Review: A Holly Jolly Holiday Celebration

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

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
and Holiday Festival Chorus

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What with one thing and another, I haven't been feeling much in the holiday spirit lately, a situation not helped by seeing people walking around in t-shirts a week before Christmas. If that's the New Normal, get me a time machine, please.

Friday night (December 15th, 2017), though, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra came to the rescue with its annual holiday show. What with the festive music, the seasonal décor at Powell Hall, and the potent Poinsettia Punch served at the bar, I soon started feeling like a right jolly old elf.

Things got off to an exuberant start as SLSO Resident Conductor Gemma New led her forces in a lively and nuanced performance of Leroy Anderson's Christmas Festival, an ingeniously arranged collection of classic carols that I have loved ever since I played the trombone part in my high school orchestra. I dare anyone not to smile at the finale, which combines "Adeste Fideles," "Joy to the World," and "Jingle Bells" in clever counterpoint.

This was my first chance to see Ms. New when she wasn't playing second fiddle to dinosaurs, and I have to say I was very taken with her elegant and fluid style on the podium and her charm as the evening's MC. Not every conductor is comfortable with a wireless body mic, but she seemed right in her element.

Resident Conductor Gemma New

Up next were a couple of traditional carols arranged by Mormon Tabernacle Choir music director Mack Wilberg and performed, as is the case every year, by the Holiday Festival Chorus, composed of singers from area high schools. Ms. New conducted "Ding! Dong! Merrily on High" and then yielded the baton to chorus director Kevin McBeth for "Still, Still, Still." The kids sounded great, as they always do, and thanks to some fairly tasteful amplification they also were easier to hear than has sometimes been the case in the past.

Guest vocalist Doug LaBrecque took the stage next for engaging performances of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" (combined with "The Christmas Waltz") and "White Christmas." Mr. LaBrecque's theatrical background guaranteed a strong connection with the lyrics, and his strong tenor made his microphone a bit superfluous.

Ms. New brought the focus back to the orchestra with three all too brief selections from The Nutcracker. It was nice to have the "Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy," with an impeccable celesta solo as well as solid counterpoint from Diana Haskell and Tzuying Huang in the clarinet section, but I really wish we could have had the "Waltz of the Flowers" as well.

The Holiday Festival Chorus brought the concert's first half to a rousing conclusion with Mr. Wilberg's "Carol to the King," with its lively "fife and drum" interchanges among the flutes, trumpets, and snare drums.

The pop orientation of the concert continued in the second half, starting with a suite from Alan Silvestri's music for the film Polar Express (arrangement by Jerry Brubaker, Chief Arranger of the US Navy Band for 13 years). That was followed by something I hadn't heard before: the "Christmas Lullaby" by contemporary English composer John Rutter, who seems incapable of writing a Christmas song that isn't irresistible. If you've heard his "Donkey Carol" or Shepherd's Pipe Carol," you know what I mean.

Doug Labrecque

Mr. LaBrecque returned as well to give us smooth takes on a couple of Great American Songbook standards and to take on the narrator role in Randol Alan Bass's cinematic treatment of "The Night Before Christmas," which he did with real theatrical flair. Backed by the chorus, he also turned in a performance of Adolphe Adam's "O Holy Night" that showed off his solid low notes and wide range.

Whit Richert's irrepressible Santa made his usual appearance, bringing out a child from the audience to "conduct" the orchestra in "Sleigh Ride," and the evening concluded with "A Holly Jolly Sing-Along." It was, in short, a program as bright as the blinking lights Roger Kaza and his fellow horn players attached to their instruments and as cozy as a red Christmas sweater (which, of course, I was wearing).

Sponsored by the Mercy Health System, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Holiday Festival continues Sunday at 2 pm, December 17, at Powell Hall in Grand Center. It's a bit less classically oriented this year than it has been in the past, but brimming with good cheer as always.

Seasonal events continue at Powell Hall, with the Bach Society's Christmas Candlelight Concert on December 19, The Music of John Williams (with David Robertson back at the podium) on December 21-23, Dreamworks Animation in Concert December 29 and 30 and, of course, the New Year's Eve Celebration (Mr. Robertson's last one as Music Director) on the 31st. They're now selling standing room tickets for that last one, which will give you some idea of how popular these holiday concerts can be.

Review: Steven Jarvi puts his own stamp on a festive holiday concert with the St. Louis Symphony

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

SLSO Resident Conductor
Steven Jarvi

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Although it's usually a heavily attended event, freezing drizzle and the resulting treacherous streets put a major dent in the turnout for the Mercy Holiday Celebration at the St. Louis Symphony Friday night (December 16, 2016). And that's a shame, since conductor Steven Jarvi really put his stamp on the evening, with an intelligent selection of music that included more than a few works I'd never heard before.

For a pops concert that usually sticks to the tried and true, that was a delightful and welcome surprise. Morton Gould's arrangement of "Jingle Bells'" for example, was ingenious and whimsical, with icy harmonics from the violins, a plaintive oboe, muted horns, and a quiet finale that gave the whole thing a kind of pointillist delicacy. The orchestration of "Carol to the King" by Mormon Tabernacle Choir music director Mack Wilberg featured lively "fife and drum" interchanges among the flutes, trumpets, and snare drums. And the "Refried Farandole" by composer/performer/producer Sam Hyken brought the concert to an appropriately rousing conclusion. This virtuoso expansion of the "Farandole" (from Bizet's incidental music for L'Arlesienne, which includes the traditional Provençal carol "The March of the three Kings") was completely new to me and it was tremendous fun, especially when performed with such precision.

Kevin McBeth

Perhaps the most beautiful selection of the evening, though, came from Kevin McBeth's Holiday Festival Chorus, composed of singers from area high schools. For an a cappella performance of the "Ave Maria" by twentieth-century German composer Franz Xaver Biebl, the choir was split in half, with singers and soloists both on stage and upstairs in the dress circle. Heard from our seats on the orchestra floor, this gave the music a wonderful antiphonal quality that called to mind the works of Gabrielli and the other Venetian Renaissance polychoral composers. Mr. Jarvi conducted with a look of real joy that was, I'm sure, shared by many of us in the audience.

The chorus also distinguished itself in more traditional selections like "The First Nowell" and, most notably, in the decidedly non-traditional "South African Gloria" by William Bradley Roberts, Professor of Church Music at Virginia Theological Seminary. With its syncopated percussion and lively foot stomping from the chorus, this was music guaranteed to bring a smile to the face and joy to the heart. It also sounded tricky to perform, so kudos to Mr. McBeth and his singers for doing so well by it.

That's not to say that the usual trappings of this annual holiday event weren't in place. The concert opened with a swinging, brassy arrangement of "Winter Wonderland." St. Nick (played with engaging jollity by Whit Reichert) showed up for his usual visit and arranged for a child from the audience to "conduct" the orchestra in Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride." And there was a guest appearance by a singer from the world of Broadway and TV: Nicole Parker.

Nicole Parker

Ms. Parker is probably best known for her work on MADtv, but she also has extensive musical theatre credits, including the plum role of Elphaba in the first North American tour of Wicked. She had some great moments, including a charming "White Christmas" with the orchestra and chorus and a funny "My Favorite Things" with impersonations of Ellen DeGeneres, Julie Andrews (eerily accurate), Diane Keaton, and Celine Dion (complete with an absurdly ornamented vocal line). Her "Defying Gravity" might not have had much to do with the holidays, but it certainly soared. So, icy streets not withstanding, it was an evening as festive as the holiday decorations in the Powell Hall lobby and as cozy as a red Christmas sweater.

Seasonal concerts continue at Powell Hall with the Bach Society Christmas Candlelight Concert on Thursday, December 22nd, and Disney in Concert on the 29th and 30th. The orchestra will round out the year with the annual New Year's Eve gala on the 31st. Visit the SLSO web site for details.

A holly and jolly holiday with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

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Seven Jarvi
stevenjarvi.com

Who: The St. Louis Symphony conducted by Steven Jarvi
What: Macy's Holiday Celebration
When: December 19-21, 2014
Where: Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis

The Macy's Holiday Celebration concerts with the St. Louis Symphony have, over the past several years, fallen into a pattern that's as familiar and cozy as a bulky red woolen sweater. This year, I'm happy to report, is no exception.

As always, Symphony IN UNISON® Chorus director Kevin McBeth's Holiday Festival Chorus sings some familiar carols, including a wonderfully precise arrangement of the traditional Ukrainian "Carol of the Bells". I was also very taken with their performance of the delicate arrangement of "Silent Night" by Mormon Tabernacle Choir music director Mack Wilberg. The use of harp and celesta gives it a wonderfully transparent texture. Mr. McBeth does an impressive job getting very polished performances out of these singers, who all hail from local high schools.

Also, as always, the orchestra plays pops favorites like Leroy Anderson's "Christmas Festival" (a piece I have loved since I played it in high school), the audience participates in a sing-along, and Santa (the always reliable Whit Reichert, if my ears do not deceive me) shows up with a child plucked from the audience to "conduct" Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride." Friday night's munchkin was so charming that she threatened to steal the show.

Santa also has some banter with the vocal soloist. This year it's the charming Chelsea Packard, who does fine work throughout and knocks "Let It Go" (from "Frozen") out of the park. Her musical theatre background is apparent in her engaging performances, although I rather wish she had done Adolphe Adam's "O Holy Night" without the ornamentation that so many younger singers seem compelled to bring to their vocal lines these days.

Chelsea Packard
chelseapackard.com

Equally traditional at these concerts is Randol Alan Bass's setting of "The Night Before Christmas" for narrator and orchestra, with a local celebrity in the speaking part. This year it was radio broadcaster Charles Brennan, who is competent but (at least on Friday night) looked a bit uncomfortable.

There are a few surprises on the program this year, the most welcome of which is Louis Richman's "Hannukah Festival Overture." It's apparently quite popular with holiday pops events around the country, but this was my first exposure to it. Richman's orchestration is clever and inventive and the piece is a nice counterpart to Anderson's "Christmas Festival."

The final two pieces on the program were also a welcome addition: a suite from Alan Silvestri's music for the film "Polar Express" (arrangement by Jerry Brubaker, Chief Arranger of the US Navy Band for 13 years) and "Christmas Eve Finale" from Dimitri Tiomkin's score for that Christmas chestnut "It's a Wonderful Life." The arrangement for orchestra and chorus by Patrick Russ and Paul Henning (part of their "Suite from It's a Wonderful Life") is big and colorful and brings the evening to an appropriately celebratory end.

Steven Jarvi conducts and narrates the entire affair with panache. He also put his own stamp on the music. His "Christmas Festival," for example, brings out some of woodwind parts in ways that previous readings have not.

Holiday cheer, in short, abounds at Powell Hall this weekend, assisted by the fact that drinks can be brought into the hall. I recommend the Poinsettia Punch—refreshing and not too sweet.

There are three more chances to catch this tasty musical sugarplum Saturday at 2 and 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2 pm. Post-holiday cheer continues next week with "Pixar in Concert" on Saturday and Sunday, December 27 and 28, and the annual New Year's Eve gala on the 31st.
For ticket information, visit the symphony web site.

Symphony Preview: The concerts of Christmas present

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The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra will be delivering Christmas presents for St. Louis audiences throughout the month of December. Let's sneak downstairs and take a peek under the wrapping, shall we?

The Flying Wallendas
circusflora.org

December 12-14: A Winter Fable with Circus Flora - Music has always been a part of the Circus Flora experience, so the partnership with the symphony isn’t as unusual as it might seem. This is, in fact, the orchestra's fourth team-up with our much-loved local circus; the last one was "A Child's Christmas in Wales" two years ago.

As always, the combination of music and circus acts has a story line to hold everything together. This time it's a fairy tale "set in the High Tatras mountains, in the ancient and beautiful Kingdom of the Spiís." There's a magic spell, a princess and (because it's a circus) a horse, along with trained dogs. The Flying Wallendas will be on hand with their legendary high-wire act, along with the popular St. Louis Arches and, of course Theatre Director Cecil MacKinnon as Yo-Yo, the Narrator.

Symphony Resident Conductor Steven Jarvi leads the orchestra in a program with a heavy Eastern European and Russian flavor. Dvořák is heavily favored, along with Bartók, Glinka, Janáček, Ippolitov-Ivanov and that other hyphenated Russian, Rimsky-Korsakov. There are also some Brahms "Hungarian Dances," along with Berlioz's "Hungarian March" from "The Damnation of Faust."

Kevin McBeth
stlsymphony.org

December 18: Kevin McBeth leads the IN UNISON® Chorus in "A Gospel Christmas" – Best-selling singer/songwriter Oleta Adams and her band are the guest soloists in a program that features many of her original compositions along with Gospel favorites and popular Christmas tunes. There's even a soulful version of the "Hallelujah Chorus" from "Handel's Messiah: a Soulful Celebration" by Paul David Wilson.

Celebrating its 20th season with the SLSO, the IN UNISON® Chorus is "an all-volunteer, 120-voice auditioned ensemble that performs a variety of musical styles, with a focus on the interpretation, performance, and preservation of the music of African-American and African cultures." Kevin McBeth, who became director of the chorus in 2011, is Director of Music at Manchester United Methodist Church and serves as full-time administrator for the Music Ministry, which includes 18 choral and handbell ensembles, involving nearly 500 youngsters and adults.  NOTE: as of Friday, December 12, this concert is sold out, but standing room tickets are still available.

December 19-21: The Macy's Holiday Celebration – Steven Jarvi conducts the orchestra and Holiday Festival Chorus (consisting of students from local schools and colleges conducted by Kevin McBeth) in a program of traditional carols and seasonal pop songs. Featured soloists are musical theater star Chelsea Packard and local television personality Charles Brennan, who will narrate Randol Alan Bass's musical setting of "The Night Before Christmas."

There's also a "Holiday Sing-Along", music from the films "Polar Express" and "It's A Wonderful Life," and the annual "surprise" visit from Santa (usually played by the ever-charming Whit Richert). "Pops" events like this are usually big moneymakers for the orchestra and great fun as well. Only a dedicated Scrooge could complain.

The Bach Society at Powell Hall
bachsociety.ort

December 23: The Bach Society Christmas Candlelight Concert – A. Dennis Sparger conducts the Bach Society Chorus along with members of the SLSO, the St. Louis Children's Choirs, and soloists Jane Jennings (soprano), Debra Hillabrand (mezzo), and Don Frazure (tenor).This is usually a more classically-oriented program, although favorite carols and an audience sing-along are included as well.

The "candlelight" refers to the opening of the second half of the concert. The lights dim, and the members of the Bach Society walk down the aisles singing, each with an electric candle. If you're lucky enough to be sitting downstairs in the orchestra section, you find yourself surrounded by singers - some carrying the melody, some harmony, enveloping you in a constantly changing kaleidoscope of sound. Charles Ives would have loved it. It's a St. Louis tradition and every music lover should get to experience it at least once.

This isn't an SLSO event, but symphony musicians are involved and it does take place in Powell Hall, so I figured it's fair game for this article.

There are other special concerts at Powell after Christmas. I'll give you a look at the in my next preview article.

The most wonderful time of the year

Whitney Claire Kaufman and Santa
with the Kansas City Symphony

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Who: The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Holiday Festival Chorus conducted by Steven Jarvi
What: A Holiday Celebration
When: Friday through Sunday, December 20-22
Were: Powell Symphony Hall

The tradition of the holiday "pops" program is a well-established one at the symphony, and this weekend's concerts are just what you'd expect: yuletide classics, a guest performer (theatre and film singer Whitney Claire Kaufman), and a visit from St. Nick himself.

Ms. Kaufman was a sparkling presence at the Friday night performance (both vocally and visually) and the area high school and college students of the Holiday Festival Chorus (directed by Kevin McBeth) sounded exceptionally polished, with impressively crisp diction and a good, balanced sound. Their "Hallelujah Chorus" was wonderfully professional.

Ms. Kaufman's degree is in theater performance, so it's no surprise that she brings an actor's sensibility to Great American Songbook Christmas songs like "White Christmas" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (with the more optimistic lyrics that seem to have replaced the wistful originals). Her singing throughout the evening showed the kind of emotional investment in the lyrics that made these old standards feel fresh; it also communicated newer songs like David Foster's "Grown-Up Christmas List" most effectively.

Steven Jarvi

Steven Jarvi, the new Resident Conductor (replacing the remarkable Ward Stare) was on the podium. He's cuts a fine, commanding figure and appeared equally comfortable with both the pop and classical sides of the program. I was very taken, for example, with the way he built that long climax in "The Magic Spell Begins" (the scene in which Clara's Christmas tree magically grows gigantic), the second of three selections from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker."

The evening is intelligently assembled and nicely balanced. The emphasis is on charming and often inventive arrangements of traditional sacred and secular carols, including the lovely "Silent Night" by Mormon Tabernacle Choir music director Mack Wilberg that was such a hit last year. But there are just enough traditional classics to add a bit of weight, including a high-energy performance of the "Farandole" from Bizet's "L'Arlésienne" (based on the old French carol "La Marche Des Rois Mages") that started the second half of the evening with a bang.

My personal favorite was Robert Wendel's "Merry Christmas Overture" (from his 1990 "Classical Christmas Suite"), which wraps a wreath of traditional carols around the overture to Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro." Witty stuff it was, and nicely performed. There was also an amusing bit in which a child volunteer got to "conduct" the orchestra's performance of Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride"—with a considerable assist from Mr. Jarvi.

Kevin McBeth

I've seen a number of the "Holiday Celebration" concerts over the years and this is, I think, one of the better ones. They're always festive events, with the orchestra and hall decked out in seasonal finery (one of the horns was even sporting a red bow Friday night, as was the harp) and a selection of music calculated to appeal to both adults and all but the youngest kids. This year there's also a special drink at the bar: a bright-red Holiday Punch. I can recommend it. And you can take your drinks to your seat with you, allowing you to savor them during the show.

The "Holiday Celebration" concerts are over, but the festive mood continues with an evening of the movie music of John Williams conducted by David Robertson on Friday and Saturday at 7 PM and Sunday at 2 PM (December 27-29) and the New Year's Eve gala on Tuesday (December 31) at 7:30 PM.  All performances take place at Powell Hall in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.