St. Louis classical calendar for the week of September 3, 2018

The fall concert season kicks off with the Arianna String Quartet and the Metropolitan Orchestra.

The Arianna String Quartet

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The Touhill Performing Arts Center presents The Arianna String QuartetVisionaries on Friday, September 7, at 8 p.m. "The Arianna Quartet celebrates the start of their 19th season in St. Louis in style, with an opening concert featuring three of the masterpieces of the classical, romantic, and 20th century repertoire! Beethoven’s irrepressible Quartet in B-flat, Op.18, No.6, kicks off the concert season with an effervescent energy and revolutionary new style that glimpses the winds of change that Beethoven plans to bring to the classical era. The revolution continues with Bela Bartok’s momentous String Quartet No.3. Internationally acclaimed piano virtuoso Alexandre Dossin joins the Arianna Quartet for Robert Schumann’s heroic Piano Quintet, Op,44, one of the essential gems of the chamber music repertoire." The Touhill Center is on the campus of the University of Missouri at St. Louis. For more information: touhill.org.

The Metropolitan Orchestra performs on Sunday, September 9, at 7 p.m. The program includes Arvo Pärt’s Fratres, Johannes Brahms’ Serenade No. 2, and Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 7. The concert takes place at First Presbyterian Church in Kirkwood. For more information: metro-orch.org.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of November 21, 2016

Robert Spano
Photo: Angela Moriss

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Robert Spano conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and piano soloist Stephen Hough in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 ("Emperor"), Respighi's The Pines of Rome, and Pohjola's Daughter by Sibelius. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m., November 25-27, at Powell Hall in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The Washington University Department of Music presents student recital featuring performances by department students on a variety of instruments on Monday, November 21, at 8 p.m. The performance takes place in the Goldberg Formal Lounge at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity in University City. For more information, music.wustl.edu.

Symphony Preview: My favorite Beethoven

Christian Macelaru

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This weekend (October 21 - 23, 2016) a pianist popular with local audiences, Orli Shaham, returns to perform my favorite Beethoven piano concerto with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in a program that begins and ends with Russian music. Philadelphia-based conductor Cristian Macelaru is at the podium.

The concerto in question is Beethoven's Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58, composed in 1806 and first performed in March 1807 at a private concert of the home of Prince Franz Joseph von Lobkowitz. The public got its first exposure to it at a concert on December 22nd of the following year at Vienna's Theater an der Wien, with the composer as both soloist and conductor.

The hall was freezing cold, the musicians poorly prepared, and program a four-hour monster, including the premieres of not only the fourth concerto but also the Choral Fantasy for piano, chorus and orchestra (a work often seen as a kind of "first draft" for the finale of his Symphony No. 9), the Symphony No. 5, and Symphony No. 6 (the "Pastorale"). Still, as audience member Johann Friedrich Reichardt (cited in program notes for the Los Angeles Philharmonic reported, the concerto made quite an impression: “[Beethoven] played with astounding cleverness and skill and at the fastest possible tempi. The Adagio [sic], a masterly movement of beautifully developed song, he sang on the instrument with a profound, thrilling melancholy.”

Orli Shaham

The Fourth is my favorite in part because it's so concise. I don't think there's a spare note in the entire work and everything is perfectly proportioned. It's also remarkably innovative for its time-beginning with the unusual opening, in which a short declaration by the solo piano is then taken up by the orchestra. Normal procedure would have been to have the orchestra state all the major themes before the piano made its first entrance. Instead, the movement seems to grow out of a dialogue between the soloist and the orchestra.

The second movement is a dialogue between the soloist and the band as well, but this time it's in the form of a call and response, in which dramatic pronouncements by the orchestra are met, at least initially, with more subdued and lyrical material by the soloist.

As Paul Schiavo writes in his program notes for these concerts, this unusual structure has given birth to "a tradition that equates the music with the mythic scene of Orpheus taming the Furies of the underworld with his song" (a notion first advanced by Beethoven's biographer Adolph Bernhard Marx in 1859). When I first heard this movement, though, I had a very different response to it. To my ears it's an argument (or maybe a debate), with the aggressive stance of the orchestra met, at first, with attempts at calm reason, then with agitation, and finally with a kind of resignation. It's as if, after trying in vain to calm and placate its orchestral partner, the piano finally sighs and say, "OK, OK, you win. Let's just drop it."

Anyone who has ever gotten into a political firefight on Facebook will recognize the progression.

It's hard to say what Beethoven actually had in mind. The great pianist Arthur Rubinstein once described the movement as having been “written by a man in mortal fear.” And Beethoven's pupil Carl Czerny (cited in program notes for the San Francisco Symphony) said that "in this movement (which, like the entire concerto, belongs to the finest and most poetical of Beethoven's creations) one cannot help thinking of an antique dramatic and tragic scene, and the player must feel with what movingly lamenting expression his solo must be played in order to contrast with the powerful and austere orchestral passages.” The bottom line is that when it comes to its tragic conclusion, I have always felt a need to exhale slowly to prepare myself for the jolly, Haydnesque Rondo finale.

Serge Rachmaninoff, circa 1936

After intermission, we get a work that's also tinged with a kind of calm resignation: Serge Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances from 1941.

When I first heard this piece (a 1961 LP recording by Eugene Ormandy, who conducted the work's world premiere), I was immediately struck by the “late night” feel of the music-and not just because of the chimes in the last movement. I was not surprised to learn, then, that Rachmaninoff had originally titled the three sections “Noon,” “Twilight,” and “Midnight”. This was the composer's last completed work (he died two years after its premiere), and there's a sense throughout of a life approaching its conclusion.

The composer dropped the titles, preferring the let the music speak for itself, and it does so eloquently. The work is filled with evidence of Rachmaninoff's genius as an orchestrator, with elaborate and complex string writing, inventive use of brasses and winds (including a short but poignant solo for alto sax), and an effective but never overwhelming use of the large percussion battery. This is dramatic music that is nevertheless steeped in fall melancholy-very appropriate given that we passed the autumn equinox a month ago.

This weekend's concerts will open with a work that will probably be unfamiliar to you unless, like me, you're a big fan of late 19th century virtuoso piano works. It's Islamey, an "Oriental Fantasy" written in 1869 and then revised in 1902 by Mily Balakirev. We'll be hearing the orchestral arrangement by Sergey Lyapunov, but the piano original is widely viewed as one of the most technically difficult works ever written for that instrument. "It is a score that demands the fanciest of finger work," observes Tim Page in his liner notes for the spectacular 1998 recording by Yefim Bronfman, "as well as an extraordinary range of tone color and a certain intensity of conviction to hold it all together." Check out Bronfman's recording on YouTube to hear what he means.

The orchestral version is pretty colorful as well, building over the course of nine minutes to what Mr. Schiavo accurately describes as an "animated coda that concludes the piece with a display of virtuoso orchestral fireworks." It's lively, fun stuff and an excellent way to open a concert.

Balakirev, by the way, was part of a group of Russian composers commonly referred to as the "Mighty Handful" (a.k.a. the "Russian Five") who were important in the formation of the Russian nationalist school of composition; César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Borodin were the other four. Balakirev, unfortunately, was far less prolific than his compatriots and less comfortable as a composer, although we're told he was a pretty spectacular pianist. These days Islamey is the only one of his works that gets any attention, but in his time he was remarkably influential. Here's how the Encyclopedia Britannica summarizes his legacy:

"It has been said that it was Balakirev, even more than Glinka, who set the course for Russian orchestral music and lyrical song during the second half of the 19th century. He developed an idiom and technique that he imposed on his disciples (above all on Rimsky-Korsakov and Borodin, and to some extent on Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) not only by example but by constant autocratic supervision of their own earlier works. His music is superbly colourful and imaginative, but his creative personality was arrested in its development after 1871, and his later work is couched in the idiom of his youth."

The Essentials: Cristian Macelaru conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, with piano soloist Orli Shaham, on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. October 21 - 23. The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. The Saturday concert will be broadcast live on St. Louis Public Radio.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of October 17, 2016

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The Collegium Vocale of St. Louis presents The Splendors of Rome: Music of the early 18th Century on Sunday, October 23, at 2 p.m. " The Collegium Vocale of St. Louis will present a concert of music heard in Rome in the early 18th century, featuring a performance of Francesco Durante's celebrated “Magnificat”, Other composers including Palestrina, Pitoni, Severi, and Stradella, The singers of Collegium Vocale of St. Louis will be supported by period instruments." The concert takes place at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis (Old Cathedral), 209 Walnut Street on the riverfront. For more information: CollegiumVocaleofSaintLouis.org.

The St. Louis Brass Band

The St. Louis Brass Band presents Bright, Bountiful, Brass on Sunday, October 23, at 2:30 p.m. " The first formal concert of the Saint Louis Brass Band will be presented at Lindbergh High School and will include a guest appearance by the Avon Indiana High School Brass Choir. The Brass Band will feature their English-style Brass Band mix of traditional and contemporary repertoire ranging from classical to marches to pop and jazz. Avon HS is one of the premiere high school music programs in the State of Indiana. The Brass Choir will perform several selections of their own and then the two groups will combine forces for a brass and percussion extravaganza." The concert takes place at Lindberg High School, 5000 S. Lindbergh Road in South County. For more information: stlbb.org.

Cristian Macelaru conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, with piano soloist Orli Shaham, on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. October 21 - 23. "Stormy, serene, romantic and tranquil, Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances is a stunning virtuoso showpiece for orchestra. Acclaimed by the New York Times as a “brilliant pianist,” Orli Shaham and rising conductor Cristian M_celaru present Beethoven's dramatic Piano Concerto No. 4." The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The Town and Country Symphony Orchestra performs Space, the Final Frontier on Sunday, October 23, at 2:30 PM. "Our annual Halloween Concert will literally transport you to the magical world of outer space. Calling all Trekkies, Jedis, Astronauts, and other space junkies. Come in costume to enjoy some of the best movie music ever written and some classical tributes to space as well. Dr. Chiann-Yi Yawitz will be the soloist for Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1" The performance takes place in Ridgway Auditorium at The Principia, 13201 Clayton Road. For more information: tcsomo.org.

The Perseid String Quartet

The Washington University Department of Music presents the Perseid String Quartet in Leipzig 1843: An Evening with the Schumanns on Thursday, October 20, at 7:30 p.m. " The Perseid String Quartet recreates a joint concert that Robert and Clara Schumann gave in Leipzig on January 8, 1843. Alexander Stefaniak, Assistant Professor of Musicology, will speak about the Schumann partnership, an intricate collaboration between a prominent composer-critic and one of the most significant virtuoso pianists of the nineteenth-century. His talk will draw upon his recent book,Schumann's Virtuosity: Criticism, Composition, and Performance in Nineteenth-Century Germany." The performance takes place in the Goldberg Formal Lounge at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity in University City. For more information: music.wustl.edu.

The Washington University Department of Music presents a bassoon recital and masterclas with Keith Sweger on Saturday, October 22, at 3 p.m. The performance takes place in the Goldberg Formal Lounge at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity in University City. For more information: music.wustl.edu.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of October 10, 2016

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BandTogether presents a Fantastic Worlds and Where to Find Them: A BandTogether Halloween Concert on Saturday, October 15, at 8 PM. "Travel through time and space with Dr. Who, visit Hogwarts with Harry Potter, explore the Twelve Colonies with Battlestar Galactica, ride on the USS Enterprise with Star Trek, and roam Middle Earth with Lord of the Rings." The performance takes place at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity in University City, MO. For more information: www.bandtogetherstl.com.

The Chamber Project St. Louis

The Chamber Project St. Louis presents Essence on Tuesday, October 11, at 7:30 PM. "Essence: We ask in this program, what are the aspects of a homeland defining its true impact on you, the individual? This program will feature our first commission of the season by Adam Maness, inspired by St. Louis. With Ligeti, we will hear a composer released from the constraints of communism finally free to express the rhythm of his homeland. Bartok and Dvorak capture the spirit of their countries in every tune they wrote. The program concludes with the masterwork by the great German composer, Brahms, who's music is the quintessential sound of his time and place." The performance takes place at The Vino Gallery, 4701 McPherson in the Central West End. For more information: www.chamberprojectstl.org.

Sangeetha presents a vocal concert of North Indian Classical Music by Pandit Nagraj Havaldar accompanied by Kedarnath Havaldar on tabla and Sameer Havaldar on harmonium on Saturday, October 15, at 7 p.m. " Accomplished singer, composer and teacher, Dr. Nagaraj Rao Havaldar of Kirana Gharana, is a disciple Pandit Madhava Gudi. He has a subtle understanding of a scholar and the finesse of an aesthete. Gifted with a voice that traverses three octaves, his music has a powerful emotional and intellectual appeal. Dr. Havaldar has performed across India, at festivals such as the Hampi Utsav (Karnataka), Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh (Benaras), Salt Lake Music Festival (Kolkata) etc. He has toured the U.S. and the U.K. extensively." The concert takes place at the Midwest Music Conservatory, 15977 Clayton Road in Ballwin, MO. For more information: sangeetha.org.

Hannu Lintu conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, with cello soloist Alban Gerhardt, on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. October 14 - 16. "The Guardian of London declares that Alban Gerhardt is 'one of the finest cellists around-expressive and infinitely classy.' Gerhardt performs Dvorák's lyrical Cello Concerto-a work beloved for its memorable melodies and moments of tranquility. You will be transported to a world of tricks and mischief through Stravinsky's Petrushka, a colorful work bringing to life the antics of a magical puppet." The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The University City Symphony

The University City Symphony Orchestra presents A Taste of Italy on Sunday, October 16, at 3 p.m. "The UCSO proudly presents the 2016-2017 Season: The Compleat Cultural Tourist. The concert “Taste of Italy” is the first in a series that will focus on several different world cultures. The program will celebrate the music of Italy, spotlighting the music of Gioachino Rossini, Ottorino Respighi, and Niccolò Paganini. The opening concert will also feature University City resident and former St. Louis Symphony musician, Manuel Ramos, in his return as soloist with the UCSO." The performance takes place at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity in University City. For more information: ucso.org.

The Washington University Department of Music presents musicians from the Missouri Chamber Music Festival on Monday, October 10, at 7:30 p.m. "This program is a fresh take on heritage works for piano and strings by Mozart and Schubert." The performance takes place in the Goldberg Formal Lounge at the Danforth University Center on the Washington University campus. For more information: music.wustl.edu.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of September 19, 2016

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The Cathedral Concerts Chamber Music Series presents members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in a program of music by Bach, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich on Monday, September 19, at 7:30 p.m. The concert takes place at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in South St. Louis City. For more information: www.cathedralconcerts.org.

The Cathedral Concerts Chamber Music Series presents members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in a program of music by Bach, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich on Tuesday, September 20, at 7:30 p.m. The concert takes place at Sts. Joachim & Ann Catholic Church in St. Charles. For more information: www.cathedralconcerts.org.

David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra with soloists Andrew Cuneo, bassoon and Karin Bliznik and Jeffrey Strong, trumpets, on Friday at 8 p.m., September 23. "The amazing talent of STL Symphony musicians is on display with Mozart's Bassoon Concerto and Vivaldi's Concerto for Trumpets and Strings. Enjoy an evening of hometown virtuosity and familiar favorites that concludes with Pachelbel's Canon in D and Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik." The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra with soloists Yefim Bronfman, piano, and Beth Guterman Chu and Jonathan Chu, violas, Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., September 24 and 25. "Kicking off our season featuring all five Beethoven piano concertos, Music Director David Robertson and renowned pianist Yefim Bronfman join together for Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 and Haydn's dream-like and adventurous Symphony No. 102." The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of June 6, 2016

The Bach Society

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The Bach Society of St. Louis presents 75th Anniversary Gala and Benefit Concert on Thursday, June 9, at The Sheldon Concert Hall. “The evening begins at 5:45 p.m. with cocktails and hors d’ouvres. Guests will gather in the Concert Hall at 7:00 p.m. for a performance by St. Louis Symphony Concertmaster David Halen, soprano Miran Halen, and the internationally known Calidore String Quartet. Fifty glorious voices from the Bach Society of Saint Louis chorus will also join in for a portion of this concert, featuring familiar favorites from light operetta to the brilliance of Bach. A formal dinner will be served at 8:15 p.m. in the Louis Spiering Room.” For more information: www.bachsociety.org.

Brent Havens conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in Music of Led Zepplin on Friday, June 10 at 7:30 p.m. "Bridging the gap between rock ‘n’ roll and classical music, Brent Havens and a full rock band return to Powell Hall to perform the Music of Led Zeppelin, riff for riff and note for note. This one-of-a-kind performance captures Zeppelin’s power and features favorites amplified from the Powell Hall stage, including “Kashmir,” “Black Dog,” “Immigrant Song” and more." The performance takes place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

Michael Cavanaugh

Steven Jarvi conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra with pianist and vocalist Michael Cavanaugh in a concert of the music of Billy Joel on Sunday, June 12 at 3 p.m. "One of Broadway’s best joins the STL Symphony for an evening devoted to the legendary Piano Man. Hand-picked by Billy Joel for the starring role in the Broadway-musical, Movin’ Out, Grammy and Tony nominated Michael Cavanaugh has won the hearts of audiences and critics. In his tribute to Billy Joel, audiences will hear many of the Piano Man’s biggest hits including “She’s Got a Way,” “New York State of Mind,” “Uptown Girl,” “Only the Good Die Young” and more!" The performance takes place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents students from the Arianna String Quartet Chamber Music Festival on Tuesday, June 7, at 7 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.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents The Synergies Quartet on Friday, June 10, at 8 p.m. The concert features music by Bach, Dohnanyi, and Mozart. The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of October 19, 2015

Confluence Chamber Orchestra

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The St. Louis Art Museum presents a concert by the Confluence Chamber Orchestra on Sunday, October 25, at 2 p.m. "The Confluence Chamber Orchestra of St. Louis, MO, is a professionally directed amateur string orchestra combining adults and student musicians. All of the orchestra's activities are dedicated to promoting the lifetime enjoyment of playing music and performing it for others." The concert takes place in the Grigg Gallery in the Art Museum in Forest Park. For more information: confluencechamberorchestra.org.

John Storgårds
resmusica.com

John Storgårds conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra with piano soloist Lars Vogt, soprano Kate Reimann, and bass-baritone Jeffrey Heyl on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., October 23 and 24. "Pianist Lars Vogt returns to Powell Hall with Schumann's robust Piano Concerto, a work portraying a touching and passionate conversation between piano and orchestra ending in a sprightly waltz. Nielsen's "Sinfonia espansiva" portrays the expansive growth artists experience through the creative process. Including unique vocal performance of wordless solo voices, the piece is sure to leave you breathless." The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra presents Pulitzer Concert 01 on Wednesday, October 21, at 7:30 p.m. The concert features pianist Peter Hendoerson, along with SLSO members Helen Kim and Ann Fink on violins, Chris Tantillo on viola, and Bjorn Ranheim on cello in music of Berio. Samuel Adams, and Thomas Adès. The concert takes place at the Pulitzer Foundation on Washington in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra presents Hoot and Howl at Powell on Sunday, October 25, at 3 p.m. "Celebrate Halloween with a spooktacular concert along with help from special guest, Luna the Bat. Luna will take you on a musical tour of all the wickedly wonderful animals that relish the night. Featuring Night on Bald Mountain from Fantasia and John Williams' Hedwig's Theme from the popular Harry Potter films." The concert takes place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The Sheldon Concert Hall presents the contemporary chamber ensemble Alarm Will Sound on Tuesday, October 20, at 8 PM. "The ensemble performs the newest music being composed today with energetic virtuosity and a sense of adventure, creating programs that not only span a wide range of styles, but also transform the traditional concert experience itself." The Sheldon is at 3648 Washington in Grand Center. For more information: thesheldon.org.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents Tom Lehrer and Anna Russell Should Have Dated: An Concert of Comedic Melodie on Friday, October 23, at 8 p.m. "A recital of favorites from Tom Lehrer and Anna Russell, including 'Poisoning Pigeons in the Park', an analysis of Wagner's Ring Cycle, 'The Vatican Rag' and more!" Featured performers are Sara Kendall Gottman, Rebecca Hatlelid, Paul Hahn, Caetlyn Van Buren and Nancy Mayo. The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

Mark Akin

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents a classical guitar concert by Mark Akin on Saturday, October 24, at 8 p.m. "Award winning guitarist W. Mark Akin returns to the Tavern of Fine Arts to present a concert of classical guitar favorites: standards of the repertoire, including works by Villa-Lobos, Tarrega, Albeniz, and including the world famous Concierto de Aranjuez featuring Addie Akin on piano." The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

The Town and Country Symphony Orchestra presents a special Halloween Concert on Sunday, October 25, at 2:30 PM. "Come join in the fun at our Halloween themed concert. Orchestra members will be in costume and we encourage kids to dress up too." The performance takes place in Ridgway Auditorium at The Principia, 13201 Clayton Road. For more information: tcsomo.org.

Symphony Preview: Tchaikovsky's big bang theory at Powell Hall, October 10-12

The "1812 Overture" in Melbourne in 2005
en.wikipedia.org

"The overture will be very loud and noisy, but I wrote it with no warm feeling of love, and so it will have no artistic merits at all." That was Tchaikovsky complaining to his patron Nadezhda von Meck about the piece that closes St. Louis Symphony's all-Tchaikovsky concerts this weekend, "The Year 1812, festival overture in E-flat major," Op. 49.

Many critics have agreed about the lack of artistic merit, but audiences continue to love it. Composed on commission for a concert commemorating completion of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, it's one of Tchaikovsky's most popular works—especially in outdoor "pops" concerts where the large orchestra can be supplemented with the brass band, bells, and cannons called for in the score. There won't be any artillery inside Powell Hall this weekend, but the orchestra has the next best thing: the "Mahler box," a massive (around 8' tall) unfinished wooden box struck with an equally massive wooden hammer.

It's called the "Mahler box" because it was constructed to deliver the "hammer blows" called for in the finale of Mahler's "Symphony No. 6." Mahler said the sound should be "brief and mighty, but dull in resonance and with a non-metallic character (like the fall of an axe)." Having heard the box in action when Semyon Bychkov conducted the Mahler 6th back in January of 2011, I can attest to the visceral impact of the sound. When the percussionist whacks that box with the hammer, you feel it right through your chest.

The rest of the program is a mix of the composer's "greatest hits" and some of his rarer gems. In the former category is the "Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture," first performed in 1870 and then revised in 1877 and 1880. It manages the neat trick of compressing the essential emotional themes of Shakespeare's five-act tragedy into around 20 minutes of music. The "love theme" is, as Daniel Durchholz writes in his program notes "one of Tchaikovsky's best and most memorable melodies." With lyrics by Buddy Bernier and Bob Emmerich, it even became a hit song: "Our Love," recorded by the Larry Clinton band in 1939.

Tchaikovsky in 1906
en.wikipedia.org

Almost as popular is the opening piece this weekend, the "Polonaise" from the 1877 opera "Eugene Onegin." In the opera, the music accompanies a lavish ballroom sequence in Act 3 in which Onegin, seeing the woman he rejected some years earlier, suddenly realizes he has been a chump and resolves to win her, even though she has married another (yes, it's another opera about Men Behaving Badly). Listening to it as an orchestral excerpt, though, you can forget the melodramatic plot and simply enjoy the lively and engaging melodies.

The other big work on the program—one of those "rarer gems" referred to above—is another of Tchaikovsky's Shakespeare-inspired tone poems: "The Tempest, Symphonic Fantasia After Shakespeare," Op. 18. The critic Vladimir Stasov, to whom the Tchaikovsky dedicated the work, suggested the idea to the composer in 1873. Stasov also provided the following brief summary of the story line, which was printed in the score:

The Sea. Ariel, spirit of the air, obedient to the will of the magician Prospero, evokes a tempest. Wreck of the ship which carries Ferdinand. The Enchanted Isle. First timid stirring of love between Miranda and Ferdinand. Ariel. Caliban. The love-lorn couple abandon themselves to the triumphant sway of passion. Prospero lays aside his magical power and quits the isle. The Sea.

That's a lot to cram into 18 minutes of music, which may explain why (as Mr. Durchholz observes) the work "is not so tightly focused dramatically" as the later "Romeo and Juliet." Still, it's attractive stuff, especially the sea music, which (as composer and music writer Phillip Ramey observes in his notes for the 1985 Chicago Symphony recording) is "so vivid as to be nearly cinematic, depicting both a calm and stormy ocean."

Sandwiched between the "Eugene Onegin" polonaise and "Romeo and Juliet" are two lovely little pieces for soloist and orchestra.

The "Sérénade mélancolique," op. 26, for violin and orchestra opens and closes on (as you might guess from the title) a wistfully sad note, but there's something rather like joy in the more dramatic middle section, so the soloist gets to display a nice emotional range. Joo Kim, from the SLSO's First Violin section, will be in the spotlight for this.

The "Pezzo capriccioso," op. 62 for cello and orchestra is probably the least familiar work on the program. Dating from 1887, it is (the title not withstanding) a mostly rather dramatic piece, although the lively and virtuosic middle section certainly has its "capricious" elements. "I think the piece has turned out rather poorly," lamented the composer in a letter to cellist Anatoly Brandukov (who gave the work its first public performance in 1889). I beg to differ, and suggest that it will offer a fine opportunity for soloist James Czyzewski (who has been with the SLSO for a decade now) to show off.

The essentials: Cristian Macelaru conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and soloists Joo Kim, violin, and James Czyzewski, cello, in a program of the music of Tchaikovsky, featuring the "Romeo and Juliet—Fantasy Overture" and the "1812 Overture," Friday at 10:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m., October 10-12. The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, visit the symphony web site.

Symphony Preview: Old friends and new

David Robertson

It’s a mix of the first run and the familiar this weekend at Powell Hall, with music of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.

The most familiar thing on the program is Sibelius’s 1895 tone poem “The Swan of Tuonela.” A tone poem, for those of you who have never gone through a “music depreciation” class, is an orchestral work that describes and/or is inspired by something non-musical. In this case, the inspiration comes from the Finnish national epic “The Kalevala”—specifically, its description of the island of Tuonela, where the spirits dead reside. The island is surrounded by a black river, on which a lone swan floats and sings a mournful song. The music is vividly descriptive, which is why it’s a favorite of those same music depreciation classes.

Sibelius assigns the swan’s song to the English horn, a relative of the oboe with with a darker and richer sound (it’s pitched a fifth lower) that is a perfect match for the music’s imagery. Cally Banham, who holds the Solo English Horn chair with the orchestra, will be the soloist. She has done fine work with the orchestra over the last several years, so expect good things from her this weekend.

The English horn is, amusingly, neither English nor a horn (it’s a member of the woodwind family). When I was a kid, the story (since discredited) was that the the name came from a mistranslation of the Middle French phrase, cor anglé (“angled horn,” referring to the fact that the mouthpiece is at a slight angle to the body of the instrument). Current thinking is that it actually goes back to the old German word for the instrument’s ancestor (the oboe da caccia) which was know as an “engellisches” (“angelic”) horn because of its resemblance to horns played by angels in Medieval paintings. Its sound, in any case, is unmistakable.

The first run this week is “My Father Knew Charles Ives,” composed in 2003 by John Adams, whose work is often performed by the SLSO. The title is not literally true. While the elder Adams was a musician—he taught his son to play the clarinet and the two played together in local bands—he never actually met the famously craggy composer/businessman.

He did, however, share Ives’s eclectic musical sensibility. As Paul Schiavo relates in his program notes, Adams “credits his father with introducing him to both classical and popular music without prejudicial favoring of one over the other.” He goes on to note that, according to Adams, “the two men had experiences and interests in common, and the composer imagines that they would have liked each other.”

“My Father Knew Charles Ives” is, in short, a tribute both to the elder Adams and to Ives. Laid out in three movements and running just under a half hour, the work (as described in Mr. Schiavo’s notes) seems very much like the kind of thing Ives himself might have written. The first movement, “Concord,” is a musical picture of the New Hampshire town where Adams grew up and which inspired some of Ives’s most notable music. The second, “The Lake,” “conveys the lulling movement of water and a poetic spirit in the form of a melody for oboe. From across the lake comes the sound of dance music, the indistinct bits of melody blending with the watery sonorities” (Ives does something similar in his “Three Places in New England,” especially in the “Putnam’s Camp” and “Housatonic at Stockbridge” movements).

The last section, “The Mountain,” “was inspired by boyhood memories of Mount Kearsarge, in New Hampshire, but also by more recent experiences hiking in California’s high country.” It ends with what Adams calls “a moment of sudden, unexpected astonishment” as the climber sees the view for the top.

The concerts conclude with Prokofiev's 1944 Symphony No. 5, last seen on the Powell Hall stage in November of 2010 in what I called a “highly charged” and “triumphant” performance by conductor emeritus Leonard Slatkin (his 1985 recording with the SLSO is still available on line at archivmusic.com). Composed at the artists' colony of Ivanovo east of Moscow just as the war with Germany was turning in Russia's favor, the symphony was described by Prokofiev as "a hymn to free and happy Man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit" and while there is certainly an air of triumph, especially in the majestic opening theme, it has always seemed to me that the war was never far from the composer's mind. You can hear it in (among other places) the militant percussion of the first movement and the anguished climax of the third.

The aura of triumph is also leavened by Prokofiev's characteristic irony. The composer of the Sarcasms for piano always seems to have a raised eyebrow or cynical smile behind his most demonstrative music. In the 5th symphony sarcasm takes various forms, including caustic comments from the brass and percussion and the deliberate interruption of the boisterous Allegro giocoso finale by a short, dissonant passage for string quartet and trumpet.

The essentials: David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and oboe soloist Cally Banham in Sibelius's "Swan of Tuonela," John Adams's "My Father Knew Charles Ives," and Prokofiev's "Symphony No. 5" Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., September 27 and 28. The Saturday concert will be broadcast on St. Louis Public Radio, 90.7 FM, HD 1, and on the station web site. The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

National identity

Joshua Bell
Photo: Eric Kabik

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In case you thought music only got political in the 1960s, allow me to disabuse you of that notion. The great composers whose music fills concert halls these days were often very politically active and weren't shy about expressing their politics in their music.

Three of the four composers whose music David Robertson and the St. Louis Symphony will perform this weekend were ardent musical Nationalists, which means they used their compositions to advocate for the cultures of their native countries. Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884) and Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) were Czech patriots promoting the artistic and (in the case of Smetana) political independence of their homeland from the Austro-Hungarian Empire while Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was passionate about the legends and landscape of Finland. The fourth composer, Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928- ), isn't generally regarded as a Nationalist per se, but he does draw inspiration from the Finnish countryside and folk tales.

Smetana

Smetana's music often has specific references to Czech legend and lore, so it's only right that he's represented here by two of the six tone poems that make up his epic cycle Má vlast (My Fatherland): Vyšehrad and the massively popular Vltava (more popularly known by its German name, The Moldau).

Vyšehrad, which opens the program, begins with a long introduction depicting the song of the bard Lumir, playing inside the great hall of the castle of Vyšehrad. A more dramatic central section suggests the strife that would characterize Czech history, after which the calmer voice of the bard returns. A few troubled final bars, though, suggest that the calm won't last. When you listen to Vyšehrad, notice how important the harp is as the voice of the bard. In the program book, principal harpist Allegra Lilly notes that the "big, rolled chords which are interspersed with arpeggiated passages" in the introduction help to "create a magical sound, a mystical element appropriate to the piece."

Vltava (which closes the program) is straightforward scene painting, vividly illustrating the course of the river Vltava from placid mountain stream to raging torrent at the St. John rapids (which manifest themselves as big crashing chords towards the end). The bard's theme from Vyšehrad pops up again near the end as well, to provide some artistic unity. When I was young, The Moldau (as it was usually known) was very popular with teachers of "music appreciation" courses (do they still have those?) because it was short (around 12 minutes) and the structure was simple. It's very appealing stuff.

Dvořák

Dvořák's nationalism tends to show itself more in reverence for the Czech countryside, which is very much on display in In Nature's Realm, op. 91. "Dvořák's pure woodwind colors," writes René Spencer Saller in her program notes, "and richly layered strings perfectly evoke the cries of birds, the murmuring of woodland streams, the sighing of wind in the trees." It's musical painting of a high order; some of Dvořák's most profound and touching work was inspired by his love of nature.

Originally the piece was the first of a cycle of three symphonic poems with the omnibus title Nature, Life, and Love. "His intention," writes Denby Richards, the late editor of Musical Opinion magazine, "was to explore every possible facet of nature and life and the effect they have had on the soul of man." These days the three works are usually performed separately under the titles In Nature's Realm, Carnival, and Othello.  Which is rather a pity, as there are thematic relationships among them that make more sense when they're performed as Dvořák originally intended.

Sibelius

Sibelius is represented by his Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47. The violin was Jean Sibelius's first musical love. He began playing as a child and showed great promise as a performer, despite an elbow fracture that impeded his bowing technique. Even after it became clear that his real talent was for composition, he continued to play in chamber ensembles and even teach the instrument. It's no surprise, then, that his Violin Concerto—originally presented in 1903 and then again in a substantially revised form in 1905—is both thoroughly idiomatic and incredibly demanding. The long solo passages in the first movement and virtuoso fireworks in the finale will test the mettle of the best performers.

Fortunately, the symphony has one of the best violinists around as soloist this weekend: Joshua Bell. Born in Bloomington Indiana, Mr. Bell, who turns 46 on December 9th, began taking violin lessons at age four. By 14 he was already appearing with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He made his Carnegie Hall appearance at the age of 17 with our own St. Louis Symphony. Today he is very much in demand as a soloist with notable orchestras worldwide. As of 2011, he also became the music director of the Academy of St. Martin-in-the Fields—the first person to hold that post since the orchestra was founded in 1958 by Sir Neville Marriner. He recorded the Sibelius concerto for Sony in 2000, so he should be very comfortable with the piece.

Einojuhani Rautavaara

Like many music lovers, I expect, I discovered the last composer on this weekend's program, Einojuhani Rautavaara, via a recording of his most well known work Cantus Arcticus (1972). Subtitled "Concerto for Birds and Orchestra," this three-movement work uses recordings of birds from near the Arctic Circle to weave a remarkable musical tapestry.

It seems only fitting, then, that the Rautavaara piece we'll hear this weekend—Lintukoto (Isle of Bliss) from 2001— is inspired by a Finnish poem about the mythical isle of Lintukoto, a paradisaical place where birds migrate for the winter and where all the inhabitants are dwarves because the sky is so close to the ground. There's a kind of hallucinatory wildness to the music which should make for an interesting contrast from the Dvořák that precedes it and the Smetana the follows it. Still, all three pieces are fine examples of nature rendered as music, which makes for a nice through line in the second half of the concert.

David Robertson and The St. Louis Symphony, with violinist Joshua Bell, perform Smetana's Vyšehrad, Sibelius's Violin Concerto, Dvořák's In Nature's Realm, Rautavaara's Lintukoto (Isle of Bliss), and Smetana's Vltava at Powell Hall in Grand Center on Friday and Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 3 PM. The Saturday concert will be broadcast on St. Louis Public Radio, 90.7 FM and HD 1, as well as via the station web site. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of November 11, 2013

The Chamber Project STL

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The Chamber Project St. Louis presents Dream, featuring works by Bridge, Bunch, Ravel and Bruch, on Saturday, November 16, at 8 PM at The Chapel Venue, 6238 Alexander Drive.  For more information: www.chamberprojectstl.org

The Chamber Music Society of St. Louis presents Baroque Bells and Bows featuring trumpeters Thomas Drake and Susan Slaughter, harpsichordist Charles Metz, and cellist Bjorn Ranheim, on Monday, November 11, at 7:30 PM.  The program features music by Manfredini, Vivaldi. Bach, Couperin, and Rameau.  The concert takes place at The Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington.  For more information: chambermusicstl.org.

The Community Music School of Webster University presents the Sixth Annual St. Looey Chamber Blitz Concert Featuring the Altius Quartet on Saturday, November 16th, at 7:30 PM.  The program features Haydn’s Quartet Op. 50, No.1, Shostakovich Quartet No.9, and Schubert's "Death and the Maiden." “Concluding the concert, the Altius Quartet will be joined by members of the Prep program and SIUE Suzuki Strings for the collaboration on the performance of Michael Abels Dances and Delights. Commissioned in 2007 by the Sphinx Organization to celebrate its 10th anniversary as well as its dedication to promoting the works of African and Latino composers, Dances and Delights perfectly captures the emotional and physical energy of youth.”  The performance takes place at The Community Music School of Webster University, 535 Garden Avenue in Webster Groves.  For more information: www.webster.edu/cms

Eliot Unitarian Chapel presents a Friends of Music concert on Sunday, November 17th, at 3 PM.  The concert features music by Tchaikovsky, Max Reger, and Matt Assel.  Eliot Unitarian Chapel is at 100 South Argonne in Kirkwood.  For more information: fomcstl.org

Morton Subotnick

HEARding Cats Collective presents a performance by electronic/minimalist composer Morton Subotnick on Saturday, November 16th, at 8 PM.  “Morton Subotnick is heralded as a pioneer in the minimalist music movement, and a major contributor in laying the foundation for electronic music. He’s touring a small number of dates in celebration of his 80th birthday, and appears in St. Louis because of a longstanding relationship with HEARding Cats’ Artistic Director, Rich O’Donnell.”  The performance takes place at the Kranzberg Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center.  For more information: www.heardingcatscollective.org

McKendree College presents a St. Louis Symphony Mondays concert featuring member of the SLSO on Monday, November 11, at 7:30 PM.  The concert takes place in the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts on the college campus in Lebanon, IL.  For more information: thehett.com.

New Music Circle presents Olivia Block, Sandra Gibson, and Luis Recoder in concert on Friday, November 15th, at 8 PM.  “Sandra Gibson and Luis Recoder (NYC) will present an original piece of "live cinema" using film projectors and simple mechanical means to create slowly shifting abstract light sculptures in combination with a live soundtrack, created by noted composer, electronic musician, and sound artist Olivia Block (Chicago).”  The event takes place at Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, 3750 Washington Boulevard.  For more information: www.newmusiccircle.org.

David Robertson leads The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Chorus, and vocal soloists in a concert performance of Benjamin Britten’s opera “Peter Grimes” on Saturday, November 16, at 8 PM.  It’s a preview of the performance they’ll be giving of the work at Carnegie Hall on Britten’s 100th birthday on November 22nd.  The performance takes place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand.  For more information: stlsymphony.org.

David Robertson

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra presents Symphony SLAM on Sunday, November 17th, at 3 PM.  Symphony SLAM is “a true fusion between visual art and music” in which music director David Robertson “pairs images of some of the Saint Louis Art Museum’s beloved treasures with music from Britten and Bartók.”  The performance takes place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand.  For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra presents Symphony in Your Neighborhood – The Jewish Book Festival on Sunday, November 17th, at 7 PM.  “STL Symphony Concertmaster, David Halen, has been a part of the annual St. Louis Jewish Book Festival concert for a decade. Join David and his colleagues from the St. Louis Symphony for a very special evening of music featuring Souvenir De Florence by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.”  The concert takes place at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity in University City.  For more information: www.stlsymphony.org/symphony_neighborhood/

Second Presbyterian Church presents The Second Church Chorale and Orchestra with conductor Andrew Peters in a 175th Anniversary Concert on Sunday, November 17, at 5 PM.   The performance features Mozart’s Solemn Vespers for soloists, choir, and orchestra, as well as orchestral pieces by Elgar, Mendelssohn, and others.  Second Presbyterian Church is at 4501 Westminster Place.  For more information: www.secondchurch.net.

William Partridge

The Shepley Program of Music and Arts presents an organ recital by William Partridge on Thursday, November 14 (through 12/12) at 12:30 PM at Christ Church Cathedral, 1210 Locust.  Admission is free.  For more information: christchurchconcerts.org.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents a classical open stage night on Monday, November 11 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 Erik Olson, baritone and Jon Garrett, piano on Tuesday, November 12 at 7:30 PM.  “Throw a variety of Italian, German and British art songs together with traditional American selections, add a few timeless standards and Broadway show tunes and you have the recipe for an enjoyable evening of music with baritone Erik Olson and pianist Jon Garrett at Tavern of Fine Arts.”  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 The 442s in concert on Thursday, November 14 at 7:30 PM.  “What happens when you combine two outstanding members of the world-class St. Louis Symphony with two of the city's finest jazz musicians from the Erin Bode Group? You get The 442's, an exciting new acoustic instrumental quartet named for the modern standard tuning of 442 Hz! Brought together by the innovative and inspired compositions of Adam Maness, who also plays guitar, accordion, melodica and glockenspiel in the group, The 442's features Shawn Weil on violin, Bjorn Ranheim on cello and Sydney Rodway on bass. This unique collaboration, formed in the spring of 2012 by a tight-knit group whose love of good food and fine beer makes rehearsals feel like dinner parties, combines outstanding musicianship, group singing, inventive improvisation, whistle solos and special guest appearances by famed jazz vocalist, Erin Bode. Exploring the boundaries of jazz, classical, folk and rock music, their music can move you to the edge of your seat or comfort you like a lullaby, all within the same set.”  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 Patricia Scanlon, soprano with Bill Romer, piano in an evening of songs from the Great American Songbook on Friday, November 15 at 8 PM.  The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood.   For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

Jeffrey Noonan

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents music for Baroque flute, ‘cello and theorbo by Michel Blavet, Joseph Boismortier, Antonio Vivaldi, and Robert de Visee on Saturday, November 16 at 8 PM.  Featured performers are Douglas Worthen, Baroque Flute; Stephanie Hunt, Baroque Cello; and Jeffrey Noonan, Theorbo.  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 a classical organ concert on Friday, November 15, at 12:30 PM as part of its free Friday Pipes series.  Third Baptist Church is at 620 N Grand.  For more information: www.third-baptist.org