Passion on tap

The artistic directors of The Chamber Project

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When, just over a year ago, I published a post on this here blog about the innovative programming being done by The Chamber Project St. Louis, I never would have guessed that I might become part of that programming thirteen months later.

I guess it's a good thing it was a positive article!

Those of you who know me might be a bit surprised to learn that I'm appearing as a guest soloist in a classical chamber music concert. Yes, I played a number of instruments in my feckless youth, but none of them very well and none of them at all now. And while I'm a fixture (not of the plumbing variety) on the local cabaret scene, I do not have anything remotely like a classically trained voice.

I do, however, have plenty of experience as an actor, and it's in that capacity that I made my debut with The Chamber Project last night (September 11, 2014; the concert repeats on September 18) in Kenji Bunch's "Sonnet 128" for narrator, cello, and percussion. This haunting and charming little work (around seven minutes long) is part of a longer evening titled "Passion" which, according to the group's web site, explores "the passion makes the heart sing and that keeps us going through thick and thin."

The evening opens with the prelude to Bach's "Cello Suite No. 1," which segues straight in to the Bunch. It's a dramatically smart move, and the leap from the 17th century to the 21st ("Sonnet 128" premiered at Tanglewood in 2003) feels remarkably seamless to me.

A short break for a stage re-set and audience discussion is then followed by "And Legions Will Rise" for violin, clarinet, and marimba by St. Louis native Kevin Puts. The composer says the work "is about the power in all of us to transcend during times of tragedy and personal crisis. While I was writing it, I kept imagining one of those war scenes in blockbuster films, with masses of troops made ready before a great battle. I think we have forces like this inside of us, ready to do battle when we are at our lowest moments." The fact that it was written just a few months before the 9/11 attack is one of those "you can't make this stuff up" real-life coincidences.

The concert closes with Beethoven's "String Trio, op. 9 no. 1" In G major, a lively and engaging work from the point in the composer's life when he was just beginning to hit his musical maturity. His first symphony was still two years away when he wrote the three trios of his Op. 9, but you can hear the beginnings of the revolutionary changes he would bring to the forms of the 18th century structural and harmonic models in this music.

The essentials: The Chamber Project of St. Louis, with yours truly as special guest, repeats their "Passion" program at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 18, at the Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust. The performance is part of their "On Tap" concert series at local imbibing establishments where you can consume the libation of your choice along with the music—much as audiences often did back in Beethoven's day. For more information on this and other Chamber Project projects, check out their web site.

A Townie’s Guide for Out of Town Media

[This is a little guide to St. Louis treasures I put together for the out of town media flying in for the Opera Theatre season and the Music Critic's Association of North America meeting. Even if you're a St. Louis native, you might find some of this useful.]

So, you’ve arrived in St. Louis for a whirlwind musical weekend at Opera Theatre. You’ll be spending most of your time in the Loretto-Hilton center, granted, but what about the rest of it? Allow me to draw your attention to places to eat, drink, and be merry that are unique to St. Louis. Some of them have made the guidebooks while others are hidden gems. They’re my personal favorites (which means they’re mostly located within the city limits), and if you give them a try I think they might be yours as well.

For your convenience, I have included driving times in minutes from Opera Theatre (OT), downtown (DT), and the airport (AP).

Eat and Drink

Franco

Looking for a bistro to go with your Bizet? Franco (eatatfranco.com) in the Soulard Market Apartments building at 8th and Carroll (OT: 16, DT: 8, AP: 22) promises—and delivers—a “new take on classic French” with a seasonal menu that relies heavily on locally sourced meat, cheese, fish, and produce. Their location right across the street from the Soulard Farmers Market (www.soulardmarket.com) guarantees ready access to fresh ingredients, and the results are obvious from the first taste. The current menu includes grilled Missouri rainbow trout, roasted pork shoulder with white beans and roasted red peppers, and the classic bistro steak with shallot bleu cheese butter, bacon braised Brussels sprouts, and pommes frites. The pommes frites, by the way, are available as a separate small plate with black pepper, sea salt, and mayonnaise. They’re deservedly popular. Entrees are priced at $19 to $29.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Franco, though, is its noise control system. Even when the place is full, you can still have a conversation without having to shout. Credit a clever system of ornamental wood baffles hanging from the high ceiling. I wish other eateries would follow their example.

Speaking of the Soulard Farmers Market, you couldn’t ask for a better place to pick up some fresh produce for a quick snack or as a supplement to one of Ces and Judy’s catered picnic dinners. I’ve been shopping there for years and can strongly recommend the fresh fruits and vegetables offered by Merkle Produce (stalls 79B and 80) and the amazing local goat cheeses from Baetje Farms (stall 18). In the market’s central aisle, check out the spices, coffee, tea, meats, and cheeses at the impeccably clean and fragrant Soulard Spice Shop, and the world-class cinnamon rolls at the Soulard Bakery. The market is open from 7 AM to 5 PM Wednesday through Friday. It gets pretty crowded on Saturday mornings when all the stalls are open for business, which is why I always go on Friday afternoon.

While you’re there, take few minutes to walk around the Soulard neighborhood (soulard.org) that gives the market its name. It’s the oldest residential neighborhood in town and boasts impressive architectural styles including Second Empire with its characteristic Mansard roof.

The bar at Square One

How about a visit to a brewpub to accompany Sweeney Todd? St. Louis has seen an explosion in brewpubs in recent years. The best of them offer a variety of moderately priced and delectable food along with a wide variety of beers, ales, porters, and stouts produced on the premises. Here are a couple of my favorites.

• Square One Brewery and Distillery (www.squareonebrewery.com) is a family-owned business at 1727 Park Avenue (OT: 17, DT: 6, AP: 24) in the historic Lafayette Square neighborhood. The menu offers a wide assortment of sandwiches and entrees, including a game burger of the week (with toppings) for $10.95, a local charcuterie plate for $12.95, and a grilled polenta entrée with smoked tomato, avocado, and blended cheeses for $11.95. The bar offers a selection of their own beers and ales along with other brands, and includes a British cask ale system that serves your brew at cellar temperature. Spirits distilled on the premises include their remarkable JJ Neukomm Missouri cherry–wood smoked malt whiskey, which is not to be missed.
• The Schlafly Tap Room (schlafly.com/breweries/taproom) at 2100 Locust (OT: 20, DT: 5, AP: 25), which opened in 1991, was the first of the local brewpubs. Schlafly beer has since become a common offering at local bars, restaurants, and grocery stores. The Tap Room is housed in a restored wood and brick building that’s on the National Historic Register; itoffers a menu of classic pub grub, including soups, salads, sandwiches, and full dinners. Prices are moderate (the most expensive entrée is under $18). The bar offers the full range of Schlafly beers and includes a cask ale system.

The original Pi

How about a little pizza to go with Cosi fan Tutte? As you might expect in a city with a long Italian-American heritage, St. Louis is chockablock with pizza places. For the best deep-dish in town, check out Pi (www.restaurantpi.com) either at the original location at 6144 Delmar or its newer branches at 409 North Euclid in the very cool Central West End or 10935 Manchester Road in Kirkwood. It was Pi’s cornmeal crust pizza that so wowed President Obama when he visited St. Louis in 2008, and judging by the ongoing success of the eco-friendly business, St. Louisians agree. The menu is very vegetarian friendly without short-changing us carnivores.

If, on the other hand, you’d like to try classic thin-crust “St. Louis style” pizza, let me call your attention to Joanie’s (joaniespizzeria.com) at 2101 Menard (OT: 18, DT: 7, AP: 23) in Soulard or, for a really undiscovered local gem, Kevin’s Place (no web site, but his phone is 314-353-1400) at 2111 Cherokee (same travel times as Joanie’s). The latter is about as small as a small business gets. Kevin answers the phone, Kevin makes your pizza, and if you opt for delivery, Kevin will bring it to your door. The pizza crust is a both crispy and chewy and the toppings are generous. Take my advice and ask for mozzarella instead of provel, though. Yes, the latter is a “born in St. Louis” cheese, but its charm has always escaped me.

Just looking for drinks and dessert? You can’t go wrong with two local institutions: Cyrano’s (www.cyranos.com) at 603 East Lockwood within walking distance of Opera Theatre or Baileys Chocolate Bar (baileyschocolatebar.com) at 1915 Park Avenue (OT: 17, DT: 6, AP: 24) in Lafayette Square. Cyrano’s also offers a full dinner menu while Bailey’s has a wider variety of drinks and chocolate in every conceivable form and offers a very funky patio that’s ideal for these summer nights.

Be Merry

Citygarden at night

Downtown St. Louis offers a pair of unique attractions that rival anything in Alice in Wonderland. Citygarden (www.citygardenstl.org) is located in downtown St. Louis, between 8th Street to the east and 10th Street to the west, and Chestnut Street to the north and Market Street to the south (OT: 20, DT: 0, AP: 22). It’s a remarkable combination of interactive outdoor art gallery and garden that invites you to stroll and discover. There’s even a restaurant, Joe's Chili Bowl at the Terrace View, that offers unobstructed views of the garden.

A few blocks north and west at 701 North 15th Street (times same as Citygarden) is City Museum (www.citymuseum.org), the sui generis brainchild of the late sculptor and entrepreneur Bob Cassily who, in 1983, looked up on the vacant 250,000-square-floot International Shoe Building at the western edge of downtown St. Louis and saw an all-ages urban playground. Today City Museum draws around 600,000 visitors a year. The space includes an aquarium, a shoelace factory, a fire truck, two airplanes, a Ferris wheel, a six-story giant slide, a third-floor circus ring where Circus Harmony often performs, and a gargantuan jungle gym/architectural sculpture known as MonstroCity. Kids love the place, of course, but there’s plenty for adults to do here as well. Food and drink concessions at the museum include Samwiches in the City, the Baby Elephant Café, the Baleout Bar, the Cabin Inn (in a real cabin), and weather permitting, Grill Master Tony’s Outdoor BBQ and the Rooftop Cantina.

Yes, it’s a lot, and you probably won’t have time for most of it, but keep the information handy. I picked places that have been here for a while and will likely still be around next season. If you have any comments or questions, please email me at chuck at kdhx.org or just comment on this blog entry.

And enjoy the opera. I think you’ll agree that it’s a good season this year.

[About the author: Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic at 88.1 KDHX and a St. Louis native. His reviews can be seen at kdhx.org/play/chuck-lavazzi and his KDHX blog posts at kdhx.org/blog/author/clavazzi. Chuck also contributes to the Operatic St. Louis blog (operaticstlouis.blogspot.com/) and maintains his own blog at stageleft-stlouis.blogspot.com.]