Symphony Review: A hot time in the cold town with Slatkin and the SLSO

Before he started his pre-concert chat with the audience at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) concert Saturday night (January 13) Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin smiled and said, “Look how many of you made it!”

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

He was referring to the fact that despite a light snowfall and Antarctic wind chill values, the Busch Concert Hall at the Touhill Center was packed (it was officially sold out, but bad weather always results in some no-shows). The audience was rewarded for braving the deep freeze by an impeccably  performed and consistently entertaining program of music from (mostly) the 1920s.

La création du monde

It was second of three concerts demonstrating the influence of what Slatkin calls “vernacular music”—jazz, folk, spirituals, theatre, and popular music in general—on the classical canon. It consisted of three infrequently heard works by European composers inspired by American jazz and dance tunes and was followed by one big whopping hit by an American composer inspired by a visit to Paris. It would have gotten serious points for variety even if it hadn’t been so well done.

It all started with the 1923 ballet “La création du monde” (The Creation of the World) by Darius Milhaud (1892–1974), a work heavily influenced by the composer’s brief infatuation with jazz and ragtime (even though the latter was in its sunset years by then).  With a scenario by Blaise Cendrars based on the poet’s 1922 collection of African folk tales, the ballet featured Picasso-esque sets and costumes by Fernand Léger that looked impressive but were clumsy and awkward for the dancers. Which may explain why “La création du monde” is rarely seen but often heard.

Scored for a small wind ensemble, percussion (including a typical jazz drum kit), and a string quartet with the alto sax replacing the viola, it’s a piece in which every player can be clearly heard. But it’s also one in which quasi-independent instrumental lines often converge into what could, in less skilled hands, turn into mere cacophony. That makes it a bit of a challenge for both the players and the audience.

Section I, with its fast-moving fugue, is a good example. Keeping the individual lines clear here looks tricky in the score, but Slatkin and the musicians kept everything clearly delineated. This is music that requires close attention by the listener, and this neatly balanced performance made that easy. The roster of fine performers included Nathan Nabb on sax, Peter Henderson on piano, Kevin Ritenauer on the drum kit, and Jelena Dirks on oboe.

Ebony Concerto

Parenthetical note: the tune of the oboe’s soulful, blues-drenched solo sounded so much like the one Gershwin wrote for his Concerto in F two years later that I suspect Milhaud’s theme might have been on his mind at the time.

Jazz was certainly on the mind of Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) in 1945 when he wrote his brief “Ebony Concerto” for clarinetist Woody Herman and his band. It crams a lot of musical variety into its ten minutes without overwhelming the listener with its ingenious mix of 1940’s jazz and the composer’s neoclassicism.

It also defies expectations by using the soloist more as a featured member of the band than as an individual player. There were long stretches in which SLSO Principal Clarinet Scott Andrews was more observer than participant, with prominent musical roles taken over by the large sax section. Still, when Andrews was given the chance to cut loose and strut his stuff, he did so beautifully, showing his wide expressive and dynamic range. I don’t often think of Stravinsky’s neoclassical works as being “fun,” but I can’t think of a better way to describe this one.

Intermission and another stage change brought the “Kleine Dreigroschenmusik” (“Little Threepenny Music”) by Kurt Weill (1900–1950). Scored for a 1920’s dance band with a bandoneon (a conertina much favored by Agentine tango composers) added for a bit of spice, it’s a suite of tunes from Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s 1928 “play with music” “Der Dreigroschenoper” (“The Threepenny Opera”) that the composer put together in 1929 at the request of legendary conductor Otto Klemperer. Without Bertolt Brecht’s pungent lyrics, most of the tunes sound deceptively cheerful, although even without its words, the “Kanonensong” (“Canon Song”) still feels dark and threatening.

Slatkin and the band gave us a performance marked by crisp, precise playing, careful attention to Weill’s small touches of humor, and more outstanding solo work. A tip of the hat is also due to Winnie Cheung on bandoneon. Her instrument is only called for in three of the eight movements, but the obvious joy in her performance was contagious.

Kleine Dreigroschenmusik

When Weill and Brecht were completing work on “Der Dreigroschenoper” George Gershwin (1898–1937) was putting the finishing touches on the work that concluded Saturday night’s show, “An American in Paris.” As someone who loves visiting the City of Light, I have to say that Gershwin did a bang-up job of capturing city's lively sidewalk cafes and bustling boulevards as well as (in the blues-infused central section) the charm of Paris at night.

Slatkin could probably conduct this score blindfolded at this point. His 1974 recording with the SLSO (“that orchestra is all gone now,” he quipped, “but the conductor is still here”) is one of the best you can buy, especially in the digitally remastered version that came out last summer. His performance Saturday night was a perfect balance of lush romanticism and a scrupulous attention to orchestral detail. It was the perfect way to end an evening that was both engaging and revelatory.

As a bonus, we got an encore: an orchestration by Leonard Slatkin’s father Felix (1915–1963), the St. Louis-born violinist and concertmaster for Twentieth Century Fox Studios, of Alfred Newman’s main theme for the 1943 film “The Song of Bernadette.” It features prominent solos for the violin and cello which, on the original soundtrack, were played by Leonard Slatkin’s father and mother (Eleanor Aller). 

Saturday night those parts played with great warmth by concertmaster David Halen and Principal Cello Daniel Lee. Newman’s music was shamelessly moving as only a vintage Hollywood score can be, especially when played this well. The arrangement was reconstructed from the soundtrack (a major accomplishment all by itself) by Leonard Slatkin's wife, composer Cindy McTee.

Finally, here’s a laurel wreath for the stage crew. Saturday’s concert effectively featured four different ensembles: Milhaud’s augmented quartet, Stravinsky’s 1940’s big band (plus harp), Weill’s 1920’s cabaret band, and Gershwin’s big, late Romantic orchestra. That meant three big stage changes with the biggest of the lot (from Weill to Gershwin) taking place while the audience watched. It’s a tribute to their professionalism that these changes all went quickly and smoothly, with the precision of a well-oiled machine.

Next from the SLSO: Leonard Slatkin and the orchestra return to the Touhill for two concerts. Slatkin conducts a joint performance by the orchestra and youth orchestra on Saturday, January 20, at 7:30 pm, with music by Brahms, Copland, and Tchaikovsky. On Sunday, January 21, at 3 pm, Slatkin conducts the orchestra and pianist Jeffrey Siegel in Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” in a program that also includes John Alden Carpenter’s “Krazy Kat” ballet, Paul Turok’s “A Jopin Overture,” and selections from Mary Lou Willams’s “Zodiac Suite” with guest artists The Aaron Diehl Trio.

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

Symphony Preview: And (almost) all that jazz

This Saturday (January 13) St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin presents the second of three concerts demonstrating the influence of what Slatkin calls “vernacular” music—jazz, folk, spirituals, theatre, and popular music in general—on the classical canon. In the first half of Saturday’s concert, the emphasis is on jazz.

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

Darius Milhaud, 1923
By Agence de presse Meurisse
Public Domain

The evening opens the ballet “La création du monde” (The Creation of the World) by Darius Milhaud (1892–1974). A member of that group of somewhat eccentric French anti-Romantic composers known as "les six" (the others were Francis Poulenc, Arthur Honegger, Georges Auric, Germaine Tailleferre, and Louis Durey), Milhaud enjoyed a brief infatuation with jazz that began with a 1920 performance of the Billy Arnold Jazz Band in London and reached its apex during a USA tour two years later when the composer heard jazz bands in Harlem.

“The music I heard was absolutely different from anything I had ever heard before and was a revelation to me” he wrote in his 1953 biography “Notes Without Music.”

Against the beat of the drums the melodic lines crisscrossed in a breathless pattern of broken and twisted rhythms... Its effect on me was so overwhelming that I could not tear myself away… When I went back to France, I never wearied of playing over and over, on a little portable phonograph shaped like a camera. Black Swan records I had purchased in a little shop in Harlem. More than ever I was resolved to use jazz for a chamber work.

“La creation” was the result of that resolution. Upon his return to Paris Milhaud got in touch with Blaise Cendrars, who had published Anthologie nègre (a collection of African folk tales) the year before. Cendrars’s scenario involved “giant gods, trees which impregnate the earth with their seed, leaves transformed into animals, men and girls emerging from the trees and performing a mating dance, until they disperse, leaving a single couple on stage, united in love.” Milhaud’s score, for a band of 19 soloists, makes prominent use of the piano, sax, and percussion.

It went over well enough in jazz-infatuated Paris but, as Svend Brown wrote in program notes for a 2007 performance of the score by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the ballet “was more a chic succès de scandale than a true success. The costumes designed by Fernand Léger (who also created the set) worked magnificently visually, but were hell to dance in—heavy and inflexible, they made it difficult to move freely.”

Woody Herman, 1943
By General Artists Corporation-management 
Public Domain

Which may explain why “La création du monde” is rarely seen but often heard. The small size of the ensemble will be a test of the SLSO’s mettle, but it will also offer an opportunity for many of the section principal players to shine.

Speaking of which, SLSO Principal Clarinet Scott Andrews steps into the spotlight next in the “Ebony Concerto” by Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971). Written in 1945 for Woody Herman and his band The Herd (who premiered it in 1946 at Carnegie Hall), it’s a pithy work that crams a lot of musical variety into its ten minutes without overwhelming the listener. Yes, it’s jazzy, but it’s jazz heard through a heavy Stravinsky filter.

That filter made things a bit challenging for Herman and The Herd. “The piece was extremely difficult and the band struggled mightily,” writes an anonymous author at the Carnegie Hall web site. “After the first rehearsal,” recalls Herman, “we were all so embarrassed [that] we were nearly crying.” Check out the YouTube video of the recording by Pierre Boulez and the Ensemble InterContemporain with its synchronized display of the score to see the kind of thing that made grown men cry.

Fortunately, it all came together at the concert, which also included plenty of The Herd’s popular hits.

Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya, 1942
By Wide World Photos
Public Domain

Next, we head back to the theatre for the “Kleine Dreigroschenmusik” (“Little Threepenny Music”) by Kurt Weill (1900–1950). Scored for winds and percussion, it’s a suite of tunes from Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s 1928 “play with music” “Der Dreigroschen Oper” (“The Threepenny Opera”) that the composer put together in 1929 at the request of legendary conductor Otto Klemperer. In fact it’s Klemperer who conducts the performance on the SLSO’s Spotify playlist

Without the bitterly satirical lyrics that Brecht wrote for them, Weill’s suite is a mix of a half dozen appealing “ear worms” marinated in the spirit of 1920s popular song and dance and bookended with a dramatic overture and finale. But the suite’s accessibility doesn’t necessarily mean that Weill’s motivation in creating the site was largely mercenary.

Weill might have felt that his music would be more properly appreciated outside of the theatre, where he could use a larger ensemble and rely on the skills of conservatory-trained musicians. Given the success of his theatrical works, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that he had studied composition with Ferrucio Busoni and wrote extensively for the concert hall before he embraced the stage.

When Weill and Brecht were completing work on “Der Dreigroschen Oper” George Gershwin (1898–1937) was putting the finishing touches on his first major orchestral work, “An American in Paris,” which closes Saturday night’s concert. Begun during a trip to Paris two years earlier, the work is a reminder of just how much solid craftsmanship lurks behind Gershwin’s irresistible tunes.

Gershwin in 1937
Photo: Carl Van Vechten
en.wikipedia.org

In a 1928 interview for Musical America Gershwin described “An American in Paris” as “a rhapsodic ballet” intended “to portray the impressions of an American visitor in Paris, as he strolls about the city, listens to the various street noises, and absorbs the French atmosphere." As someone who has visited Paris several times and who has fallen in love with the City of Light, I’d say he succeeded completely.

The lively opening with its colorful evocation of the city's sidewalk cafes and bustling boulevards (complete with honking taxi horns in the percussion section) is a masterful bit of musical imagery. And the bluesy central section evokes not only the homesickness of the traveler but also the charm of Paris at night.

Plus, Gershwin’s orchestration is a reminder of how far he came in such a short period of time. This is, after all, a guy who went from being a Tin Pan Alley "song plugger" to an accomplished composer and orchestrator in only thirteen years. In another seven years he would write one of the mainstays of twentieth-century American opera, "Porgy and Bess.” Not shabby.

Slatkin and the SLSO recorded “An American in Paris” 50 years ago as part of the orchestra’s multi-LP set of Gershwin’s complete orchestral works for Vox (now available in digitally remastered format on ArchivMusic). Although the SLSO’s playlist for this Saturday’s concert does not feature that recording (opting instead Leonard Bernstein’s sonically dated version from 1959), it is also available on Spotify

The Essentials: Leonard Slatkin conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and clarinet soloist Scott Andrews in works by Darius Milhaud, Igor Stravinsky, Kurt Weill, and George Gershwin on Saturday, January 13, at 7:30 pm at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus. For more information, visit the SLSO web site.

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

Backstage at "Lost in the Stars" IV: The heavenly choir

The wedding scene from "Lost in the Stars"
Photo by John Lamb

While I am mostly a music and theatre critic these days I have also been an actor/singer since roughly the late Jurassic Era and still do a show now and then. My current acting gig in Union Avenue Opera's production of Kurt Weill's last masterpiece, "Lost in the Stars" (final performances this Friday and Saturday August 24 and 25, 2018). This is part of a short series of observations from backstage.

Observation 4: The Union Avenue Opera chorus rocks. I have been reviewing Union Avenue for the last decade or thereabouts and have always been impressed with the high quality of the company's chorus. Consisting mostly of local singers, the chorus has consistently delivered vocal power, crisp enunciation, and a solid theatrical sense for many years now. The singers this time around are no exception. The fact that many of them also turn in compelling performances in some of the smaller non-singing roles is another point in their favor.

The chorus in "Lost in the Stars" has a vital role. It advances and comments on the drama, delivering some of the show's most powerful moments. And even when they're not singing, director Shaun Patrick Tubbs has them on stage, posing as mute witnesses to the unfolding tragedy. Give them a big round of applause when you see them.

Backstage at "Lost in the Stars" III: Un bel dì

The cast of Lost in the Stars
Photo by John Lamb

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While I am mostly a music and theatre critic these days I have also been an actor/singer since roughly the late Jurassic Era and still do a show now and then. My current acting gig in Union Avenue Opera's production of Kurt Weill's last masterpiece, "Lost in the Stars" (August 17 - 25, 2018). This is the third in a short series of observations from backstage.

Observation 3: We get a day off. And it's not the day one would expect from the non-operatic theatre world.

I'm writing this the night of the day before opening night. And I'm writing not from backstage but from the comfort of my dining room. That's because, in the operatic world, it's standard practice to give the cast a night off before opening.

Why? Because singers are the star athletes of the musical theatre world. They have trained and studied for years and their voices are highly developed instruments that need a rest before they hit the boards. When we open tomorrow night (Friday, August 17, 2018), it will be with leads and choristers who have had a whole day of vocal rest and will be at the top of their form.

Frankly, I'm not sure other theatre companies, musical or otherwise, shouldn't consider adopting the same procedure. I've been in some shows in which opening night was a bit rocky because everyone was so exhausted from a solid week of tech and dress rehearsals. A night off before opening might have helped.

Backstage at "Lost in the Stars" II: La voix humaine

View from the supertitles operator's perch

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While I am mostly a music and theatre critic these days I have also been an actor/singer since roughly the late Jurassic Era and still do a show now and then. My current acting gig in Union Avenue Opera's production of Kurt Weill's last masterpiece, "Lost in the Stars" (August 17 - 25, 2018). This is the second in a short series of observations from backstage.

Observation No. 2: We're playing it Old School. There are no body mics in opera. When I first started acting back in the 1960s, nobody used microphones on stage. That may come as a surprise in an era in which even the smallest houses now use wireless body mics for everything but, trust me, back in the day you had to project and make sure your voice bounced off the rear wall of the house. It has been a while since I've had to do that, so it's kind of refreshing to be in a musical theatre piece in which all the music is acoustic. It's back to the good old days of projection and enunciation.

The somewhat unwelcome surprise for me was that I had gotten a bit rusty about the kind of projection and enunciation. That's especially true in the sections in which I have to speak over background music. It's good to have a chance to sharpen those skills again.

Backstage at "Lost in the Stars" I: A short sharp shock

The "unsung artists" (the non-singing actors) of
"Lost in the Stars"

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While I am mostly a music and theatre critic these days I have also been an actor/singer since roughly the late Jurassic Era and still do a show now and then. I was in Stray Dog Theatre's award-winning production of “Ragtime” last year, for example, and will be appearing in “The Crucible” there next year.

I have done a lot of non-musical theatre, a fair amount of musical theatre and, in recent years, my share of cabaret. What I haven't done is perform with an opera company (unless you count by brief appearance in the chorus of a production of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” many years ago, which I don't). So my current acting gig in Union Avenue Opera's production of Kurt Weill's last masterpiece, “Lost in the Stars” (August 17 - 25, 2018) has given me some interesting insights into a form of musical theatre that I had previously experienced only as a critic. Over the next few days, I'm offering some possibly interesting observations.

Observation No. 1: The rehearsal period is short. I'm accustomed to rehearsal schedules of around four weeks or so, including tech week. “Lost in the Stars” started full rehearsals on August 1st, less than three weeks before opening night. Everyone was expected to have their roles fully memorized before the first rehearsal--an unusual requirement, but entirely reasonable given the short time frame.

One of the reasons this is practical, I think, is that (unlike theatre companies in general) opera companies tend to repeat a lot of the same core repertoire, so it's plausible to assume most singers in the major roles are not approaching their parts for the first time. That means most of them will already know their roles anyway and will only need to polish them a bit before starting rehearsals. That's less likely with a relative rarity like "Lost in the Stars," of course, but in general it's a respectable rule of thumb.

The chorus, which plays an important role in the work, started rehearsing about two weeks before the rest of us. More on our remarkable chorus later.

Preview: Cry the beloved opera

On Wednesday, August 7th, Union Avenue Opera hosted a fascinating panel discussion about Kurt Weill's "Lost in the Stars," which the company is presenting August 17 - 25.

Lost in the Stars at Cape Town Opera

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Dr. Timothy Parsons of Washington University talked about the historical background of the opera (described by its composer as a "musical tragedy"), which takes place in South Africa under apartheid. We learned, among other things, that the seeds of that pernicious system of segregation were sown back in 1913 when South Africa passed the Natives Land Act, which forced the black 80% of the population to live on so-called "native reserves," which made up only 13% of the land. Ostensibly designed to protect native culture, the real purpose of the law was to generate cheap labor for South African industry, since the natives, who had a primarily agrarian economy, couldn't support themselves on such small amount of land-and were legally forbidden to farm elsewhere.

Noted writer and director Tazewell Thompson (the production's Kurt Weill Mentor) recalled his experiences directing the show for Cape Town Opera in South Africa (pictured above)  and how the issues it deals with--racial separation and the fear it generates--resonate in America today. He reminded us that Alan Paton's "Cry the Beloved Country," the celebrated novel on which "Lost in the Stars" is based, was actually banned in South Africa for many years.

Kenneth Overton

Director Shaun Patrick Tubbs observed how his approach to the show is informed by the work Thompson and others have done before him. Baritone Kenneth Overton reflected on how his view of the role of Rev. Stephen Kumalo, the black preacher who tries and fails to save his son Absalom from the hangman's noose, has changed since he did the role nine years ago. And Mezzo Krysty Swann talked about the vocal and dramatic challenges of her role as Irina, the woman whom Absalom loves and marries.

Hosted by KETC's Ruth Ezell, the event included some valuable comments from the floor. Most notable was a recollection by a member of the Dunham Foundation board of directors of the time he saw the original cast of "Lost in the Stars" perform at the American Theater in 1950. The American was segregated at the time, with black patrons relegated to the top balcony. But Todd Duncan, who was playing Stephen Kumalo, demanded that black patrons be allowed into the first balcony. A brief story in the Post-Dispatch carried the headline "American Theater eases color line for one show."

Two years later, the American abruptly desegregated.

Krysty Swamm

Preview events continue on Wednesday, August 8, at 6 pm with a brief concert of selections from the opera featuring Mr. Overton and Ms. Swann at Centennial Christian Church, 4950 Fountain in north St. Louis. You can also hear music from the opera on Thursday, August 9--this time with tenor Roderick George, who sings the role of Leader, joining Ms. Swann--as part of Union Avenue's Opera's Open House at Centro Modern Furnishings, 4727 McPherson in the Central West End.

If you missed the panel discussion, you can still get plenty of deep background on "Lost in the Stars" at Union Avenue's Friday Night Lecture Series on August 17th and 24th at 7 pm. Dr. Glenn Bauer will discuss the opera's history and give you a sneak peak at the upcoming performance.

I should note that I'm not exactly a disinterested party in all this. As many of you may know, I have been an actor and singer for about as long as I have been a music and theatre critic, and as it happens I'm performing in "Lost in the Stars" in the non-singing role of Mark Eland. Watching this remarkable work come together has been gratifying, to say the least.

More information on "Lost in the Stars" is available at the Union Avenue Opera web site.