St. Louis classical calendar for the week of April 23, 2018

Erin Bode

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The Bach Society of St. Louis presents Bach and Jazz on Tuesday, April 24, at 6 pm. "One part Bach and one part jazz, shaken-not stirred. The ultimate composer's most familiar melodies presented in a unique jazz style! Featuring guitarist Steve Schenkel, pianist Kim Portnoy and vocalist Erin Bode. Presented by Centene Charitable Foundation as part of the 2018 St. Louis Bach Festival." The concert takes place at Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington in Grand Center. For more information: bachsociety.org.

The Bach Society of St. Louis presents Bach's St. Matthew Passion on Saturday, April 28, at 2 pm. "Bach's St. Matthew Passion first moved audiences nearly three centuries ago in Liepzig, Germany. As the climax to our 2018 Bach Festival, experience the power and intimacy of this masterpiece through Bach's engaging account of the Gospel story. Guest soloists include: Steven Soph as the Evangelist, Stephen Morscheck as Jesus, soprano Mary Wilson, mezzo-soprano Kim Leeds, tenor Kyle Stegall and baritone Elijah Blaisdell. Presented in collaboration with Missouri Baptist University as part of the 2018 St. Louis Bach Festival, presented by Centene Charitable Foundation." The concert takes place at at the Pillsbury Chapel at Missouri Baptist University. For more information: bachsociety.org.

The Missouri Women's Chorus presents For All The Saints, "a concert featuring music by women saints, about women saints, and based on the texts of women saints," on Sunday, April 29, at 3 pm. The performance takes place at St. Gabriel the Archangel, 6303 Nottingham in St. Louis For more information: missouriwomenschorus.org.

Christian Tatzlaff

David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra with violin soloist Christian Tetzlaff on Friday at 10:30 am and and Saturday at 8 pm, April 27 and 28. The program consists of the 2007 Violin Concerto by Jörg Widmann and Bruckner's Symphony No. 4, "Romantic." The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The Seldon Concert Hall presents the Perseid Quartet on Tuesday, April 24, at 7:30 pm. "Formed in 2013, the St. Louis based Perseid String Quartet has already generated acclaim for its polished, energetic performances and engagement with audiences. Members of the quartet serve as faculty members at colleges and community music schools, and their collective performing experience includes positions in regional orchestras and opera productions, historically informed performances on Baroque instruments, and playing in a rock band." The Sheldon is at 3648 Washington in Grand Center. For more information: thesheldon.org.

The Touhill Performing Arts Center presents the Equinox Chamber Players on Tuesday, April 24, at 7:30 pm. "Of all standard chamber music ensembles, the woodwind quintet gives composers the richest variety of tonal color with which to experiment. The Equinox Chamber Players will showcase this palette in works by Mary Jane Leach, Phillip Bimstein, Justinian Tamasuza, Frank Bridge and Zachary Cairns that explore the sonic and rhythmic worlds of the Kaibab Plateau, Uganda, St. Louis and the physicality of sound itself. The finale of the program will add the rich woodiness of the marimba to the ensemble in an exciting work by Zachary Cairns featuring Equinox friend Jeffrey Barudin." The Touhill Center is on the campus of the University of Missouri at St. Louis. For more information: touhill.org.

The Washington University Department of Music presents a Guitar Gala on Wednesday, April 25 at 8 pm. The concert takes place in Graham Chapel on the Washington University campus in University City. For more information, music.wustl.edu/events.

The Washington University Department of Music presents a Wind Ensemble Concert on Thursday, April 26, at 7:30 pm. The event takes place in the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall at the 560 Music Center at 560 Trinity in University City. For more information, music.wustl.edu/events.

Cortango

The Washington University Department of Music presents Celebrate Five Years of Cortango on Friday, April 27, at 7:30 pm. "Please join us for a very special evening to celebrate five years of Cortango. This show will share the story of Cortango from the very beginning until now, featuring the great dance and concert music of Tango, and with bonus selections by Joplin, Gershwin - and Prince! Cortango is a Tango, Classical and Jazz fusion concert and dance band featuring members of the Saint Louis Symphony. Founded and led by Cally Banham, a trained social Tango dancer, the band is named for her instrument, the 'Cor anglais', or 'English horn' - the atypical instrument in this otherwise orquesta tipica! Cortango's songbook comes entirely from original arrangements made by members of the ensemble, and by Argentine bandoneon player and Tango arranger, Julian Hasse." The event takes place in the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall at the 560 Music Center at 560 Trinity in University City. For more information, music.wustl.edu/events.

The Washington University Department of Music presents a concert by the Washington University Symphony Orchestra on Sunday, April 29, at 7 pm. The event includes music by Borodin and Glinka and takes place in the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall at the 560 Music Center at 560 Trinity in University City. For more information, music.wustl.edu/events.

Dance Review: Dance St. Louis brings sensual athleticism of Tango Buenos Aires at the Touhill

Photo: Lucrecia Laurel
dancestlouis.org

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Who: Tango Buenos Aires
What: Song of Eva Perón
When: January 30 and 31, 2015
Where: Dance St. Louis at the Touhill Center, St. Louis

"O the tango is done with a thin black moustache a wide scarlet sash, black boots and a whip."   When Jerry Leiber wrote those lyrics for "The Tango" (recorded in 1975 by Peggy Lee), he was reflecting the darkly sensual reputation this dance, with its historically murky origins, has had for over a century. 

Hector Falcón's choreography for the Tango Buenos Aires production of "Song of Eva Perón," which Dance St. Louis brought to the Touhill this past weekend, certainly pays homage to that sensuality, but expands on it with sequences of fluid virtuosity and breathtaking athleticism.

The latter is mostly on display in the Act I closer, in which the five male company members put on an astonishing display of synchronized percussive dancing using pairs of boleadoras—essentially cords with hard weights at the ends, based on the throwing weapon used by Argentine gauchos.  The increasingly complex visual and sonic patterns they produce must be seen live to be believed.  And even then, the extended solo by one member of the company (who is not, alas, indentified in the program) still seemed nearly supernatural. 

Photo: Lucrecia Laurel
dancestlouis.org

Not surprisingly, that number was interrupted frequently for applause.  But then, so were most of the others by this astonishingly talented ten-dancer ensemble.  The many tango sequences drew their share of "oohs" and "aahs" as the performers glided through elaborate variations on the dance's basic moves—all those stomps, cross steps, and lower body pivots—with that apparent ease that comes only with rigorous discipline and talent. 

The female dancers, in particular, reminded me of the old line about how Ginger Rogers was at least as good as Fred Astaire because she had do to everything he did, but backwards and in heels.  In many of the tango sequences, the women were often in more frequent and complicated motion than the men, sweeping around and entwining themselves with their partners.

There is, as you might gather from the title, a thin thread of a story in "Song of Eva Perón" about the late Argentine first lady's rise from the sticks, but for the most part it's just a framework on which to hang the show's colorful and consistently entertaining collection of dances.

An on-stage five-piece band adds to the appeal, performing music composed for the show by pianist and music director Fernando Mazán along with classics by (among others) Jacob Gade ("Celos," known as "Jealousy" in the English-speaking world) and Astor Piazzolla. There were some Argentine folk tunes in the mix as well.  Violinist Mayumi Urgino and Mr. Mazán both got impressive solo numbers while Marco Antonio Fernandez and Emiliano Guererro provided the rock-solid musical foundation on bandoneons, the wide lap-held concertinas that provide the essence of the tango sound.

Photo: Lucrecia Laruel
dancestlouis.org

Vocalist Lucia Alonso performed a pair of songs written for the show by Mr. Mazán.  She was a stunning embodiment of Evita in an elaborate cream-colored evening gown and cape, but her accent and the sound system conspired to make the lyrics incomprehensible, at least from where we sat.

Speaking of costumes, there's no designer listed for the show, so I don't know whom to congratulate for the colorful and intelligently assembled look of "Song of Eva Perón."  As Eva moves from the provinces to the big city, the looks change from simple peasant designs with earthly colors to vivid evening gowns and tuxedo jackets, culminating in a beautifully elegant finale. 

Tango Buenos Aires has already left town and they don't appear to have a web site, so I can't tell you where they'll be appearing next. As for Dance St. Louis, their season continues with the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet February 27 and 28 at the Touhill.  For more information, including details on their upcoming 50th season, see dancestlouis.org.