Symphony Review: A bright, sunshiny day at the opera with the SLSO

We’re still nearly three months away from opening night at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, but last Sunday (March 3) Stéphane Denève and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra decided to “spring ahead” with a consistently entertaining afternoon of opera’s Greatest Orchestra Hits.

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

The program jumped into high gear immediately with the attention-grabbing fanfare of the “Toccata” from “L’Orfeo” by Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643). It’s generally regarded as the first true opera, a musical genre that (in the words of Maestro Denève) “unites different cultures—which is what music does best.”

From there the concert proceeded more or less chronologically, starting with a pair of overtures to operas based on plays by the multi-talented playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732–1799): “The Marriage of Figaro” by Wolfgang Mozart (1756–1791) and “The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini (1793–1868).  

“Figaro” is, as Denève pointed out, an international work. “Figaro” has a libretto adapted from a French play by Lorenzo da Ponte (born in Venice, died in New York) and music by an Austrian composer; and although it was first performed in Vienna, it became an actual hit in Prague. The fleet-footed reading of this lively work Sunday combined the SLSO’s big sound with the kind of grace and precision that you’d expect from a Mozart-sized orchestra.

Melissa Brooks
Photo courtesy of the SLSO 

The ”Barber” overture was just as brisk and bright. Both works had nifty solo passages by, among others, Jelena Dirks (oboe), Andrea Kaplan (flute), Thomas Jöstlein (horn), Andrew Cuneo (bassoon), and Erin Svoboda-Scott (clarinet). The strings lightly tripped through their parts like Fred Astaire.

Next was the Intermezzo from "Manon Lescaut" Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924. In it, we hear the journey of Manon to the gloomy prison at Le Havre, where she and other disgraced women are being exiled to New Orleans. Opening with quiet solos for cello and viola (played with great sensitivity by Daniel Lee and Beth Guterman Chu, respectively), the work rises to a despairing cri de cœur for full orchestra that, in Denève’s hands, conveyed a powerful emotional impact. It was a reminder that Denève began his career on the operatic stage and has retained his exceptional ability to tell musical stories.

After the first of several stage changes (which Denève humorously described as “the violins going on strike”), Associate Principal Cello Melissa Brooks took center stage for an arrangement for cello and orchestra by (I think) Mathieu Herzog of “Casta Diva” from “Norma” by Vincenzo Bellini (1801–1835). Brooks handled the vocal line’s ornamentation with grace and a singing tone. She even dressed for the role with a flowing white top and matching pants that suggested the robe a priestess of the Druidic moon goddess like that which Norma might wear.

The first half of the program concluded with the familiar strains of the “Dance of the Hours” from “La Gioconda” by Amilcare Ponchielli (1834–1886). If you can block out the animation from Disney’s “Fantasia” and/or the voice of Alan Sherman, it’s possible to appreciate what a skillfully constructed and unfailingly melodic work it is. From the delicate violin figures of the opening “Dawn” section to the invigorating con brio of the concluding “Night,” Denève and the band delivered the delightful goods, including many great moments for the high winds.

The second half of the concert opened with another overture, this time to the 1866 opéra comique “Mignon” by Ambroise Thomas (1811–1896). Denève pointed out that in its time “Mignon” was one of the three most popular operas in France, the other two being Gounod’s “Faust” and Bizet’s “Carmen.” These days “Mignon” is remembered only by this lyrical and vivacious overture.

There are extended solos here: clarinet, flute, horn, and harp expertly rendered by, respectively, Scott Andrews, Matthew Roitstein, Roger Kaza, and Katie Ventura. They’re all highly “exposed” (i.e., little or no orchestral accompaniment), so they only work when played with the kind of skill we heard Sunday afternoon.

Next it was a nod and a wink from the podium followed by a spirited “Les Toréadors” from the first of the two orchestral suites assembled by Ernest Guiraud from the score for the aforementioned “Carmen” by Georges Bizet (1838–1875). Then there was another “violin strike” to set the stage for the program’s second soloist, SLSO Associate Concertmaster Erin Schreiber.

Erin Schreiber
Photo courtesy of the SLSO

She was there to perform the 1883 “Carmen Fantasy” for violin and orchestra by the Spanish violinist/composer Pablo de Sarasate. A performer of legendary skill, Sarasate stuffed this mini concerto with technical challenges, including an elaborately ornamented version of the famous “Habanera” and the insanely fast finale, based on the Act II “Danse bohème.” Schreiber has performed this with the SLSO twice in the past (most recently in 2021) but this time was different in that she was using her new violin.

In a talk-back session after the concert, Schreiber related that she had been looking for a new instrument for around five years. Her old violin had served her well for two decades, but she felt that she needed something “a little more powerful.” Last summer she found it: a 1753 Carlo Landolfi. “The moment I played a few notes on it,” she recalled, “I just knew that it was the one.”

 “Violinists,” it has been said, “have special relationships with their instruments, almost like marriages.” Based on Schreiber’s drop-dead stunning performance Sunday, I’d say she has found the right musical partner.  The “Habanera” was seductive, the harmonics crystal clear in the Lento assai vocalise that is Carmen’s teasing response to her arrest, and the frenetic “Danse bohème” was a virtuoso fireworks display. The applause, not surprisingly, was thunderous.

Like Melissa Brooks, Schreiber came costumed for her role. In her case, it was the same long, high-necked red Spanish-style lace dress that she wore in 2021. What could be more appropriate for Carmen?

All too soon, it was time for the finale: a double scoop of Jacques Offenbach (1819–1880): the “Barcarolle” from his “Les contes Hoffmann” (“The Tales of Hoffman,” left unfinished at his death) and selections from the last four numbers from the 1938 ballet “Gaîté Parisienne,” assembled from Offenbach’s operas by French composer/conductor Manuel Rosenthal (1904–2003).

The “Barcarolle” was sweet and lilting, but the selections from the ballet were the real hit, concluding as they did with the “Galop infernal” (a.k.a. “The Can-Can”) from Offenbach’s first hit “Orfée aux enfers” (“Orpheus in the Underworld”) from 1858. Based on this amuse bouche I’d love to hear Denève conduct the complete ballet someday, but meanwhile this was a delightful way to bring the afternoon to a close. Denève encored the “Can-Can,” encouraging the audience to clap along the way the Viennese do to the “Radetzky March” on New Year’s Day. Only a true curmudgeon could fail to join in.

It is, perhaps, somewhat unreasonable to expect music to unite our culturally fragmented world. But after a concert like this one, it at least felt possible. The way things are going these days, I’ll settle for that.

Note: The concert was recorded and will be broadcast on Saturday, March 9, at 7:30 pm on St. Louis Public Radio and Classic 107.3. It will also be available for a limited time afterwards at the SLSO web site.

Next from the SLSO: Anthony Parnther conducts the orchestra for a showing of the Disney film “Encanto” Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm, March 9 and 10. The regular season returns Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 3 pm, March 16 and 17, as Stéphane Denève conducts the orchestra in “Picture Studies” by contemporary American composer Adam Schoenberg and selections from the ballet “Romeo and Juliet” by Prokofiev. The Big Muddy Dance Company will perform choreography created for the occasion by Kirven Douthit-Boyd. Both programs take place at the Sifel Theatre downtown.

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

Symphony Preview: Nights and days at the opera

Summer is usually opera season here in St. Louis but this Sunday (March 3) Stéphane Denève and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra get a jump on it with “Operatic Favorites.” It’s a collection of overtures, intermezzos, and other orchestral bonbons from operas by everyone from Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643) to Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924). And tickets are going fast.

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

Here's what’s on the bill of fare.

The “Toccata” that opens Monteverdi’s 1607 “L’Orfeo” is first. It’s essentially three fanfares that serve to introduce the character of La Musica (the spirit of music). She delivers a brief prologue that sets up the story, introduces Orfeo, and concludes with a poetic request for silence as the tale unfolds.  Members of the SLSO haven’t performed this since Opera Theatre presented the opera back in 1997, so a return is long overdue.

Aubrey Allicock and Monica Dewey in
The Marriage of Figaro at Opera Theatre
Photo by Eric Woolsey

Next, it’s the overture to “The Marriage of Figaro” by Wolfgang Mozart (1756–1791). It’s a lively piece that sets the musical stage very effectively for the comic scenes that open this opera, which is based on the second of the three “Figaro” comedies by the multi-talented playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732–1799).  

Next up is the overture to the most popular operatic version of the first “Figaro” play, “The Barber of Seville,” by Gioachino Rossini (1793–1868).  It’s lively stuff as well, even if it was made up of recycled material from two earlier operas, “Aureliano in Palmira” and “Elizabeth, Queen of England.” Of course, I can’t hear the overture these days without thinking of the classic Bugs Bunny cartoon “The Rabbit of Seville,” but maybe that’s just me.

Zoya Gramagin, Taylor P. Comstock in
Manon Lescaut at Winter Opera
Photo: ProPhotoSTL

The mood turns more dramatic with the next two selections: the “Intermezzo” from “Manon Lescaut” by Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) and the great bel canto aria “Casta diva” (“Chaste goddess”) from “Norma” by Vincenzo Bellini (1801–1835). The former is a musical picture of the journey of Manon to the grim prison at Le Havre, where she and other courtesans are scheduled for exile in New Orleans. The latter is a plea to the moon goddess for peace by the druid priestess Norma.

Christine Lyons as Norma in
Norma at Winter Opera
Photo: Convergence Media

Sunday, the role of Norma will be played not by a soprano but instead by the instrument of Associate Principal Cellist Melissa Brooks. I’m guessing it’s the arrangement by conductor Mathieu Herzog since that’s the one that shows up most often on YouTube, but it should be in good hands in any case.

Amilcare Ponchielli (1834–1886) was an influential and popular composer in his time, but today his 1876 drama “La Gioconda” is the only one of his operas that’s still performed, and then only at big houses with deep pockets because of its many large and elaborate sets. Most of us know it by the ballet sequence we’ll hear on Sunday, the “Dance of the Hours.” This has been so successfully parodied—first by Walt Disney and then by Alan Sherman—that it might be hard to listen to it without a chuckle, but let’s all do our best, shall we?

The second half of the concert opens with another overture, this time to the 1866 opéra comique (i.e., there’s a happy ending) “Mignon” by Ambroise Thomas (1811–1896). His operas aren’t performed often these days, but the tuneful overture to “Mignon” frequently shows up in recorded collections of overtures and, of course, on programs like this one.

The cast of Carmen
Opera Theatre
Photo: Eric Woolsey

Neither George Bizet (1838–1875) nor his opera “Carmen” need an introduction. Nor, for that matter, does “Les Toréadors” from the first of the two orchestral suites that Bizet’s friend Ernest Guiraud assembled from the score. We’ll hear it this Sunday just before another work derived from Bizet’s opera that does merit a few comments: the 1883 “Carmen Fantasy” for violin and orchestra by the Spanish violinist/composer Pablo de Sarasate.

Sarasate’s skill was legendary, and this mini-concerto bristles with technical challenges, including an elaborately ornamented version of the famous “Habanera” and the insanely fast finale, based on the Act II “Danse bohème.” The last time the SLSO presented the “Carmen Fantasy” Assistant Concertmaster Erin Schreiber blew everyone away with her performance, so it’s good to see that she’ll be the soloist once again.

Finally, we close with two heaping scoops of Jacques Offenbach (1819–1880): the “Barcarolle” from his “Les contes Hoffmann” (“The Tales of Hoffman,” left unfinished at his death) and the “Galop infernal” (a.k.a. “The Can-Can”) from his first hit “Orfée aux enfers” (“Orpheus in the Underworld”) from 1858.

Yes, we have come full circle to the tale of Orpheus. But since it’s an opéra buffon (a comic opera) the myth is played for laughs. In this version, Orpheus is a violin teacher who is more than happy to be rid of his irritating wife Eurydice and has to be bullied into getting her back from Pluto. Jupiter gets involved, lightning bolts are thrown, everybody dances the Can-Can, and all ends happily.

L-R: Anthony Webb as Pittichinaccio,
Brooklyn Snow as Giulietta, and
Emma Sorenson as Nicklausse in
Les contes d'Hoffmann at Union Avenue Opera
Photo by Ron Lindsey

In 1938, French composer/conductor Manuel Rosenthal (1904–2003) assembled some of Offenbach’s Greatest Hits into “Gaîte Parisienne,” a ballet for choreographer Léonide Massine and the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo. This, too, has proved to be boffo both on the stage and on recordings.

The final scene of the ballet combines a brief appearance of the “Galop” along with a longer version of the “Barcarolle.” The program notes suggest that this is what we’ll be hearing Sunday, in which case you might as well check out Rosenthal’s own 1977 recording on Spotify with the Orchestre de L’Opéra de Monte-Carlo for a sneak listen.

That said, nothing on this Sunday’s program requires anything in the way of preparation. Even if you know nothing about opera, this is the kind of music that’s designed to send you off with a shine on your shoes and a melody in your heart, as the old song goes.

The Essentials: Stéphane Denève conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra along with soloists Erin Schreiber (violin) and Melissa Brooks (cello) in a program of orchestral opera selections. The performance takes place at 3 pm on Sunday, March 3 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri–St. Louis campus.

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

Review: An entertaining evening of opera encores closes out the SLSOs season

What’s better than having the full St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) back on stage for an evening of “Operatic Encores”? Well, how about having free beer and pretzels in the lobby beforehand, courtesy of Schlafly and Gus’s, respectively?

Daniela Candillari, who just finished conducting the “New Works, Bold Voices Lab” at Opera Theatre last week, was on the podium on Thursday (June 24) for this entertaining traversal of works by a diverse group of composers, including one—Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799)—who was the first known black composer of Western classical music. That was a St. Louis premiere, as was the “Entr’acte Sevillana” from Jules Massenet’s “Don César de Bazan.” Candillari found the piece in the SLSO library where it had sat, unperformed, since 1918.

The evening got off to fine start with an energetic performance of the overture to Beethoven’s “Fidelio.” Candillari’s opera house experience is extensive, and it showed in her ability to bring out all the drama here and elsewhere in the program.

Erin Schreiber takes a curtain call on April 23rd

Up next was the 1883 “Carmen Fantasy” by the Spanish violinist/composer Pablo de Sarasate. Sarasate's skill was legendary, and this mini-violin concerto assembled out of themes from Bizet's opera bristles with technical challenges, including an elaborately ornamented version of the famous “Habanera” and the insanely fast finale, based on the Act II “Danse bohème.” The soloist was Assistant Concertmaster Erin Schreiber, who brought down the house with Ravel’s “Tzigane” in April.

Needless to say, she did it again Thursday night. Her playing of the harmonics in the opening Allegro moderato were impressively clear, she had a fine singing tone in the Lento assai, and she handled the flashy finale with stunning precision. Her concentration was intense and her communication with Candillari was close. She earned every bit of her standing ovation.

Schreiber also has a keen understanding of the visual aspect of musical performance, as have many of the great virtuosos of the past. Paganini, for example, famously dressed entirely in black. Schreiber’s color of choice is apparently red, often matching her blood-red violin with bright red gowns that reflect the music being played. This time around, she wore a long, high-necked dress with marked Spanish elements (most prominently lace).  A solo performance is, like it or not, a form of theatre, and costume choice is an important part of that.

Next was the brief and moving prelude to Act III of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” with its fleeting recollections of earlier melodies and the descending motif that anticipates Violetta’s death, all played with great sensitivity by the strings. The mood shifted to the jocular with the overture to Bologne’s only surviving opera, “L’amant anonyme” (“The Anonymous Lover”). It’s an appealing piece, with a jolly opening theme reminiscent of Haydn.

Two works by Jules Massenet were next, beginning with the familiar “Meditation” from Massenet's 1894 operatic potboiler "Thaïs." In the opera it accompanies a wordless scene in which the titular courtesan contemplates abandoning her sybaritic life to join the Cenobite monk Athanaël in the desert. The solo violin and harp are prominently featured, and those roles were filled expertly and with compelling passion by Second Associate Concertmaster Celeste Golden Boyer and Principal Harp Allegra Lilly.

Next was “Entr’acte Sevillana”—brief, colorful, and engaging, with a flute part that anticipates the “Castillane” from his “Le Cid” ballet neatly done by Associate Principal Andrea Kaplan and company.

It was back to familiar territory with the three closing works, starting with the overture to Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” (“The Magic Flute”), the 1791 Masonic-tinged singspiel (the 18th-century equivalent of a Broadway musical) that would prove to be his last completed work for the stage. The three solemn opening chords were especially stately under Candillari’s baton, and the ingeniously constructed Allegro was delivered with meticulous verve.

Next was the justifiably popular “Intermezzo” from Pietro Mascagni’s one and only hit “Cavalleria rusticana.” The title is usually translated as “Rustic Chivalry,” although that hardly does justice to the opera’s lurid verismo tale of seduction, betrayal, and murder. Thursday night’s performance was romantic enough to make one swoon, which I nearly did; well done.

The evening came to a lively conclusion with the excessively familiar overture to Rossini’s “William Tell.” The opera is rarely performed because of its length and vocal demands, but the overture is another story, especially the stirring “March of the Swiss Guards” that concludes it. Thank you, Lone Ranger.

Daniela Candillari conducting
daniellacandillari.com

In any case, Candillari led the orchestra in a powerful reading of it. The opening “Dawn” section was beautifully done by Principal Cello Daniel Lee, Associate Principal Melissa Brooks, and the double basses under Assistant Principal Christopher Carson. The famous “Storm” sequence had great impact, followed by a perfect English horn and flute duet by Cally Banham and (I assume) Andrea Kaplan, respectively.

The “March” was, of course, a Certified Rouser and an appropriate finish to a crowd-pleasing evening. Credit Candillari’s impressive conducting for that, with its abundance of fire and attention to detail, along with the usual fine playing by the members of the band. It has been quite a while since they were all able to assemble like this, but you wouldn’t have known that from the quality of the performance.

Candillari’s informal and informative comments on the music also added to the easygoing charm of the evening.

The concert opened with a big “thank you” from orchestra CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard and Principal English Horn Cally Banham, who is also the musician representative on the board. They bade a fond farewell to three members of the orchestra who are retiring at the end of the season: Music Librarian Elsbeth Brugger, Principal Flute Mark Sparks, and percussionist and cymbal virtuoso Thomas Stubbs, who has been with the orchestra for half a century.

Mr. Stubbs’s work on his principal instrument can be heard for the next few weeks at the SLSO web site in the spectacular Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 that was originally performed in 2017 and rebroadcast on June 12th on St. Louis Public Radio. The cymbal part in the finale is insanely fast and Stubbs’s performance is nothing short of heroic.

The special “Operatic Encores” concert marked the end of the current season, but tickets are now on sale for the first part of the 21/22 season at the SLSO website. The orchestra will be up to full strength and Powell Hall will be operating at a minimum of 50% capacity, depending on what happens with the pandemic.  Let’s all keep our fingers crossed and get our shots if haven’t already done so, OK?

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

The Mortal Storm

Who: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Robertson, with pianist Yefim Bronfman and violinist Erin Schreiber
What: Music of Brahms, Vaughan Williams, and Nielsen
When: September 12 and 13, 2014
Where: Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis

The late eighteenth century artistic movement known as sturm und drang (usually translated as "storm and stress") had already evolved into the pervading sensibility of the Romantic era by the time the earliest work on this weekend's St. Louis Symphony concerts—the "Piano Concerto No. 1" by Brahms—was written. But "storm and stress" of one sort or another lie at the heart of it and the other two pieces on the program.

David Robertson

In the case of the Brahms, the stress was personal. When the composer began work on the piece in 1854 his friend and mentor Robert Schumann was confined into an asylum following a suicide attempt and the 21-year-old composer had moved in with Schumann's wife Clara to help manage her household and seven children.

Schumann would die in the asylum two difficult years later, and it's hard not to think of the great stress and tragedy of that when you hear the powerfully dramatic opening of the concerto, with its portentous drum rolls, declamatory first theme, and melancholy second. Like the composer's second concerto, it's a big work—nearly 50 minutes long and structured more as a symphony with piano obbligato than a conventional concerto of the period. It demands much in the way of stamina and skill from the soloist.

Pianist Yefim Bronfman demonstrated that he had both when he performed the Brahms Second here back in 2012, and he did it again Friday night. He has the chops to deliver the big, pounding climaxes, especially in the final movement, but he was just as persuasive in the tender lyricism of the Adagio second movement, which Brahms described as a musical portrait of Clara Schumann.

I wouldn't say this concerto is my favorite Brahms. The first movement, in particular, tends to ramble and never fully realizes the dramatic potential of those opening minutes. Still, Mr. Robertson made a very good case for it, pulling every ounce of angst and drama from the score. The second movement was serenely beautiful and the main theme of the Rondo finale was more infused with the spirit of the dance than I have heard in some recordings. There were a couple of ragged moments in the horn section in the first movement but otherwise the orchestra performed at its usual high level.

The "storm and stress" that informs the two works in the second half of the program is more global than personal. Both Ralph Vaughan Williams's "The Lark Ascending" and Carl Nielsen's "Symphony No. 4" ("The Inextinguishable") were begun during the early years of World War I. They're radically different pieces, but the shadow of that great cataclysm hangs over both.

Inspired by a George Meredith poem that describes the characteristic way skylarks spiral up into the sky while singing, "The Lark Ascending" is a work of surpassing beauty for violin and orchestra. Begun in 1914 and completed in 1920, the work is a wistfully nostalgic look back at a bucolic way of life shattered forever by the winds of war. The final pages, in which the lovely main theme slowly fades into silence as it makes its final ascent, can surely melt the hardest heart.

Erin Schreiber

The last time I saw Assistant Concertmaster Erin Schreiber in the solo spot (November of 2011), she was rocking the house in Luciano Berio's absurdly difficult “Corale (on Sequenza VIII) for violin, two horns, and strings.” The Vaughan Williams, with its sustained lyricism and ethereal final section, requires an entirely different kind of virtuosity. I'm happy to report she delivered the goods, with a performance of transparent beauty. The balance between soloist and orchestra was also quite good, at least from where we sat in the first row of the dress circle. That's not always easy to accomplish in Powell Hall's acoustical environment, which tends to swallow up soloists.

Nielsen's "Symphony No. 4" confronts the horror of the war directly. Like G. B. Shaw, Nielsen believed in a kind of pantheistic "life force" that pervaded all of nature. It's that force that Nielsen saw as "inextinguishable," even in the face of war and death. As he wrote in his program notes for the piece, "music is life, and like it inextinguishable." That force is demonstrated most dramatically in the famous "timpani battle" in final movement, in which timpani players placed on opposite sides of the orchestra fire volleys of sound at each other, but that's just the most vivid example of what British music writer Hugh Ottoway describes as "an elemental opposition of forces" that pervades the whole symphony.

This is dynamic, propulsive music, and it got an appropriately kinetic performance from Mr. Robertson and the symphony, with some really fine playing by the musicians. Nielsen's orchestration gives each of the different sections of the band a chance to shine. Brasses dominate the first and last movements, woodwinds the dance-like second, strings the searing third and, of course, the timpanists get to mix it up in the finale. They were all on top of their game Friday night, but percussionists Tom Stubbs and Shannon Wood deserve a particular shout-out for their performances.

I'm a great fan of Nielsen's symphonies and feel they haven't gotten nearly the attention they deserve locally. I'd be happy to see them on the Powell Hall stage more often, especially when they're performed with this kind of skill and conviction.

This weekend's concerts mark multiple anniversaries for the SLSO. It's the orchestra's 135 season and the 10th under Mr. Robertson. It's also the 20th for Concertmaster David Halen and Chorus Director Amy Kaiser (whose work you'll hear next week in the score for "Pirates of the Caribbean"). Mr. Robertson led the entire audience in a celebratory champagne toast at intermission, and a splendid time was had by all.

Next at Powell Hall: it's a movie night as Richard Kaufman conducts the orchestra and chorus in Hans Zimmer's score for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" while the film plays on the big screen. Showings are Friday and Saturday at 7 and Sunday at 2 p.m., September 18-21. For more information, visit the SLSO web site.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of September 8, 2014

Chuck Lavazzi

The Chamber Project St. Louis presents Passion, featuring works by Bach, Beethoven, Kenji Bunch and Kevin Puts on Tuesday, September 11, at 7:30 p.m. “Exploring the passion that makes the heart sing and that keeps us going through thick and thin, this program features works by Bach, Bunch, Puts, and Beethoven for violin, cello, clarinet and marimba.” 88.1 KDHX senior performing arts critic Chuck Lavazzi will be the narrator for Bunch's "Sonnet 128." The performance takes place at The Chapel Venue, 6238 Alexander Drive. For more information: www.chamberprojectstl.org

The St. Louis Symphony, conducted by David Robertson, presents a free concert at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 9, on Art Hill in Forest Park celebrating the orchestra's 135th anniversary season. "The evening performance features classical favorites and highlights from the 2014-15 season capped off with a fireworks spectacular at the base of Art Hill. Pack a picnic, grab a blanket and invite your family and friends to one of St. Louis' favorite musical events of the year!" For more information: stlsymphony.org.

yefimbronfman.com

David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra with piano soloist Yefim Bronfman in Brahms' "Piano Concerto No. 1," violin soloist Erin Schreiber in Vaughan Williams's "The Lark Ascending," and Nielsen's "Symphony No. 4" Friday and Saturday, September 12 and 13, at 8 p.m. "David Robertson opens the season welcoming back Yefim Bronfman for Brahms' dramatic Piano Concerto No. 1. Composed during World War I, you'll hear "battle" between two sets of timpani in Nielsen's Symphony No. 4, featuring new Principal Timpanist Shannon Wood. In his notes for the symphony, Nielsen refers to 'that which is inextinguishable' as 'the elemental will to live.' This production features video and lighting elements by S. Katy Tucker, a renowned artist known for her design work at Carnegie Hall, the San Francisco Opera, Sydney Symphony and more." The concerts, which open the orchestra's 135th season, take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

Thumbscrew

The New Music Circle presents the trio Thumbscrew on Friday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. "Under the title Thumbscrew, three foremost voices of NYC's new jazz scene have come together to explore the crossroads of improvisation and composition. Comprised of Mary Halvorson (guitar), Michael Formanek (bass), and Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Thumbscrew functions as a vehicle to navigate both the modal complexities of jazz composition as well as the challenges of collective spontaneity. Thumbscrew's sound originates from the interconnecting bonds its members have forged, playing in many and various formats over the years, such as composer/cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum's large groups as well as Anthony Braxton's experimental/compositional ensembles. Their 2014 self-titled release on Cunieform Records was described as “exploring open, undulating grooves through a frequent tightening and loosening of their interplay along serpentine lines” by Dusted Magazine." The performance takes place at Joe's Café, 6014 Kingsbury. For more information: newmusiccircle.org

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents a classical open stage night on Monday, September 8, from 7:30 – 9 PM. “Come by yourself or bring your quartet. Sight read through a Beethoven quartet or use this as an opportunity to put the finishing touches on that Hindemith Viola Sonata you have been working on. All ages and skill levels are welcome. We have a 6' grand piano and an accompanist.” The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents Timothy Jansen, piano, in a concert of sonatas by Beethoven, Prokofiev, and Liszt on Saturday, September 13, at 8 p.m. The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

Third Baptist Church presents an organ concert by Jeff White, Minister of Music at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, on Friday, September 12, at 12:30 PM as part of its free Friday Pipes series. "Join us on Fridays at Third Baptist Church for Friday Pipes, the free organ recital series celebrating the restoration of the church's 72-rank Kilgen/Möller pipe organ. Each week a different performer will be presenting a program of classical, church, and theatre organ music in the beautiful sanctuary of Third Baptist. This season's performers come from across the USA, and even from around the world. Free parking is available in the church lots on Washington Avenue." Third Baptist Church is at 620 N Grand. For more information: www.third-baptist.org

Sound and fury

Erin Schreiber

Who: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Robertson with violinist Erin Schreiber
What: Music of Purcell, Berio, and Bruckner
Where: Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis
When: November 18 and 19, 2011

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Writers of music criticism seem unable to discuss the symphonies of Anton Bruckner without invoking the imagery of the Gothic cathedral. Perhaps that’s because they so strongly suggest a connection between the material and ethereal planes – great blocks of sound alternating with moments of otherworldly beauty. The St. Louis Symphony erected a particularly fine Bruckner 7th cathedral on the Powell Hall stage this weekend, preceded by some flashy (if superficial) Berio and sublime Purcell.

It was, as you might imagine, an evening of strong contrasts. This was most apparent in the brief first part of the program, consisting of two radically different works based on the chaconne – a musical form in which a short, repeated melody (usually in the bass line) forms the basis for a series of variations.

The opening work, Henry Purcell’s sublime Chacony in G minor, is a classic example. Originally composed for a viol consort in the 1680s, the composer later expanded the Chacony into an elaborate five-minute fantasia for string orchestra that rings elaborate changes on a deceptively simple-sounding tune. The Symphony strings were truly in their element here, with beautiful tone and perfect intonation.

Beauty, on the other hand, seems to have been the last thing on Luciano Berio’s mind when he wrote the 1981 Corale (on Sequenza VIII) for violin, two horns, and strings. Although the program annotator attempts to make a case for the notion that the work’s focus on two notes – A and B – makes it a kind of chaconne, this strikes me a stretching the definition of the term past the breaking point. To my ears, the Corale is mini concerto that pays indirect homage to the Baroque concerto grosso. A few truly sublime moments for the solo violin aside, the sound is, for the most part, raucously dissonant (often reminiscent of a beehive on full alert) with alarmingly difficult writing for soloist and orchestra alike.

Barefoot and dressed in a flowing black gown, symphony Assistant Concertmaster Erin Schreiber took the solo role and seriously rocked the house. She attacked the aggressive passages (which take up most of the work’s 15-minute length) with athletic vigor, stamping her foot to keep time, but was equally at home the in the occasional flights of lyric beauty. Mr. Robertson and the orchestra were with her all the way, with especially impressive work from the horns, to whom Berio assigns some solo passages that are every bit as startling as the violin line.

Symphony audiences are sometimes overly generous with their standing ovations, but in this case it was well earned. The Corale”may ultimately be a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing, but it certainly does give a virtuoso ensemble like ours a chance to shine.

The major event of the evening, of course, was the Symphony No. 7 by Anton Bruckner. First performed in 1884 and not heard locally since Hans Vonk conducted it back in 1997 (an excellent recording of which is available at the Symphony Boutique), the 7th is in some ways the quintessential Bruckner symphony. The opening movement alternates moments of great, heaven-storming power and quiet mystery, the Adagio builds to a rapturous climax, the Scherzo swings back and forth between the demonic and the bucolic, and the Finale builds inexorably to sheer, brass-heavy exultation. If you only want one Bruckner symphony in your collection, this would be it.

Each movement of the 7th is a kind of world unto itself, and not just because of the sheer length of each ("In the first movement alone,” Sir Thomas Beecham once remarked, “I took note of six pregnancies and at least four miscarriages."). Time seems to act differently here, with each movement incorporating so much emotional depth that it can feel both shorter and longer than the clock indicates. The challenge for the conductor is to fully realize each of those musical environments without losing a sense of what Mr. Robertson refers to as the work’s “insistent pulse”.

Not surprisingly, Mr. Robertson and his forces were fully up to that challenge. Every decision he made felt right to me, and they all contributed to the cumulative power of the music. Tempi were well chosen, and even when (as in the Adagio) they didn’t quite suit my taste, they nonetheless made sense in the context of his overall view of the symphony. The orchestral sound was delicious, some minor intonation issues in the brasses not withstanding, and balances were very good.

That’s no small task given the expanded brass contingent, which includes four “Wagner tubas” – instruments in the euphonium range but with smaller bells and French horn mouthpieces. Mr. Robertson’s decision to divide the brass into two groups on opposite sides of the stage and place the basses at the very back on a raised platform probably helped in that regard. When dealing with forces of this size, some creative staging can’t hurt.

The complexity and length of Bruckner’s symphonies and the number of musicians required make them relative rarities on concert programs. Let’s hope the Symphony builds on the success of this weekend’s 7th by programming more Bruckner in the future. I’d love to hear a good live performance of the apocalyptic 8th or the more concise 4th myself.

Next at Powell Hall: On November 25 and 26, David Robertson returns with a program more oriented towards the tried and true with Saint-Saëns ‘s Introduction and Rondo capriccioso, Ravel’s Rhapsodie espagnole and Bolero, and the premiere of Juan Carmona’s Sinfonia Flamenca. Second Associate Concertmaster Celeste Golden Boyer has solo honors in the Saint-Saëns. Perhaps this will pull back some regulars who were apparently put off by Berio and/or Bruckner. For more information you may call 314-534-1700, visit stlsymphony.org, like the Saint Louis Symphony Facebook page, or follow @slso on Twitter.