died less than a year after its 1952 premiere on, ironically, the same day as Stalin.

In between Liadov and Prokofiev we get the Tchaikovsky concerto, an enduring chestnut that always gets a warm response. The lively melodies (some appropriated from Ukrainian folk sources) and flashy piano part never fail to appeal. The challenge, for Hough, will be to find an approach to it that can make an old standard like this one fresh and exciting. Given his wide range of interests—he’s a writer and composer as well as a spectacular pianist—he’s just the man to do it.

The Essentials: Thomas Søndergård makes his SLSO debut conducting the orchestra and pianist Stephen Hough in an all-Russian concert of Liadov’s “The Enchanted Lake,” Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 7. Performances are Friday at 10:30 am and Saturday at 8 pm, October 28 and 29. The Saturday concert will be broadcast live, as usual, on St. Louis Public Radio and Classic 107.3.

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

Symphony Review: Music of love and sacrifice with the St. Louis Symphony and Chorus

In his comments from the podium at the start of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra concert on October 21, Music Director Stéphane Denève identified the non-musical theme of the evening as “love, dedication, and sacrifice.” I think it was also about the ways religion can motivate believers to become better humans. Which is easy to forget with so many examples of the opposite in the news these days.

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

The concert opened with the local premiere of “Testament,” the third movement of the 2014 “Vishwas” for dancer and orchestra by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail (b. 1983). This short tone poem paints a vivid musical picture of the devotion of 15th-century Indian poet Meera Bai to Krishna, which ended in a supernatural storm and immolation in Krishna’s fire.

Esmail mixes Indian and Western influences skillfully. The use of “bent” microtonal notes along with the prominent part for the tabla (the Indian hand drums that enjoyed a Western vogue during the 1960s) give the music a distinct Indian flavor while staying solidly within more Western harmonic boundaries. You could hear that in solo passages by, among others, Principal Oboe Jelena Dirks, Principal Clarinet Scott Andrews, and Associate Principal Trumpet Tom Drake, along with most of the strings. Guest artist Eric Phinney made a strong impression on the tabla, and while he was (of necessity) miked, the amplification was subtle and free of distortion.

Jeanine de Bique
Photo courtesy of the SLSO

The suite from the 1907 ballet “La tragedie du Salomé” by Florent Schmitt (1870-1958) was next, with its colorful orchestration and “Orientalist” touches. Schmitt’s score depicts the lurid scenario with great splashes of exotic orchestral color that would have been appreciated by his contemporary Richard Strauss, whose own setting of the Salome story is considerably more well known. Certainly it generates the kind of excitement that Strauss’s tone poems do, while still sounding characteristically French.

Denève conducted with his characteristic mix of passion and exactitude, while the orchestra played with its equally characteristic skill, including some fine solos by Dirks as well as Cally Banham on English horn. I missed the wordless offstage women’s chorus at the conclusion of the “Les enchantements sur la mer” (“Apparitions on the Sea”) section, but Dirks’s oboe was a solid replacement. The SLSO hasn’t played this since 1974 and since I didn’t see it then, I know it only from recordings. It was good to finally witness a live performance.

The SLSO Chorus and soprano Jeanine de Bique joined the orchestra after intermission for two works by a composer that is a favorite of Denève, Francis Poulenc (1899-1963): the 1950 “Stabat mater” (in its first SLSO performance) and the brief final scene from the opera “The Dialogs of the Carmelites” (last played by the orchestra for the Opera Theatre production in 2014). Both of these show the more serious and deeply religious side of a composer best known for more witty and eccentric works like the Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (done up nicely by the SLSO in 2018), ballet scores like “Les Biches” (ditto, in 2019), and his many pithy pieces for solo piano. It’s an aspect of his musical personality that was, with a few exceptions, mostly overlooked until recently.

The Latin hymn “Stabat mater dolorosa” describes the suffering of Mary as Jesus is martyred on the cross. Poulenc’s setting for a large orchestra and chorus is, for the most part, appropriately solemn , although there are moments when his more witty and popular sensibilities show up. The almost jovial melodies of “Quae moerebat” and “Eja mater,” for example, feel strangely at odds with the lachrymose text, as does the little comic motif for trombone and muted trumpet at the end of the latter. But that’s Poulenc for you.

The overall mood is, nevertheless, reverential—an atmosphere reinforced by the brief soprano solos in “Vidit suum,” “Fac ut potem,” and the concluding “Quando corpus.” The soprano is effectively the voice of Mary, and de Bique made these moments exceptionally moving. This was especially true of the “Quando corpus” final section, where her voice rang out clearly over the chorus.

Scott Allen Jarrett conducts the 
Bach Akademie of Charlotte
Photo by Michael Harding

For these performances the SLSO chorus was directed by guest artist Scott Allen Jarrett, who has been Director of the Bach Akademie of Charlotte since 2017. That might make him appear to be an unusual choice for a work written in the mid-20th century, but it actually makes perfect sense. Poulenc’s choral writing owes more to Mozart than to many of Poulenc’s contemporaries, and Mozart was, after all, a great admirer of Bach.

Not surprisingly, then, Jarrett got a very clean, precise, and passionate performance from the singers. The Powell Hall acoustics muddied the Latin lyrics a bit from where we sat on Friday (which makes it a pity that the Latin text was not projected along with the English translation), but when heard on the Saturday night live broadcast, everything was crystal clear. It was good to see them all wearing singers’ masks as well.

The final scene from “The Dialogs of the Carmelites” brought the concert to a dramatic and somewhat chilling end. Set during the Reign of Terror that followed the French revolution, the opera is the story of the sixteen women of the monastery of the Carmel of Compiègne. For the crime of refusing to renounce their faith, they were executed—an act of such barbarity that it’s widely believed to have been instrumental in bringing about the end of the Reign of Terror ten days later. Poulenc tells the story from the point of view of the fictional Blanche de la Force, the monastery’s newest member.

Denève emphasized the drama by having the women singing the roles of the nuns line up downstage of the orchestra. As each character was executed (with an unnervingly realistic recorded sound effect), her singer threw her head back and then dropped it to her chest. At the end, de Bique entered stage left to sing Blanche’s solo of the hymn “Veni creator spiritus” until it, too, is silenced by the guillotine. Denéve held the final silence just long enough for us to contemplate the horror.

It was a powerful performance and a disturbing reminder of the evil that is the inevitable product of ideological fanaticism, religious or otherwise. Perhaps it’s a lesson we should all take to heart.

Next at Powell Hall: Thomas Søndergård makes his SLSO debut conducting the orchestra and pianist Stephen Hough in an all-Russian concert of Liadov’s “The Enchanted Lake,” Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 7. Performances are Friday at 10:30 am and Saturday at 8 pm, October 28 and 29. The Saturday concert will be broadcast live, as usual, on St. Louis Public Radio and Classic 107.3.

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

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 24, 2022

Now including both on-line and live events during the pandemic. To get your event listed here, send an email to chuck [at] kdhx.org Your event information should be in text format (i.e. not part of a graphic), but feel free to include publicity stills.

Joe Dreyer

The Blue Strawberry presents Joe Dreyer: A Swath of Song  Tuesday at 7:00 pm, October 25. “Join Joe Dreyer in the lounge as he slices his way through the abundant field of American song masters."  Joe performs in the Blue Strawberry Lounge with Dave Black (guitar) and Scott Alberici (clarinet). The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle.  The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

The Blue Strawberry presents Susan Werner Friday at 7:30 pm, October 28. “Susan Werner is in the rung of contemporary songwriters closest to heaven. As a performer, she is vastly entertaining - funny, fun, dryly witty, very hard working and endlessly charming. Her songs have been recorded by Tom Jones and Michael Feinstein, Betty Buckley and Christine Ebersole.”  The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

The Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents the musical Little Shop of Horrors through October 30. “Little Shop of Horrors has devoured the hearts of theatre goers for over 30 years. The meek floral assistant Seymour Krelborn stumbles across a new breed of plant he names Audrey II after his coworker crush. This foul-mouthed, R&B singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to the down-and-out Krelborn as long as he keeps feeding it – BLOOD. Over time, Seymour discovers Audrey II’s out-of-this-world origins and intent toward global domination!” Performances take place at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center in Kirkwood, MO. For more information: ktg-onstage.org

The Lemp Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre and Jest Mysteries present Dead Like Me through October 29th. "Death is in the air as guests join Marilyn Monroe, Babe Ruth, Juliet and her Romeo, Nixon and other grizzly ghouls as they emerge from the Land of The Dead for the annual Brotherhood of Obituary Occupants Union Meeting (That’s BOO for short). Be sure to leave your pulse at home because everyone at this party is dead... even you! There are lots of shadowy characters at this fun, interactive murder mystery but none are as sneaky as P.T. Barnum himself. He’s always got some devious slimy trick up his translucent sleeves. Gee, hope nothing happens to him! But just in case it does... will you figure out who-dun-it? Or will all waggling fingers be pointing at you?"  The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place in south city. For more information: www.lempmansion.com

Seedfolks
Photo: Jennifer A. Lin

Metro Theater Company presents Seedfolks live through November 6. “A vacant lot in a broken neighborhood in the middle of the city can become a lot of things. How could it ever be a source of hope? A dozen different characters and their stories come to life, beginning with Kim, a nine-year-old Vietnamese immigrant who plants six precious lima beans. One by one, the people of his community, many also immigrants, sow seeds of hope amid the dirt and grit, tending dreams to full bloom. As the garden grows, so does the community, blooming into something bigger, better, and beyond all expectations. As told by award-winning novelist Paul Fleischman, the garden draws neighbors out of their lonely isolation to rediscover and celebrate the community around them.” Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre in Grand Center and can also be viewed via streaming video beginning on October 19th. For more information: www.metroplays.org

Moonstone Theatre Company presents Neil Simon’s comedy Barefoot in the Park October 27 through November 13. “The romantic comedy Barefoot in the Park tells the story of Paul and Corie Bratter, who are newlyweds in every sense of the word. He’s a straight-as-an-arrow lawyer, and she’s a free spirit always looking for the latest kick. Their new apartment is her most recent find – too expensive with bad plumbing and in need of a paint job. After a six-day honeymoon, they get a surprise visit from Corie’s loopy mother and decide to play matchmaker during a dinner with their neighbor-in-the-attic, Velasco, where everything that can go wrong does. Paul just doesn’t understand Corie, as she sees it. He’s too staid, too boring.  She just wants him to be a little more spontaneous – and running “barefoot in the park” would be a start.” Performances take place at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center in Kirkwood, MO. For more information: moonstonetheatrecompany.com.

The Washington University Performing Arts Department presents Sondheim’s Into the Woods Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm, through October 30. Performances take place in the Edison Theatre on the Washington University Campus. For more information: pad.wustl.edu

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 Calendar.

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.

Symphony Preview: Les religieux

In a March 2020 interview with St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Music Director Stéphane Denève about the upcoming season (a.k.a. The Season That Never Was thanks to the pandemic) we talked about the number of works planned for that season which, while not new in the sense of being recently composed, were still likely to be new to the St. Louis audience because they are so rarely heard.

[Preview the music with the SLSO's commercial-free Spotify playlist.]

Florent Schmitt
By Eugène Pirou (1841 - 1909)
Bibliothèque nationale de France
Public Domain, Link

Included in that list was the work that concludes the first half of the concerts Denève conducts this weekend (October 21 and 22): the suite from the 1907 ballet “La tragedie du Salomé” by Florent Schmitt (1870-1958). Running nearly an hour and scored for a small orchestra, the full ballet has effectively fallen off the map (as has most of Schmitt’s music), but the 1910 “big band” suite Schmitt created from it has gotten more attention. I first encountered it on a 1970 LP (remember those?) by Antonio de Almeida and the New Philharmonia Orchestra. I was captivated by its (Richard) Straussian romanticism and its anticipations of Stravinsky.

“I'm very pleased,” said Denève in that interview, “because not only is it a great, exciting symphonic poem but on top of that it's very important. Because without it, there would be no ‘Rite of Spring.’ ‘La tragédie de Salomé’ was dedicated to Stravinsky and was really an inspiration for him. I wouldn't say he copied it, because it was just in the air and Stravinsky loved that piece.” Check out the recording on the SLSOs Spotify playlist and see if you don’t agree.

Schmitt himself was an interesting character: irascible, opinionated, and in the eyes of many, a collaborator with the puppet Vichy regime during World War II. How much of that latter accusation was true is a bit vague, but it probably didn’t help his reputation in the years following the war.

The concerts will open with “Testament,” the third movement of the 2014 “Vishwas” for dancer and orchestra by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail (b. 1983). In program notes on her web site, the composer writes that “vishwas (िवशवास) expresses the concept of fervent belief, or faith, in Hindi. Meera Bai, a celebrated saint-poet from 15th century India, is the quintessential embodiment of vishwas.” The highly cinematic “Testament” is inspired by the story of Meera’s devotion to the deity Krishna and how the “events of her life are shaped around her fervent devotion to this intangible but omnipresent figure.” That life ends with a hunger strike, a supernatural storm, and immolation in Krishna’s fire, all portrayed in vivid orchestral colors.

Reena Esmail
Photo courtesy of the SLSO

“Testament” isn’t available on Spotify, but there’s video performance by David Rents and the Orchestra Collective of Orange County on YouTube. The use of “bent” microtonal notes along with the prominent part for the tabla (the Indian hand drums that enjoyed a Western vogue during the 1960s) give the music a distinct Indian flavor while staying solidly within more Western harmonic boundaries.

The SLSO Chorus and Trinidadian soprano Jeanine de Bique  join the orchestra for the second half of this weekend’s concerts, which are devoted to the work of another French composer who doesn’t get the attention he deserves, Francis Poulenc (1899-1963). A member of that eccentric group of French composers known as “Les Six,” Poulenc is best known for witty and somewhat neoclassical works like his Organ Concerto, Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, ballet scores like “Les Biches,” and his many pithy pieces for solo piano. Poulenc also had a more serious side, though, as revealed in his opera “La voix humaine” (a fine performance of which graced Opera Theatre’s 2020 season), his religious works, and his 1955 opera “Dialogues des Carmélites” (“The Dialogs of the Carmelites,” also presented at Opera Theatre in 2014, which is also the last time members of the orchestra played this score).

One of the composer’s religious works comes first: the 1950 “Stabat Mater,” inspired by the death of Poulenc’s friend, the French artist, fashion illustrator, and designer Christian Bérard. This setting for chorus and large orchestra of the Latin hymn “Stabat mater dolorosa” describes the suffering of Mary as Jesus is martyred on the cross. Many composers have set it to music, but few in as economical and melodically appealing a form as Poulenc.

Although it consists of twelve separate movements, Poulenc’s setting of the poem runs just around 30 minutes, with many sections lasting less than two minutes. The chorus sings almost nonstop, but the orchestra drops out now and then to let the chorus take the lead. There are also two intense passages for the solo soprano. Melodic, dramatic, and touching, the “Stabat Mater” is a remarkable work that is getting its premiere performance by the SLSO this weekend.

Francis Poulenc in 1922
Photo by Joseph Rosmand

The concerts conclude with a work that is both overtly religions and operatic. It’s the final scene from “The Dialogs of the Carmelites,” which is, as they say, based on a true story. On July 17th, 1794, the sixteen women of the monastery of the Carmel of Compiègne in France were guillotined by the revolutionary government for refusing to abandon their vows and their community. The execution is widely believed to have been instrumental in bringing about the end of the Reign of Terror ten days later.

The story of the opera centers on Blanche de la Force, a young woman so consumed with fear that she screams at shadows. In an effort to escape her dread of life, she joins the convent.

Blanche soon becomes friends with cheerful (if absurdly naïve) Sister Constance and starts to settle into convent life—only to have her world turned upside down when the Reign of Terror seizes the monastery's assets and demands that the nuns abandon their community and become ordinary citizens. They refuse, deciding instead to take a vow of martyrdom. Blanche panics and runs at the last minute but returns in the final scene to embrace death along with her compatriots.

That scene is easily the most riveting of the opera. The nuns sing "Salve Regina" as, one by one, they are led to the guillotine and executed (with an unnervingly realistic sound effect from the percussion section). The choir becomes smaller and smaller until only Blanche is left. Her death is followed by two soft, mournful chords, a final note in the low strings, and silence.

I am not a great admirer of this opera overall, but if this final scene doesn’t leave you chilled to the bone, I will be very surprised.

The Essentials: Stéphane Denève returns to lead the orchestra, chorus, and soprano soloist Jeanine de Bique in a program of music by Poulenc, Florent Schmitt, and contemporary Indian-American composer Reena Esmail. Performances are Friday at 7:30 pm and Saturday at 8 pm, October 21 and 22. The Saturday concert will be broadcast live, as usual, on St. Louis Public Radio and Classic 107.3.

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

Symphony Review: Big band, bigger emotions: Lintu conducts Rachmaninoff and Corigliano at the SLSO

You’d think that a pair of works that had their genesis in depression and loss might make for a glum St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) program. But, as the concerts this past weekend (October 15 and 16) demonstrated, one of the things that makes great music great is the ability to turn tragedy into triumph—or at least into a moving and even exhilarating afternoon at Powell Hall.

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

That’s what I experienced Sunday (October 16th) in the second of two presentations of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s (1873-1945) Piano Concerto No. 2 and the Symphony No. 1 by John Corigliano (B. 1938). Piano soloist Kirill Gerstein and conductor Hannu Lintu—both familiar visitors to the Powell Hall stage—dished up a pair of performances that bristled with high drama and (particularly in the case of the Corigliano symphony) intense emotional depth.

Kirill Gerstein
Photo by Marco Borggreve

First performed in 1901, the Rachmaninoff concerto might never have been written at all had Dr. Nikolai Dahl not used hypnotherapy to bring the composer out of the black depression and artistic paralysis that had engulfed him after the hostile reception of his Symphony No. 1 four years earlier. The Concerto No. 2 has since become one of the composer’s most popular works, and with good reason. Stuffed full of soulful tunes (one of which became a hit for Frank Sinatra in 1945), it's a work that can’t fail to please.

That’s especially true when it gets the kind of disciplined and yet grandly romantic reading that it got Sunday from Lintu and Gerstein. Hannu Lintu, as I have said many times in the past, is a commanding figure on the podium and whose interpretations are wont to combine excitement and intellectual rigor. Gerstein, for his part, is a consistently dynamic performer with a wide expressive range. Their collaboration produced a Rachmaninoff Second that had an ideal mixture of structural clarity and big-screen passion.

There was also a sense of irresistible forward momentum here that I have not always heard in the Second. I have always regarded the Concerto No. 3 as a more powerful work overall, but this performance might make me reconsider that.

Hannu Lintu
Photo courtesy of the SLSO

It helped that the orchestral playing was of such a high order. Associate Principal Horn Thomas Jöstlein’s solos were exceptionally fine, as were those of Principal Clarinet Scott Andrews and Principal Flute Matthew Roitstein, who joins the SLSO roster for the first time this season after eight years with the Houston Symphony. Gerstein’s pianism was as powerful and nuanced as always, including a second movement cadenza that was a model of clarity and sensitivity. A tip of the hat to all concerned.

Completed in 1988, John Corigliano’s Symphony No. 1 (which closed the program) was the composer’s response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic that was devastating the human race in general and the gay community in particular. Like so many of us in the arts community back then, both gay and straight, Corigliano lost far too many friends and family members to the epidemic. His anger and grief are powerfully displayed in this four-movement work.

Written for an orchestra of Mahlerian proportions (there were around 110 musicians on the stage Sunday), the Symphony No. 1 has an emotional range as big as its orchestration.  Indeed, the title of the opening movement—"Apologue: Of Rage and Remembrance”—might serve as a summary of the entire work. Throughout its four movements, rage “against the dying of the light” alternates with affectionate memories of absent friends. In the second movement (“Tarantella”) they effectively fuse, as a tarantella Corigliano wrote for a friend who was an amateur pianist becomes increasingly chaotic and deranged, mirroring the mental deterioration his friend suffered as a result of AIDS. The movement ends in what the composer describes as “a brutal scream.”

Corigliano’s use of his large forces is frankly inspired. Passages of howling sonic assault are balanced by moments of chamber music-like delicacy. Rarely heard instruments such as the sub contrabassoon and the contrabass clarinet are given solos that were neatly executed by Hank Skolnik and Lina Phipps, respectively. A quartet of second violinists (Andrea Jarrett, Janet Carpenter, Asako Kubokil, and Shawn Weil) switched over to the mandolin for parts of the “Tarantella”. And the third movement featured a lovely duet for Principal Cello Danny Lee and Assistant Principal Melissa Brooks. 

Congratulations are due as well to pianist Peter Henderson for his prominent role in the work, both on stage and off. As a tribute to a concert pianist friend, the first movement makes extensive use of the 1921 Leopold Godowsky transcription of Isaac Albeniz's “Tango.” It was a favorite of his late friend, and Corigliano has the pianist play it offstage, as though recalled in a dream. The piano part requires some technically thorny work on stage as well. Henderson did it all with aplomb.

Corigliano's big band
Photo by the author

There were also long polyrhythmic sections that Charles Ives would have loved. Taken together with the complexity of Corigliano’s harmonies, the overall impression is sometimes that of a massive edifice on the verge of collapse. It’s an illusion, of course, but a meticulously constructed one—which must make this one killer of a work to play and, more importantly, to conduct.

Corigliano’s symphony has been played only once before by the SLSO, and that was 25 years ago under the baton of Marin Alsop. For many of the current crop of musicians that made it, in effect, a new piece—which might explain why it was the only other work on this unusually short program (around 75 minutes with intermission). A visiting conductor only has so much rehearsal time with an orchestra, and this particular work must have required a lot of rehearsal.

In any case, Lintu and the band were clearly more than up to the task. With impeccable calm and precision, he led his forces through the thorniest of passages and kept the entire massive musical machine on track. Rehearsals for this piece must have been arduous, given how wonderfully coherent the results were. Chalk this up as another bit of evidence of the high level of virtuosity on the part of the musicians of the SLSO.

The audience must have agreed, given the solid standing ovation that followed the slowly dying cello solo that ends the work. It’s easy to get big applause from a slam-bang finish; not so much with a demanding piece like this that quietly fades away. Corigliano’s symphony throws a lot of intense emotion at the audience; it was encouraging to see it so well received.

Next at Powell Hall: Stéphane Denève returns to lead the orchestra, chorus, and soprano soloist Jeanine de Bique in program of music by Poulenc, Florent Schmitt, and contemporary American composer Reena Esmail. Performances are Friday at 7:30 pm and Saturday at 8 pm, October 21 and 22.  The Saturday concert will be broadcast live, as usual, on St. Louis Public Radio and Classic 107.3.

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

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of October 17th, 2022

Now including both on-line and live events during the pandemic. Your event information should be in text format (i.e. not part of a graphic), but feel free to include publicity stills. To get your event listed here, send an email to calendar [at] stageleft.org.

Black Mirror Theatre Company presents Roll With It through October 23. Performances take place at the Kranzberg Center in Grand Center. “After an SUV rollover leaves 25-year-old Katie paralyzed from the chest down, she and her former self struggle with physical, emotional, psychological, and financial challenges as they aim to recover, and find purpose and beauty in daily living. Katie’s journey with friends, family and caregivers is inspiring, difficult, funny, and honest.” For more information: www.blackmirrortheatre.org

John McDaniel

The Blue Strawberry presents John McDaniel: Coming Home Thursday October20 and 8, at 7:30 pm. “Join St. Louis’s own Grammy & Emmy Award winner, John McDaniel, as he brings some terrific songs and stories home to the Lou.  From nine shows on Broadway to TV’s Rosie O’Donnell Show, he’s made music with the best.  Fun, laughs and great tunes are in store for one night only!"  The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

The Blue Strawberry presents Broadway’s Judy Kuhn Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm, October 21 and 22. “Join four-time Tony Award nominee Judy Kuhn for an evening of songs and stories. Kuhn is perhaps best known for singing the title role in Disney's Pocahontas and her enchanting "Colors Of The Wind" remains one of the most beloved Disney ballads to this day. Her prolific career on Broadway includes the 2016 revival of Fiddler on the Roof, Fun Home (Tony & Drama League Award nominations), the Roundabout’s 1993 revival of She Loves Me (Tony Award nomination), Richard Nelson’s Two Shakespearean Actors (Lincoln Center Theatre), Chess (Tony & Drama Desk nominations), Les Misérables (Tony & Drama Desk nominations), Rags (Drama Desk nomination), Alan Menken & Tim Rice's King David, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood (original cast). Most recently, Kuhn appeared in John Doyle’s production of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s Assassins at CSC, and in 2019, she starred in Trevor Nunn’s critically acclaimed revival of Fiddler on the Roof in London's West End, for which she received her second Laurence Olivier Award nomination. Joining Kuhn as emcee and music director is St. Louis-native John McDaniel, a Grammy and Emmy Award winning music director, composer, director, arranger, orchestrator, and producer who is also an artistic director at the Tony Award winning Eugene O’Neill Theater Center."  The show is also available via live video stream. The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: bluestrawberrystl.com.

Chuck Lavazzi and Carol Schmidt

The Cabaret Project and The Blue Strawberry present a Singers Open Mic on Tuesday, October 18, from 7 to 9:30 pm. “Chuck Lavazzi is your host, with pianist and music director Carol Schmidt. If you plan to sing bring sheet music or a chart in your own key, and perform your favorite Broadway, pop, or jazz tunes. Medium/up-tempo songs are encouraged but not required. Or you can just relax, have a drink and dinner or a snack, and enjoy the music. No admission or cover, but there is always a tip jar! All proceeds go to The Cabaret Project, a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to promoting, developing, and sustaining the art cabaret in St. Louis. "  The Blue Strawberry is at 364 N. Boyle. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

Clayton Community Theatre presents Wendy Wasserstein’s Uncommon Women and Others Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm, through October 23.  “The year is 1978. Eight women - who six years earlier were classmates at a prestigious, New England women’s college during the heady early years of the women’s movement - share memories and reflect on how their lives have unfolded so far, in light of their own expectations and those of society. Wasserstein’s characters strive to define and chart new paths for themselves in a challenging world still fraught with traditional stereotypes. Uncommon Women and Others was her breakthrough play; Wasserstein wrote it in 1975 while earning a graduate degree at Yale Drama School and revised it in 1977. The play entered the public consciousness soon after its debut in 1978 in New York City; it remains very popular and is still frequently performed today.” Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Rd. For more information: www.placeseveryone.org

Hadestown
Photo: Kevin Berne

The Fabulous Fox presents the musical Hadestown through October 23. “Hadestown intertwines two mythic tales — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — as it invites you on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and Chavkin’s poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers and singers, Hadestown is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go.” The Fabulous Fox is on North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: www.fabulousfox.com

The Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents the musical Little Shop of Horrors October 21-30. “Little Shop of Horrors has devoured the hearts of theatre goers for over 30 years. The meek floral assistant Seymour Krelborn stumbles across a new breed of plant he names Audrey II after his coworker crush. This foul-mouthed, R&B singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to the down-and-out Krelborn as long as he keeps feeding it – BLOOD. Over time, Seymour discovers Audrey II’s out-of-this-world origins and intent toward global domination!” Performances take place at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center in Kirkwood, MO. For more information: ktg-onstage.org

KTK Productions presents Two Witches, No Waiting Fridays through October 23. “Arlene Marcus and her sister, Elzbeth, are known far and wide in South Texas as friendly, charitable and a little eccentric. This is understandable, because it is also known that they are witches. At least, that's the story, especially the one spread by their housekeeper, Opal Dunn, just before she vanished without a trace. Sheriff Jeb Abercrombie seems a little shy about investigating for some reason, which bothers Elzbeth, who has a crush on the lawman. Arlene's son, Jeremy, tries to keep a lid on things by trying to get the sisters to sell their house. And who wants desperately to buy the property? Eustace Sternwood, his fiancés father. Of course, Sternwood didn't reckon on dealing with people who read bumps on his head, a "recipe book" full of spells and potions and getting lost in Elzbeth's "mystery room." Jeremy already has his hands full, so what happens when he seems to be falling in love with Bonnie, the new housekeeper? And just who is she? And why does she keep making reports to someone over her cellphone? It's a heady brew of twists and turns, where barn owls spy on people through windows, closets fly open and even the house itself seems alive. Of course, it's all par for the course, especially when you have , Two Witches, No Waiting.” Performances take place at the Saint John The Baptist Gymnasium, 4200 Delor Street in south St. Louis. For more information: kurtainkall.org

The Lemp Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre and Jest Mysteries present Dead Like Me through October 29th. "Death is in the air as guests join Marilyn Monroe, Babe Ruth, Juliet and her Romeo, Nixon and other grizzly ghouls as they emerge from the Land of The Dead for the annual Brotherhood of Obituary Occupants Union Meeting (That’s BOO for short). Be sure to leave your pulse at home because everyone at this party is dead... even you! There are lots of shadowy characters at this fun, interactive murder mystery but none are as sneaky as P.T. Barnum himself. He’s always got some devious slimy trick up his translucent sleeves. Gee, hope nothing happens to him! But just in case it does... will you figure out who-dun-it? Or will all waggling fingers be pointing at you?"  The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place in south city. For more information: www.lempmansion.com

Metro Theater Company presents Seedfolks live through November 6. “A vacant lot in a broken neighborhood in the middle of the city can become a lot of things. How could it ever be a source of hope? A dozen different characters and their stories come to life, beginning with Kim, a nine-year-old Vietnamese immigrant who plants six precious lima beans. One by one, the people of his community, many also immigrants, sow seeds of hope amid the dirt and grit, tending dreams to full bloom. As the garden grows, so does the community, blooming into something bigger, better, and beyond all expectations. As told by award-winning novelist Paul Fleischman, the garden draws neighbors out of their lonely isolation to rediscover and celebrate the community around them.” Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre in Grand Center and can also be viewed via streaming video beginning on October 19th. For more information: www.metroplays.org

St. Louis Woman

The Midnight Company presents the World Premiere of St. Louis Woman, a play with music starring Laka, written and directed by Midnight’s Artistic Director, Joe Hanrahan, through October 22. “St. Louis Woman will honor the enduring legacy of some of the amazing women in St. Louis who brought this city to the world with their timeless music, dance and poetry. Laka will portray such legendary artists as Josephine Baker, Tina Turner and Katherine Dunham (and present the poetry of Maya Angelou, the song stylings of chart-toppers Fontella Bass and Ann Peebles, and the Gospel classics of the legendary Willie Mae Ford Smith.) These women were born in St. Louis, or came here when young (typically to join Gospel choirs), or, in Dunham’s case, moved here during the height of their careers to continue their momentous work. Performances take place at the .ZACK theatre, in Grand Center For more information: midnightcompany.com.

Some of My Best Friends Are
Photo: Joan Lipkin

The Missouri History Museum presents “Some of My Best Friends Are”: A Musical Reunion, on Thursday, October 20, at 5:30 pm.  “St. Louis playwright Joan Lipkin wrote, directed, and produced this award-winning theatrical exploration of the lesbian and gay experience. With music and lyrics by Tom Clear, it was the first theatrical work of its kind in Missouri. The sold-out performances of Some of My Best Friends Are were held in the basement theater of the St. Marcus Church in 1989. The production was widely featured on television and radio, and it changed St. Louis’s cultural and political landscape. This one-time program will reunite much of the original cast and crew to reflect on this groundbreaking work, and the audience will have a chance to share their memories too. Kick off the evening with live choral performances from CHARIS, the St. Louis Women’s choir, and Black Tulip Chorale, St. Louis’s LGBTQ+ all-expression, gender, identity, and orientation mixed-voice choral organization. Explore the Museum’s galleries and visit tables from local LGBTQ+ organizations, including Black Pride, Metro Trans Umbrella Group, PFLAG, the St. Louis Queer+ Support Helpline, and more. Food and drinks will be available for purchase from Sugarfire Smoke House.” The Missouri History Museum is in Forest Park. For more information: https://mohistory.org/events/a-musical-reunion

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Private Lives by Noël Coward through October 23. “Sparks fly in Noël Coward’s witty and sophisticated romantic comedy of manners, featuring the unexpected and tumultuous collision of two former lovers.” Performances take place on the Berges Mainstage Theatre at COCA in University City. For more information: www.repstl.org

Fiction
Photo: Patrick Huber

The St. Louis Actors’ Studio presents Fiction by Steven Dietz Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm through October 23. “Linda and Michael Waterman are both successful fiction writers, happily married to one another. They thrive on the give and take of their unusually honest and candid relationship. However, when Linda is diagnosed with a tumor, she asks her husband to share his diaries with her. The entries dive into Michael's past stay at a writer's retreat and a hidden affair. Michael says that his entries are only works of fiction. The boundaries between past and present, fact and fiction, trust and betrayal begin to break down, and that's all before Michael reads Linda's diaries. No life, as it turns out, is an open book.” Performances take place at The Gaslight Theater on North Boyle in the Central West End. For more information: www.stlas.org

The St. Louis Writers' Group presents the final round of the 2022 Playwright Slam Tuesday, October 18 at 6:30 pm. Ten-minute selections from each of the six finalists from previous rounds will be read and rated by a panel of judges based on audience reaction. The judges will then select the winning play. The readings take place at Big Daddy’s in Soulard. For more information, visit the St. Louis Writers' Group Facebook page.

A Little Night Music
Photo: John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents the Sondheim’s A Little Night Music Wednesday through Saturday, October 19 through 22. “Set in a weekend country house in turn of the century Sweden, this musical farce brings together surprising liaisons, long simmering passions, and a taste of love’s endless possibilities. Hailed as witty and wildly romantic, the story centers on the elegant actress Desirée Armfeldt and the spider’s web of sensuality, intrigue, and desire that surrounds her.” Performances take place at Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee in Tower Grove East. Tickets are only offered in physically distanced groups of two or four. For more information: www.straydogtheatre.org

Upstream Theater presents The Doors Cry for Those Who Left, an evening of music and poetry and a preview of their upcoming play The Good Ship St. Louis, on Monday, October 17, at 8 pm. “The evening features live music by Farshid Soltanshahi and Patrick Siler, and includes poems on the theme of displacement, as well as monologues from The Good Ship St. Louis, as performed by Sarah Burke, Kari Ely, Wendy Greenwood, Christopher Hickey, Miranda Jagels Félix, Peter Mayer, and Caitlin Mickey. Reception to follow!”  The event takes place in the Hall of Nations at The International Institute, 3401 Arsenal in South St. Louis.

The Washington University Performing Arts Department presents Sondheim’s Into the Woods Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm, October 21-30. Performances take place in the Edison Theatre on the Washington University Campus. For more information: pad.wustl.edu

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 Calendar.

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.

Symphony Preview: Well crafted

This weekend (Friday through Sunday, October 14-16) the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra offers two separate and very different concerts. Friday night at 6:30 Norman Huynh conducts the orchestra and singer/songwriter Gabriel Kahane in a special Crafted Series program of a suite from Copland's "Appalachian Spring" along with selections from Kahane's albums "Magnificent Bird” and “Book of Travelers." Saturday night and Sunday afternoon brings a more traditional program as Hannu Lintu leads the orchestra and pianist Kirill Gerstein in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and John Corigliano’s Symphony No. 1.

[Preview the music with my commercial-free Spotify playlists for Friday and the Saturday/Sunday concerts.]

John Corigliano
Photo courtesy of the SLSO

Let’s take a quick look at the Crafted concert first. The Crafted series of short programs features happy hour drink specials, food samples (this week from Mai Lee, Dad's Cookies, Hendri's Events,  and Pretzel Pretzel) and drink samples (this week from Breakthru Beverage and Urban Chestnut Brewing Company). All seats are a single price and audience members get to mingle with SLSO musicians after the concert. The atmosphere is informal, and the music tends to be more friendly for folks who aren’t regular customers of the subscription season.

Copland’s suite is famous enough to need little introduction, but if you’d like a bit more detail, check out what I wrote for the orchestra’s April 2021 performance. Kahane’s work, on the other hand, may be less familiar to classical music fans. A multi-faceted artist whose music blurs the lines between “popular” and “classical,” Kahane is also a prolific writer who gives free rein to his many views on his “Words and Music” blog at Substack.

Listen to his music on the Spotify playlist, check out his blog, and enjoy the experience.

The Saturday and Sunday concerts consist of two hefty compositions, both of which have their origins in emotional pain. Rachmaninoff’s concerto came about after a serious bout of depression and Corigliano’s 1988 symphony was the composer’s response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic that was devastating the human race in general and the gay community in particular.

Like so many of us in the arts community back then, both gay and straight, Corigliano lost far too many friends and family members to the deadly HIV virus before the medical community could come up with effective treatments and before the creators of public policy could be convinced that the pandemic should be treated as a public health crisis rather than a tool for cultural and political enforcement. His anger and grief are powerfully displayed in this four-movement work, which was inspired by a viewing of the famous AIDS Memorial Quilt.

Into its 50,000 panels are sewn the names of over 100,000 lives lost to HIV/AIDS. Three of them are memorialized in Corigliano’s symphony.

An ambitious and openly programmatic work, Corigliano’s Symphony No 1 is best approached after hearing Leonard Slatkin’s recording in the Spotify playlist and reading the composer’s detailed road map at his web site. It’s potent stuff, combining a contemporary harmonic palette with a level of emotional honesty that would not be out of place in the 19th century. If Berlioz were around today, he might have written something like this.

There’s plenty of emotional honesty in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, as well, although the mood is romantic and lyrical rather than angry. Which is somewhat miraculous, given the black despair that preceded its creation.

Rachmaninoff’s career got off to promising start. As Paul Schiavo pointed out in program notes for a 2015 performance of the Concerto No. 2. Rachmaninoff had, by the age of 20, "completed a piano concerto; an opera, Aleko, which was triumphantly produced at the Bolshoi Theater; several tone poems and chamber pieces; and a number of keyboard works, including the famous Prelude in C-sharp minor.” Rachmaninoff’s star was on the rise

Alas,  that star fell abruptly when the composer's "Symphony No. 1" had its St. Petersburg premiere in 1897. The performance was a debacle. Conductor Alexander Glazunov, a notorious alcoholic, was said to be conducting under the influence and critics hated it. César Cui, for example, famously wrote that if "there were a conservatory in Hell, if one of its talented students were instructed to write a program symphony on the ‘Seven Plagues of Egypt,’ and if he were to compose a symphony like Mr. Rachmaninoff’s, then he would have fulfilled his task brilliantly and would bring delight to the inhabitants of Hell.”

The psychological impact on the young Rachmaninoff's was devastating. "All my self-confidence broke down," he recalled, "and the artistic satisfaction that I had looked forward to was never realized." He spiraled down into a depression so severe that friends urged him to seek help from one Dr. Nikolai Dahl, who was then making a name for himself in Moscow with hypnotherapy.

Dahl hypnotized Rachmaninoff daily for three months. "Dahl had inquired what kind of composition was desired of me," recalled the composer, "and he was informed 'a concerto for pianoforte,' for I had promised this to people in London and had given up in despair the idea of writing it. In consequence, I heard repeated, day after day, the same hypnotic formula as I lay half somnolent in an armchair in Dr. Dahl's consulting room. 'You will start to compose a concerto—You will work with the greatest of ease—The composition will be of excellent quality.' Always it was the same, without interruption."

Rachmaninoff in 1900
en.wikipedia.org

The result was everything Rachmaninoff could have hoped for. He took up composing with a new vigor. Ideas for the concerto "began to well up within me," he reported. The second the third movements were completed by the autumn on 1900 and by the spring on 1901 the entire work was ready for a November Moscow premiere under Alexander Siloti, with the composer at the piano. It was a hit with both critics and audiences and has remained so ever since. Rachmaninoff was on the comeback trail.

The Second may not be the best of Rachmaninoff's four piano concerti—both the revised First and (my favorite) the Third are more economical and generate more momentum—but its flashy (and technically demanding) solo passages, soaring melodies, and showy finale have made it a real crowd pleaser. From its famous seven-chord introduction to the big tune of the finale (popularized by Frank Sinatra in 1945 as “Full Moon and Empty Arms”), this is a concerto that is impossible to dislike.

The Essentials: Norman Huynh conducts the orchestra and singer/songwriter Gabriel Kahane in a special Crafted Series program of a suite from Copland's "Appalachian Spring" and selections from Kahane's albums "Magnificent Bird” and “Book of Travelers" on Friday, October 14, at 6:30 pm.  Guest conductor Hannu Lintu leads the orchestra and pianist Kirill Gerstein in a program of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and John Corigliano’s Symphony No. 1 Performances are Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm, October 15 and 16. The Saturday concert will be broadcast live, as usual, on St. Louis Public Radio and Classic 107.3.

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