Symphony Review: A Peerless "Peer Gynt" closes the SLSO season

L-R: Caleb Mayo, Marya Lowry, Robert Walsh.
Photo by Tyler Small courtesy of the SLSO.

Last Saturday and Sunday (May 3 and 4), Stéphane Denève conducted the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus along with a brace of guest performers in the Concert Theatre Works production of Henrik Ibsen’s 1876 epic play/poem Peer Gynt. It was a big, entertaining, crowd-pleaser—words one wouldn’t typically associate with Peer Gynt.

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

Although popular in Norway, Ibsen’s elaborate five-act verse play about the globetrotting adventures of the feckless and self-absorbed Peer has not traveled as well as the great dramatist's other works. The incidental music by Edvard Grieg (1843–1907), on the other hand, has become an international favorite, thanks to the composer's ability to create appealing themes and paint vivid orchestral pictures to accompany the play's action.

For writer/actor/director Bill Barclay, the music was the starting point. “This new adaptation,” writes Barclay, “tries to tame the story while going back to the wilder incidental score, mining for fresh bits of Grieg you’ve probably not heard before.” In the process, he boiled down Ibsen’s five-hour original to a fast-paced two hours or so (including intermission) that makes the story line even more absurd than it was originally but preserves nearly all Grieg’s wonderful music. That’s a win as far as I’m concerned.

Stéphane Denève conducts the SLSO.
Photo by Tyler Small courtesy of the SLSO.

One rarely, if ever, gets a chance to hear too much of the score, much less with a full symphony orchestra and the chorus. Their role is limited, but for the scenes in which they appear, essential. The Mountain King’s music in the first suite is always exciting, but to see it performed in its original context, with the singers, in their role as a gang of angry trolls out for Peer Gynt’s blood—“Slagt ham” (“Slaughter him”)—well, that adds a serious dose of menace you won’t get otherwise. Erin Freeman’s chorus can generally be counted upon for fine singing, but it’s less common to hear them engage in a bit of acting as well.

Speaking of which, several members of the chorus sang the smaller roles. They weren’t credited in the program, but an alert reader informed me that soprano Joy Boland was the singing voice of Anitra. If anyone else has some names, just leave a comment.

Up on the podium, Denève led the band in an equally dramatic performance of the orchestral score, some of which was being presented here for the first time. There was the usual fine playing of the many little solo bits in the score, including Kelly Lukic and Ann Choomack on piccolos in the storm and shipwreck music; oboists Jelena Dirks and Xiomara Mass in the famous “Morning Mood” sequence (a theme anticipated during the “Woman in Green” music, another bit of the score that never made it into the suites); and the horns under Associate Principal Thomas Jöstlein in pretty much everything.

I must also tip my hat to Principal Viola Beth Guterman Chu for her convincingly rustic playing of the first of the two “Halling” folk dance sequences in the “Prelude.” The second was taken by Nordic folk musician Vidar Skrede on a traditional Norwegian Hardanger fiddle, although I would have been just as happy to see Chu do both.

Vidar Skrede (L) with the cast of
Peer Gynt.
Photo by Tyler Small courtesy of the SLSO.

That brings me to the eight-member acting cast, all of whom wore the usual wireless body mics. Balancing them against the full orchestra could have been a bit dicey, but on the whole, it seemed to work, despite a somewhat noisy sound system and some issues with Peer Gynt’s mic, forcing actor Caleb Mayo to occasionally fiddle with it. Happily, it failed to spoil his spot-on portrayal of Peer’s insight-free self-absorption.

The whole cast did exemplary work, in fact. Robert Walsh was engaging as The Button Moulder who, in this version of the script, is a kind of omniscient narrator. Marya Lowry got her share of laughs early on as Peer’s mother Åse, but her death scene with Mayo was wonderfully touching. Risher Reddick’s Dovre King (Mountain King), a Bunraku-style puppet, was broadly comic—perhaps a little too much so at times.

Kourtney Adams was a sinuously seductive Anitra and Caroline Lawton a bawdy Woman in Green (a.k.a. the Dovre King’s daughter). Both also play multiple roles in the Ensemble, along with Daniel Berger-Jones. Will Lyman was the offstage voice of The Bøyg, an all-knowing gnome-like creature Ibsen imported from the fairy tale that formed the basis of his play.

Camilla Tilling as Solveig.
Photo by Tyler Small, courtesy of the SLSO.

There’s not much to the role of Solveig, the long-suffering “gal he left behind him,” but she does have a pair of beautiful songs toward the end of the play: “Solveig’s Song” (from Ibsen’s Act IV) and “Solveig’s Cradle Song,” sung to a dying Peer Gynt as the lights dim on the last scene. Soprano Camilla Tilling’s performances of both carried profound emotional impact. Her vocal technique was remarkable, most notably on that unforgiving pianissimo high A at the end of “Solveig’s Song.” She just floated up to it, seemingly effortlessly.

The SLSO program notes say that this Peer Gynt was “a new full-length adaptation for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra,” which explains why the total show time was a little over two hours (including intermission) vs. the 105 minutes (also including intermission) described at the Concert Theatre Works web site. I’m not sure what was added, but I can say that the first act (Ibsen’s Acts I and II) held together much better than the second, which crams Ibsen’s Acts III through V into around an hour or thereabouts. Even considering that a lot of plot has been jettisoned, it still felt almost telegraphic in its brevity.

The chorus and orchestra curtain call.
The chorus sang in English and Norwegian.
Photo by Tyler Small courtesy of the SLSO.

That’s really a minor gripe, though. The evening was brisk, bright, and obviously great fun for the audience. As a finale for both the season and the SLSO’s tenure at Stifel Theatre, it was an excellent choice.

The regular SLSO season resumes in September with the traditional Forest Park concert followed by the opening weekend and the newly renovated Powell Hall on September 26th and 27th. Meanwhile post-season activity continues through June 9.  Check the SLSO web site for details.

Symphony Review: The SLSO honors musical nomads in the season opener

“A wandering minstrel I,” sings Nanki-Poo as he introduces himself in “The Mikado”; “A thing of shreds and patches.”

You wouldn’t call the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra “a thing of shreds and patches,” but with Music Director Stéphane Denève at the podium for the opening concert of the season last Sunday they were certainly doing some musical wandering. Certainly the first half of the program paid considerable homage to those famous wanderers, the Roma, with concert standards inspired by Hungarian folk tunes and the “Nomad Concerto” by Mason Bates.

Stéphane Denève
Photo: Dilip Vishwanat

Which is rather appropriate for an orchestra that will continue to lead a nomadic existence until the renovation of Powell Hall is completed next fall.

Things got off to an energetic start with a rousing performance of the “Rákóczi March”, a.k.a. the “Marche hongroise” from Part I of  the 1846 opera/oratorio hybrid “La damnation de Faust” (“The Damnation of Faust”) by Hector Berlioz (1803–1869). It’s the sort of orchestral showpiece that never fails to get an enthusiastic response—which it did.

Up next was another favorite, a set of the “Hungarian Dances by Johannes Brahms (1833–1897). Originally composed for piano duet and published in four sets between 1869 and 1880, the dances were orchestrated by various composers, including Brahms. Denève selected the three that the composer orchestrated (Nos. 1, 3, and 10) and played them attacca—i.e., without pause.

It was a smart choice, highlighting the contrast between the energetic first and tenth dances (marked Allegro molto and Presto, respectively) and the more introspective third (Allegretto). The result was a kind of “mini suite” that showed off both the composer’s orchestration and the virtuosity of the band. I was very taken with the flutes (including Ebonee Thomas, who seemed to be holding down the currently vacant Principal position for this concert) in the Dance No. 1, and the playful oboes and bassoons (under Associate Principals Phil Ross and Andy Gott, respectively) were a delight in Dance No. 3.  

Denève gave the dances the “full Roma” treatment, with just the right touches of rubato evoking the music’s folk origins.

The first half concluded with the “Nomad Concerto” by Mason Bates (b. 1977), composed for and premiered in January 2024 by this weekend’s soloist, violinist Gil Shaham. “Envisioned to showcase the legendary Old World sound of Gil Shaham,” writes Bates at his web site, “the concerto is informed by a diverse range of traveling cultures from Eastern Europe to the Middle East.”

Gil Shaham
Photo: Chris Lee

Running just under 30 minutes, the four-movement concerto is, as promised, an ideal virtuoso vehicle for Shaham. The last time I saw him with SLSO in January 2017 I praised his singing tone and the obvious joy of his playing. That’s still true, but this time I was also impressed by the versatility he displayed in delivering the wide range of sounds Bates has written for him. In the first movement (“Song of the balloon man”) his was wistfully Chaplinesque. He and the orchestra exchanged rapid-fire motifs in the brief “Magician at the bazaar” in a way that summoned up visions of flash paper going off all over the string section.  The third movement (“Desert vision: oasis) used the orchestra’s lower voices to suggest an arid expanse of wilderness, with the violin offering brief relief in the form of a yearning  version of the Jewish folk tune “Ani Ma’amin” (“I believe”).

Shaham and the band really cut loose, though, in the concluding movement, “Le jazz manouche.” Inspired by the sound of the legendary 1930s–1940s jazz combo Quintette du Hot Club de France—especially guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stéphane Grappelli—the score has the soloist and orchestra trading licks the way an actual combo would. Shaham and the first violins seemed to be having an especially good time playing off each other here. Will James on jazz percussion and Peter Henderson on piano added considerably to the period atmosphere.

As much as I loved Shaham’s performance, though, I found it difficult to become involved with Bates’s score.  It felt more like a quasi-Impressionist collection of motifs that suggested but never really achieved the status of themes. It reminded me a bit of Debussy, except without the melodies and harmonic infrastructure.

The concert concluded with the Big Event, Berlioz’s splendiferous 1830 “Symphonie Fantastique.” Denève and the orchestra played this wildly hallucinatory work (Leonard Bernstein once dubbed it "the first psychedelic symphony in history”) back in 2019, as the closer of his last concert as Music Director Designate (he became the official MD that fall). At the time I described Denève’s interpretation as consistently engrossing, filled with interesting details (something that would prove to be a hallmark of his work on the podium) and concluding with a downright hair-raising final two movements. I’m repeating myself here because all of that still applies to what we experienced last Sunday.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra season continues October 4th and 6th at the Touhill Performing Arts Center; check out my preview for more information or head over to the SLSO web site.

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

Symphony Review: A robustly operatic Verdi Requiem concludes the SLSO season

The performance of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem (a.k.a. the “Manzoni Requiem”) this past Sunday (April 28) by Stéphane Denève and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) and Chorus reminded me of why I have always loved this remarkable work. While superficially a setting of the Latin mass for the dead, it is fundamentally a grand operatic tragedy, stuffed full of the combination of irresistible melodies and high drama that Verdi did so well. This was a Requiem of power, passion, and sensitivity—a fitting finale to a fine season.

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

Soprano Hulkar Sabirova
Photo courtesy of the SLSO

Denève, as many of you probably know, got his start conducting opera and continues to make it a part of his career. No surprise, then, that his Requiem honored the work’s operatic roots and punched up its theatricality without ever compromising its musical integrity. The sonic balance among the chorus, soloists, and orchestra could not have been better and the symphony musicians were at the top of their game. It has been over a decade since the SLSO took on this challenging work, but the wait was worth it.

A major indicator of the Requiem’s operatic character is the prominence given to the vocal quartet. Most musical settings of the Latin text relay heavily on the chorus with soloists taking on secondary roles. Verdi flipped that, making the soloists the focus of the work and structuring the entire piece as an opera with the trappings of a mass.

When the critic Hans von Bülow described the Requiem as Verdi's "latest opera, though in ecclesiastical vestments," he meant it as a criticism. In fact, he unintentionally put his finger on what made the work an immediate and long-lasting hit. Verdi, the religious skeptic, had turned a ceremony of belief into an opera about facing the inevitability of death and (as Shakespeare’s Hamlet muses in his famous soliloquy) the uncertainty of what comes after.

Mezzo Judit Kutasi
Photo courtesy of the SLSO

Denève cast the roles of the quartet well. Soprano Hulkar Sabirova, mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi, tenor Russell Tomas, and bass Adam Palka were all strong singers with solid operatic backgrounds that enabled them to communicate the emotional truth of the lyrics. Kutasi and soprano Sabirova were the most consistent in maintaining that link with the audience, but all four were quite solid. And Verdi, to be fair, gave the women some of the best material.

Kutasi’s “Liber scriptus” conveyed the sense of dread of divine judgement powerfully, communicating directly with the audience with only brief glances at the score. Palka relied more on the text for his “Mors stupebit” but was equally persuasive in describing the desolation of judgement day. Verdi combined these two solos into a single dramatic scene, using the same music for both, and ending each one with the quiet repetition of a single word: “mors” (“death”) for the bass and “nil” (“nothing”) for the mezzo. Kutasi and Plaka played it well.

Thomas brought out the pleading of “Ingemisco” beautifully, putting his expressive tenor to excellent use both here and in the “Offertorio,” where his voice floats in on the work “hostias” (“we offer you”) as though descending from heaven.

Sabirova sounded heaven sent, as well, on “sed signifier” just a few lines earlier. Her star turn, however, came in the concluding “Libera me,” a long dramatic aria that pleads for divine deliverance while expressing doubt that it will come. The genuine sense of dread in “Tremens factus sum ego” (“I am in fear and trembling”) was chilling. In most requiem masses, the last words sung are comforting. In Verdi’s requiem, the last words are “libera me”, followed by solemn chords in the brasses.

Tenor Russell Thomas
Photo courtesy of the SLSO

All this talk of the soloists should not take anything away from the heroic work of the SLSO Chorus. Verdi gave them their fair share of the spotlight—some of it extremely challenging.

The massive eight-part fugue of double chorus in the “Sanctus” comes immediately to mind in this regard. This was sung with impressive lucidity and in perfect dynamic balance with the orchestra, where little details like the passages for flutes and piccolo were clearly delineated. Overall, the chorus was as fine as I have ever heard it. Congratulations to the singers and to guest chorus director Benjamin Rivera.

And what a tremendous job by the orchestra! The score runs the gamut from the intimate to the overwhelming and demands a high level of playing throughout. The famous "Dies Irae" was a prime example of the latter Sunday, with the orchestra and chorus raising fortissimo musical hell (a friend in the chorus later remarked that it was the loudest he had ever sung). Add in the great whacks on dual bass drums, and the expanded brass section, complete with extra trumpets on the mezzanine level, and the result was music that really did sound like the end of the world. The brass and percussion section delivered the goods here, with precise performances that had a visceral impact.

Bass Adam Palka
Photo courtesy of the SLSO

At the other end of the spectrum were (to pick just two examples) Principal Bassoon Andrew Cuneo’s plaintive rising sixteenth notes accompanying the soprano, mezzo-soprano, and tenor in “Quid sum miser” and the shimmering violins under the mezzo-soprano in “Lux aeterna.” Wonderful stuff all around, with Denève keeping everything perfectly balanced.

Denève’s interpretation also showed his customary understanding of the value of silence as a musical element. At the very beginning of the performance he patiently held the downbeat until he got absolute quiet, giving the pianissimo opening, with the chorus singing sotto voce and the violins playing con sordino (muted), an impact it might not have otherwise. I think he also would have held for a longer silence at the end if the audience had let him, but after a performance like that I imagine one can only hold the applause for just so long.

The SLSO traditionally closes the season with something special and usually something big for the chorus and orchestra. Verdi’s Requiem, with its mix of hope and doubt, is an ideal choice for that slot, especially in times when the former seems in short supply and the latter much too abundant. A work in which the final words are a wistful “libera me” (“deliver me”) could hardly be more appropriate.

While last weekend’s concerts closed the official season, the music continues this weekend as Stéphane Denève conducts the SLSO and famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma in Elgar’s Cello Concerto along with Debussy’s “La Mer” on Friday, May 3, at 7:30 pm at Stifel Theatre. Tickets are available for the concert by itself or as part of a gala fund raiser that includes cocktails, dinner, and post-show dancing. Sunday, May 5, at 7 pm Kevin McBeth conducts the IN UNISON Chorus in a concert at Shalom City of Peace Church in Spanish Lake. Admission is free but RSVPs are requested. The orchestra wraps up May with "Bugs Bunny at the Symphony" on Saturday, May 11, at 7 pm at Stifel Theatre.

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

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

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

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

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

La création du monde

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

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

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

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

Ebony Concerto

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

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

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

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

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

Kleine Dreigroschenmusik

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Symphony Review: Lise de la Salle's Chopin conquers a dark and stormy night

Lennox
The night has been unruly. Where we lay,
Our chimneys were blown down; and, as they say,
Lamentings heard i' the air, strange screams of death;
And prophesying, with accents terrible
Of dire combustion and confused events
New hatched to the woeful time. The obscure bird
Clamored the livelong night. Some say, the earth
Was feverous and did shake.

Macbeth
 'Twas a rough night.

 -- Shakespeare, "Macbeth" II,3

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

Granted this past Saturday night (April 15th) wasn’t quite as bad as that, but in case you spent so much time huddled up in your basement that night and missed local debut of Lise de Salle and the valedictory appearance of Assistant Conductor Stephanie Childress with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (as we very nearly did), I can only hope you made it to the concluding performance on Sunday. Because it was certainly worth it.

De la Salle’s performance of Chopin’s Piano Concert in F minor (the first to be written but second to be published) was everything you want a Chopin concerto to be: an elegant mix of technical excellence and emotional power. Like Chopin himself, de la Salle showed a light, almost mercurial touch at the keyboard. Unlike the composer (whose understated playing was better suited to the salon than the concert hall), her dynamic range was wide enough to easily fill Powell Hall with torrents of sounds when the score called for it.  This is a Chopin F minor not to be missed.

Lise de la Salle
Photo: Phillipe Porter

Inspired by Chopin’s unrequited love for singer Konstancja Gladowsky, the concerto is a tribute to the composer’s ability to transmute quotidian lead into musical gold. In Chopin’s hands, hormonal teenage angst (Chopin was only 19 when he composed the concerto) became the basis for a moving and dramatic mix of Romantic sentiment with Classical form. De la Salle and Childress honored that with a collaboration that nicely balanced both aspects of the work.

The Maestoso first movement had a commanding sense of drama and gave the audience a chance to see Childress and de la Salle’s deep emotional commitment to the music. The famous Larghetto second movement had a sense of tragic urgency, especially in the central section with the piano crying out over tremolo strings. That made the contrast with the Allegro vivace finale, with its genial mazurka rhythms, that much more pronounced.

It was a noteworthy St. Louis debut for the young French pianist and a display of excellent work all the way around. The enthusiastic applause led to a quiet encore: Bach’s Chorale Prelude on “Ich Ruf’ zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ” (BWV 639).

Childress, making her final appearance with the SLSO this weekend, began the evening with a dynamic and crystal clear Second Essay for Orchestra by Samuel Barber. Composed in 1942, the piece clearly reflects the anxiety of a world at war. It ends with a sense of serenity and hope for the future—something that probably felt as uncertain then as it does now.

In Grove Music Online, Barbara B. Heyman describes the Essay as employing “a rich orchestral palette…well-crafted formal design, fluent counterpoint, and haunting themes.” It’s something of a small scale “concerto for orchestra,” in fact, highlighting nearly every section of the band at one point or another. Add in the frequent changes in time signatures (6/8, 9/8,3/4, 5/8, and so on) and you have a work that can make or break a conductor and orchestra.

Needless to say, Saturday night’s performance was not just unbroken but positively triumphant. There was impressive work by the large horn section under Roger Kaza, Principal Tympani Shannon Wood, the powerful brasses, and all of the woodwinds, especially in the fugal central section. Childress conducted with an authority that made it all flow smoothly.

The real opportunity for both Childress and the orchestra to show their mettle, though was the immensely satisfying reading of Elgar’s “Enigma Variations” that concluded the concert. Composed in 1898 and 1899, this collection of fourteen cameos of the composer’s friends and family was brought to vivid life by the orchestra under Childress’s baton.

There were so many wonderful moments here that I can hardly list them all, so I’ll settle for mentioning a few that were especially memorable. Variation 1, a portrait of Elgar’s wife Caroline, showcased the smooth, burnished sounds of the string section as did the majestic “Nimrod” variation (number 9), which has become popular as a stand-alone piece. Variations 3 and 5 allowed the woodwinds to show their whimsical and comic sides. The eerie sound of the solo clarinet (Principal Scott Andrews) paired with pianissimo rolls on the tympani (Shannon Wood) in variation 13 was exceptionally effective, and the full orchestra captured all the “Rule Britannia” grandeur of the composer’s self-portrait in the final variation.

During a moving tribute to her time with the SLSO that preceded the Elgar, Childress noted that conducting the “Enigma Variations” was “a rite of passage” for young British conductors. She passed that test with flying colors last night, bringing her valedictory appearance to a rousing conclusion.

Next at Powell Hall: Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin leads the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and cello soloist Joshua Roman in Richard Strauss’s “Don Quixote” along with Chabrier’s “España” and the 2015 “Anthology of Fantastic Zoology” by Mason Bates. Performances are Saturday at 10:30 am and Sunday at 3 pm, April 22 and 23. The Saturday morning concert will be broadcast Saturday night at 8 on St. Lous Public Radio and Classical 107.3.

Also on Saturday, Barbara Berner will conduct the St. Louis Children’s Choirs in a 45th anniversary concert at 7 pm.

Symphony Review: Laurence Cummings' "Messiah" walks in darkness

'Tis the season for Handel's "Messiah." This past weekend (December 2-4), Laurence Cummings conducted the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (under guest choral director Patrick Dupré Quigley) in three traditional, Baroque-sized performances of Handel’s Greatest Hit.

Laurence Cummings
Photo: Robert Workman

Every conductor, in my experience, assembles their own “Messiah” from the 57 separate numbers Handel wrote. Handel himself had no hesitation about doing so. That means every “Messiah” is slightly different.

Cummings’s “Messiah” was less celebratory and more reverential than previous versions I have seen at Powell Hall. It felt more informed by the Passion aspect of the piece than, say, the bracing version Bernard Labadie gave us back in 2015 or even the more dramatic Matthew Halls “Messiah” from 2018. That made the work no less compelling, though, and added a sense that we were on a journey from darkness into light. Besides, any “Messiah” that doesn’t seriously mess with Handel is welcome at what Dickens calls “this festive season of the year.”

First performed on April 13th, 1742, in Dublin, “Messiah” was, at least during Handel’s lifetime, generally regarded as appropriate for Easter rather than for Christmas.  After all, only the first of its three sections is devoted to the Annunciation. Part two is all about the Passion and the Resurrection (which is why it concludes with the famous “Hallelujah” chorus), while Part 3 deals with Judgement Day. So, even though it was part of the SLSO’s Christmas programming, this was ultimately a “Messiah” that would have been an equally good fit for Lent and Easter.

Jonathon Adams
Photo: Ayako Nishibori

The tone was set in the opening “Sinfonia.” It’s a typical example of what’s called a “French overture,” with a slow introduction followed by a more lively, dance-like fugal section. Cummings’s tempos were on the slow side for both, signaling the more solemn intent of the performance. The following two numbers—“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people” and “Ev’ry valley shall be exalted”—reinforced that feeling, thanks to tenor John Matthew Myers’s commanding stage presence, ringing voice, and clear communication of the text.

All four of the soloists, in fact, had strong, flexible voices. Baritone Jonathon Adams was an authoritative “voice of God” in “Thus saith the Lord,” “Why do the nations so furiously rage together” and, with the crystal-clear accompaniment of trumpeters Julian Kaplan and Austin Williams, “The trumpet shall sound.” Soprano Amanda Forsythe had fewer solos, but they were all tremendously effective. The entire “There were shepherds abiding in the fields” sequence radiated joy and featured some stunning top notes.  She, Adams, and Myers all clearly knew their parts well, and reached out to draw the audience into the emotional core of their songs.

The alto role was sung by countertenor Key’mon Murrah—an unusual but by no means unprecedented substitution that goes back to Handel’s time. Like his fellow soloists he had a solid voice with a particularly impressive high end and, also like the other soloists, he had a good feel for the Baroque concept of vocal ornamentation—something that’s not always a given with contemporary singers. He did not, however, seem to be as comfortable with the music as the others, and appeared to be much more dependent on his copy of the score, rarely engaging with the audience.

Amanda Forsythe
Photo: Arielle Doneson

The chorus does most of the heavy lifting in “Messiah,” and here the SLSO chorus continued living up to the high standards it set during the tenure of Amy Kaiser, who retired at the end of the 2021-2011 season. Enunciation was crisp, with even the most heavily melismatic sections wonderfully clear. Examples include “For unto us a child is born” and the contrary movement of the vocal lines in “All we like sheep have gone astray” (one of the many examples of Handel’s word painting).

The singers delivered the more emotionally charged numbers with fervor, including “Glory to God in the highest” and the excessively famous “Hallelujah” that concludes Part 2. And they did it without overwhelming the orchestra even though, with over 70 singers, they were twice the size of the band.

Much as Handel did in his day, Cummings conducted from one of two harpsichords, with Mark Shuldiner backing him up on the second instrument.  Shuldiner switched to the positif organ for the choruses, which allowed Cummings to use both hands to conduct the singers and the orchestra. The organ had a surprisingly hefty sound despite its small size, which added a nice sense of weight to the choral sections.

John Matthew Myers
Photo: Fay Fox

Cummings displayed a good feel for the theatrical aspects of “Messiah.” Prior to “Messiah” Handel had been known for his many operas. Switching to sacred subjects didn’t dilute his dramatic edge, so a little staging never hurts. Cummings had the soloists seated at the far sides of the stage when they weren’t singing, allowing them to make theatrical entrances and exits for their moments in the spotlight. It was a nice touch and spared the singers from having to stay seated front and center when the focus wasn’t on them.

Placing the trumpets up in the dress circle for the jubilant “Glory to God in the highest” was another nice touch, allowing the Good News to literally descend “from on high.”

Last but by no means least, let’s hand out some holly wreathes to the members of the SLSO for their excellent work as both soloists and ensemble members. A tip of the holiday hat is due to, among others, Assistant Concertmaster Erin Schreiber in “If God be for us,” Principal Tympani Shannon Wood in “Hallelujah,” and oboes Philip Ross and Xiomara Mass in the choral passages.

Key’mon Murrah
Photo: SLSO

The bottom line is that “Messiah” is a work that supports a wide variety of arrangements and interpretations. Every performance I have seen at Powell Hall since I started covering the SLSO on a regular basis over a decade ago has been faithful to the score’s Baroque roots, and yet each one has been a winner it its own unique way. The Cummings “Messiah” made a fine addition to that illustrious list.

Next at Powell Hall: Dame Jane Glover conducts an all-Mozart program consisting of the Symphony No. 36, K. 425 (“Linz”), the Violin Concerto No. 4 (with Concertmaster David Halen as soloist), and the Symphony No. 38, K. 504 (“Prague”). Performances are Friday at 10:30 am, Saturday at 8 pm, and Sunday at 3 pm, December 9-11. The Saturday concert will be broadcast live on St. Louis Public Radio and Classic 107.3.

Review: Auld aquaintance not forgot

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

Ward Stare
Photo from wardstare.com

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During his tenure as Music Director, David Robertson made the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's New Year's Eve concert an evening of light, celebratory music, dashes of comedy, and surprise guest appearances. This year, with Mr. Robertson gone and his replacement, Stéphane Denève, not yet in place, former Resident Conductor Ward Stare was brought in to assume the festive mantle, and he did it brilliantly.

The concert opened with an energetic performance of Berlioz's "Roman Carnival Overture," a work cobbled together in 1844 from bits of the composer's 1838 opera "Benvenuto Cellini." Mr. Stare's interpretation, which had him practically leaping off the podium at times, was both lively and nuanced, with brisk pacing, crisp attacks, and admirable work by Cally Bahnam in the prominent English horn solo.

Up next was a local premiere--four selections from Leonard Bernstein's 1980 "Divertimento." Written for the Boston Symphony's centenary, the work is, as Mr. Stare noted in his remarks form the podium, filled with little inside jokes for the BSO audiences. The comically tipsy "Turkey Trot," movement, for example, refers to a little road not far from the orchestra's summer home at Tanglewood, while the off-kilter "Waltz", in 7/8 time, is a nod to the 5/4 waltz in Tchaikovsky's "Pathétique" Symphony--a work which was a favorite of long-time BSO head Serge Koussevitzky. It's exceptionally entertaining music that also sounds challenging to play, but the orchestra did an excellent job with it.

Leonard Slatkin

Richard Rodgers' "Carousel Waltz" was next, followed by "Napoli," a set of elaborate variations on "Funiculì, Funiculà" originally written for cornet and band by Herman Bellstadt and performed here in an arrangement for euphonium and orchestra by Richard E. Thurston.

These turn-of-the-previous-century showpieces, once so prevalent, are rarely heard these days, so it was a real pleasure to see it done at all, much less with the kind of virtuosity it got from Principal Trombone Timothy Myers, who sailed through the increasingly extravagant solo part with impressive assurance. I played the euphonium as a youngster (although never this well!), so it was a pleasure to hear its rich, mellow tones again.

Timothy Myers

A sing-along version of "Meet Me in St. Louis" served as a bridge to the evening's big comic moment, a live version of Peter Schickele's "New Horizons in Music Appreciation." Originally a part of hilarious 1967 album "P.D.Q. Bach on the Air," "New Horizons" presents most of the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 as a sportscast, complete with a penalty box, an umpire, and fights between the conductor and the players. Former SLSO Music Director Leonard Slatkin and Cardinals legend Ozzie Smith were the commentators for this somewhat under-rehearsed but still outrageously funny routine, which also included an unexpectedly touching tribute to SLSO bassist Don Martin, who is retiring after 56 years with the band. Bass trombonist Gerard Pagano was the harried umpire and Principal Oboe Jelena Dirks was the musician who gets into a dustup with the conductor over an "impromptu" solo.

Mr. Slatkin took over after intermission for a richly romantic arrangement of the folk song "Shenandoah" (complete with quotes from Dvorak's "New World" Symphony) for violin, flute, and orchestra by composer Cindy McTee, who is also his wife. Concertmaster David Halen and Associate Principal Flute Andrea Kaplan were the excellent soloists. Mr. Slatkin followed that up with "Carmen's Hoe-Down," a witty arrangement (or maybe derangement) of themes from Bizet's opera in country fiddle style by Mr. Slatkin's father Felix, long-time conductor of (among others) the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra.

Eva Kozma

Mr. Stare came back to the podium for music by Johann Strauss, Jr. and the Hungarian violinist and composer Jeno Hubay. Strauss was represented by the "Éljen a Magyr" Polka and, inevitably, "The Beautiful Blue Danube"--fine performances in both cases--and Hubay by his "Scene from the Czarda No. 4 ("Hejre Kati)." The fiery solo in the latter got a fleet, graceful reading from Assistant Principal Second Violin Eva Kozma.

Rossini's venerable "William Tell" was next. The piece is so well known (and has been so often parodied) that it has become a cliché, but even so Mr. Stare found some interesting new things in it, including a particularly dramatic approach to the quiet opening for cellos and double basses, depicting the Alpine dawn.

A quick run through "The Missouri Waltz" and a final sing-along of "Auld Lang Syne" brought the evening to a celebratory conclusion. It was good to see Mr. Stare back on the Powell Hall stage again, if only briefly; let's hope we see more of him in the future.

The New Year's Eve concert concluded the St. Louis Symphony's holiday programming. The regular season resumes Friday at 10:30 am and Saturday at 8 pm, January 18 and 19, as Karina Canellakis leads the orchestra and violinist Renaud Capuçon in music of Beethoven, Schuman, Richard Strauss, and Hindemith.

Review: Merrie melodies

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

Poster by Columbia Artists

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It's always nice to have a big, family-friendly event at this time of the year, and right now Grand Center is playing host to a pair of them: the musical "Anastasia" at the Fox and, just up the street at Powell Hall, "Walt Disney Animation Studios: A Decade in Concert."

I reviewed the former a couple of days ago. Last night (Friday, December 28) I had the pleasure of watching the latter as, under the expert direction of Resident Conductor Gemma New, an expanded roster of St. Louis Symphony Orchestra musicians (eighty of them, including Steve Schenkel and Kirk Hanser on electric guitar and Kelly Karamanov on synth) delivered slam-bang performances of music from a dozen recent Disney animated films while selections from movies played on the big screen above them. I found it delightful, and I've never even seen most of those movies; for the many fans, young and old, in the audience, it was obviously a bit of pure heaven.

The clips were artfully selected, so that even a relative newbie like me (I had seen only two of the twelve films) was able to get a feel for the story lines. The clips also represented a nice variety of animation styles, from the mid-1960s feel of "Winnie the Pooh" (2011), to the early-1990s look of "The Princess and the Frog" (2009) with its emphasis on caricature, to the more common 3-D design of "Moana" (2016) and the other films in the program.

Gemma New

There was plenty of variety in the music as well. I especially enjoyed Randy Newman's score for "The Princess and the Frog," with its pastiches of early 20th-century sentimental tunes, ragtime, and Dixieland, as well as Mark Mancia's percussion-heavy music for "Moana." Principal Percussionist Will James and the rest of his crew got quite a workout on that one.

Alan Menken's Celtic-themed score for "Tangled" (2010) generated plenty of excitement, and the comic hijinks of "Winnie the Pooh" were vividly illustrated by the equally comical score by Henry Jackman. And it's always a pleasure to hear the music Robert Lopez wrote for "Frozen" in 2013. "Let It Go," the Big Hit from the film, got a virtuoso performance (not credited, I'm sorry to note) by St. Louis's own Debby Lennon as the evening's encore.

All too often, phrases like "family entertainment" and "recommended for all ages" are euphemisms for "dull and unimaginative," as though children were simply very dim adults who could only be trusted with the performing arts equivalent of safety scissors. "Walt Disney Animation Studios: A Decade in Concert" was, I'm happy to say, none of those things. The little princesses (and princes) in the audience were obviously having a great time, as were the adults accompanying them. Let's hope some of them come back when the regular concert season resumes next month.

Next at Powell Hall: Former Resident Conductor Ward Stare returns to lead the orchestra and soloists in the BMO Private Bank "New Year's Eve Celebration" on Monday, December 31. As always, the actual program won't be known until the concert starts, so expect lots of surprises and even some Mystery Guests, musical and otherwise.

Review: The St. Louis Symphony's all-American program is even better the second time around

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

Violinist Gil Shaham

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If this past weekend's St. Louis Symphony Orchestra program (January 14 and 15, 2017) provoked a strong sense of déjà vu in the audience, it's because the orchestra presented a nearly identical program three years ago.  The two major works—Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Violin Concerto and Dvořák's New World symphony—were the same, as were the conductor (David Robertson) and the soloist (Gil Shaham).

The only difference, in fact, was in the short opening work.  Three years ago it was Ingram Marshall's Bright Kingdom.  This time around it was The Chairman Dances, Foxtrot for Orchestra by John Adams.  But that was familiar as well, having last been performed by the orchestra under Mr. Robertson in the fall of 2013.  Even Gil Shaham's unlisted encore was the same: Schön Rosmarin, Fritz Kreisler's pastiche of the waltzes of Joseph Lanner.

For some background on the music itself, check out my symphony preview article.  For my thoughts on the performances, read on.

So how much has changed over the years?  Looking back at my original review of the Korngold and the Dvořák, I'd say the short answer is "not much." 

Mr. Shaham is as thoroughly in command of this music as he was the last time he played it here, with a singing tone and a real and obvious joy in his performance.  He flew through the virtuoso fireworks of the first and third movements easily and brought out all the yearning of the second movement Romance.  Back in 2014, I commented that Mr. Shaham was sometimes swamped by the orchestra, but I didn’t hear such balance problems this time around—probably because I was seated on the orchestra floor as opposed to the dress circle.  In Powell Hall, location can be everything when it comes to vocal and instrumental soloists.

In an interview during the intermission of Saturday night's broadcast of the concert, Mr. Robertson noted that, although the concerto is scored for a large, late-romantic orchestra, performing it requires the kind of intimate give and take between the soloist and the ensemble that is more characteristic of chamber music—and which makes each performance a unique event.  You could see that in the close communication between Mr. Shaham and Mr. Robertson when we attended the concert on Sunday afternoon.  They were physically close as well, with Mr. Shaham sometimes playing very close to the podium.

They were, in short, a joy to see and hear.

Three years ago, I dubbed Mr. Robertson's Dvořák 9^th a "world class" interpretation, and I'm just as enthusiastic this time around.  His approach has, if anything, gotten even more nuanced and refined over the last few years, with wonderful little details that I don't recall hearing in 2014.  The profound hush of the transition to the second subject in the Largo second movement is a good example, as are the many subtle shadings he brought to the exuberant Scherzo third movement.

The orchestra played very well, some issues in the horns not withstanding, and all the important solo passages were sheer perfection.  That includes the flute passages in the first movement by Mark Sparks and Jennifer Nichtman, Scott Andrews’s fine clarinet work in the fourth movement, and Cally Banham's plaintive rendition of The Most Famous English Horn Solo in the World in the Largo.

As for The Chairman Dances, Mr. Robertson and his forces brought out the whimsy in this odd little number, which was cut from the 1987 opera Nixon in China.  It was originally intended to accompany a surrealistic scene in which a painting of Chairman Mao comes to life and dances with his widow during a state dinner. 

There's a kind of quirky nostalgia to the music, which rises to a big orchestral climax before slowly fading out to the sounds of woodblock and sandpaper, as though Mao were doing a soft shoe number as he fades away.  It's rhythmically tricky stuff, and the percussion section—including Peter Henderson on piano—did a fine job with it.

The concerts concluded with another unlisted encore, the original version of the lively and tune-filled overture to Leonard Bernstein's often-revised 1956 operetta Candide.  The piece seems to be a favorite of Mr. Robertson's, and he and the band gave it a cheerfully unbuttoned (but still precise) reading.

The orchestra is taking this weekend's program on its road trip to Spain next month, with performances in Valencia, Madrid, and Oviedo.  If what we heard Sunday is any indication, they'll represent both our town and our nation well. 

I also have to say that, given the poisonous nature of our current political climate, it's good to see that while all the works on this program were written on these shores, three of the five composers represented were born elsewhere.  And two of them were immigrants fleeing fascism.  It's a reminder that America has always been a far more heterogeneous nation than some people want to admit.

The regular symphony season continues next weekend as Andrey Boreyko conducts the orchestra and pianist Till Fellner in Shostakovich's eccentric Symphony No. 15 and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2.  Performances are Friday at 10:30 a.m. and Saturday at 8 p.m., January 20 and 21; visit the SLSO web site for details and information on the Spain tour.