St. Louis classical calendar for the week of February 1, 2016

The New Rosebud Café at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site presents Jeff Barnhart in an evening of stride, blues and ragtime piano on Sunday, February 7, at 2 p.m.  The Scott Joplin House is at 2658 Delmar in midtown.  For more information: friendsofscottjoplin.org.

Anthony Marwood

The St. Louis Symphony conducted by violinist Anthony Marwood presents an evening of chamber music by Bach, Dvořák, and Peteris Vasks on Friday and Saturday, February 5 and 6, at 8 p.m.  The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center.  For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents pianist Michael Tsalka performaning Bach's Goldberg Variations on Monday, February 1, at 8 p.m.  "Early Keyboard performer and pianist Michael Tsalka (Netherlands/Israel) has won numerous prizes and awards in Europe, the U.S.A., the Middle East and Latin America. A versatile musician, he performs with equal virtuosity a wide span of repertoire from the early Baroque to our days on the modern piano, harpsichord, fortepiano, clavichord, square piano and chamber organ." 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 pianist the Concordia String Trio on Thursday, February 4, at 8 p.m.  "The Concordia String Trio (Marcia Henry Liebenow, violin; Leslie Perna, viola; Karen Becker, cello) explores and expands the eclectic repertoire of an under-appreciated genre – the string trio. Dedicated to discovering and performing lesser-known gems of chamber music, they will present three unique trios on this program by composers Julius Zellner, John Harbison, and Richard von Perger." The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood.   For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

The Arianna String Quartet

The Touhill Performing Arts Center presents The Arianna String Quartet in Salud! Saude! on Friday, February 5, at 8 PM.  "In celebration of their seventh trip to Brazil, the Arianna Quartet brings the sounds from three of South America’s very best to St. Louis! The poised elegance of Heitor Villa-Lobos’ String Quartet No.1 is followed by the hypnotic, infectious sounds of Astor Piazzolla’s emblematic Argentinian tango style, and Alberto Ginastera’s sizzling String Quartet No.1 brings the evening to a fiery close."  The Touhill Performing Arts Center in on the University of Missouri at St. Louis campus.  For more information: touhill.org.

The Touhill Performing Arts Center presents Shelley Monier, flute, and Diane Umali, piano, on Saturday, February 6, at 8 PM.  " Dr. Shelly Monier is on faculty at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville where she teaches Applied Flute, Introduction to Music History and conducts the Flute Choir. She is also an Adjunct Professor at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley and teaches and performs in the St. Louis area. Dr. Monier is the president of the Flute Society of Saint Louis and performs with the St. Louis Wind Symphony."  The Touhill Performing Arts Center in on the University of Missouri at St. Louis campus.  For more information: touhill.org.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of March 2, 2015

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The St. Louis Children's Choirs present a Family and Friends Concert on Saturday, March 7, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 8, at 3 p.m. "Experience the joy of young voices united in song! This concert will feature multi-cultural selections in a variety of styles, traditions and languages – performed by the Children’s Choir 1B/1UC, Chorale 2A/2UC, Chamber Singers, and the select touring Concert Choir. The performance takes place at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity in University City.  For more information: slccsing.org.

David Robertson

David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra with Christine Brewer, soprano, and Bjorn Ranheim, cello, on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., March 6 and 7.  The concerts feature Bruckner's "Symphony No. 3" and the "Immolation Scene" from Wagner's " Götterdämmerung" ("Twilight of the Gods").  "Described as heroic in nature, Bruckner's Third Symphony showcases his love for the grand and majestic and is regarded by some as his artistic breakthrough. Credited by the Los Angeles Times as “the ideal modern Wagnerian soprano,” Christine Brewer returns to Powell Hall after a year-long hiatus for a powerful Wagner performance. This production features video and lighting elements by S. Katy Tucker, a renowned artist known for her design work at Carnegie Hall, the San Francisco Opera, Sydney Symphony and more."  The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center.  For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents The Perihelion Ensemble on Thursday, March 5, at 8 p.m.  "The Perihelion Ensemble is an eclectic group of performers including some of the area’s greatest improvisers, experimentalists, and St. Louis’s own Poet Laureate Michael Castro." The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood.   For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

The Arianna String Quartet

The Touhill Performing Arts Center presents The Arianna String Quartet on Friday, March 6, at 8 PM.  " In an evening dedicated to experiencing contemporary sounds and musical languages that transcend time, the Arianna joins forces with internationally acclaimed pianist Einav Yarden. See this brilliant artist’s St. Louis concert debut! SOFIA GUBAIDULINA: String Quartet No.2 (1987); LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: Große Fuge, Op.133; ROBERT SCHUMANN: Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op.44 with Einav Yarden, piano."  The Touhill Performing Arts Center in on the University of Missouri at St. Louis campus.  For more information: touhill.org.

The Touhill Performing Arts Center presents Chamber Music with Alla Voskoboynikova and David Halen on Sunday, March 8, at 5 PM.  "The program includes Beethoven Kreutzer Sonata, Brahms Regen-Sonate, Shostakovich and more… Meet the artists at the lobby of the Lee Theater after the concert!"  The Touhill Performing Arts Center is on the University of Missouri at St. Louis campus.  For more information: touhill.org.

Washington University presents Bosnian Journeys: Generations on Tuesday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m. "Produced in collaboration with the Bosnia Memory Project, this powerful concert weaves personal narrative with Sevdah, the folk music tradition of Bosnia, to tell the stories of our Bosnian neighbors in St. Louis. The concert includes a performance of Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor, a piece played by Vedran Smailović, “the Cellist of Sarajevo,” at multiple sites of destruction during the siege of Sarajevo to honor those who lost their lives. Doors open at 7pm, and no tickets or reservations are required. Featuring musicians from the STL Symphony.  The performance takes place in the Edison Theatre on the Washington University campus.  For more information: music.wustl.edu.

Washington University presents an evening of solo piano music provided by the students of the Washington University Department of Music on Monday, March 2, at 8 p.m.  The program features music by Brahms.  The performance takes place at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity in University City.  For more information: news.wustl.edu.

Winter Opera St. Louis presents Verdi's Otello Friday at 8 PM and Sunday at 3 PM, March 6 and 8.  "Winter Opera proudly presents Verdi’s Grand Opera OTELLO, based on the Shakespeare tragedy; “I kissed thee ere I killed thee, no way but this, / Killing myself, to die upon a kiss.” (William Shakespeare, Othello). Starring Adam Herskowitz (Metropolitan Opera) as Otello, Jacqueline Venable Simmons (San Francisco Opera) as Desdemona, and Nelson Martinez (Florida Grand Opera) as Iago. Sung in Italian with English supertitles. Orchestra conducted by Steven Jarvi. " Performances take place at The Skip Viragh Center for the Arts at Chaminade College Preparatory School, 425 S. Lindbergh.  The opera is sung in Italian with project English supertitles. For more information, visit winteroperastl.org.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of November 17, 2014

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The Chamber Project St. Louis presents Epitaph, featuring works by Debussy, Stravinsky, Schubert, Golijov and Caplet on Tuesday, November 18, at 7:00 PM, as part of its Chamber Project on Tap series. "In this program with works by master composers Debussy, Stravinsky, Schubert, Golijov and Caplet, we examine what is left behind after we depart. Harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet are the featured performers. " The performance takes place at 4 Hands Brewing Company, 1220 South 8th Street. For more information: www.chamberprojectstl.org.

McKendree College presents a St. Louis Symphony Mondays concert featuring member of the SLSO on Monday, November 17, 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.

The St. Louis Symphony’s Crescendo Circle presents Sips and Symphonies on Thursday, November 20, at 7:30 PM. “What is Sips and Symphonies? It is a great way to learn about music in a fun, casual environment. On the third Thursday of each month, we get together at Tavern of Fine Arts to listen to and discuss a piece of music being performed at an upcoming concert at Powell Hall. We will have a different guest moderator each month who will help lead an informal conversation about the music.” A special cocktail is created for each event to accompany the music. This month, Steven Jarvi will present Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons". The event takes place at The Tavern of Fine Arts, 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra along with violin soloists Dana Edson Myers and Rebecca Boyer Hall on Friday at 8 p.m., November 21. "David Robertson explores the themes of music and drama, with a meditation, a march, and a ballet, including selections from Grieg’s Peer Gynt and Copland’s Four Dances from Rodeo. Perhaps the best known of all, Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, famously featured in Disney’s Fantasia." The concert takes place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra along with mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, tenor Paul Groves, and cellist Daniel Lee on Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., November 22 and 23. " Vocalists Susan Graham and Paul Groves perform Mahler’s most personal work, Das Lied von der Erde, alongside David Robertson and the STL Symphony. In this late composition, Mahler uses the instruments of the orchestra to achieve a chamber-style intimacy. STL Symphony Principal Cello Daniel Lee shines in Schumann’s most enigmatic work, the Concerto in A minor." The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents the mezzo-sporano Rebecca Hatlelid and pianist Jon Garret on Saturday, November 22, at 8 PM. "Rebecca Hatlelid, mezzo-soprano, holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Southeast Missouri State University. Her performances in school include Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro and the Witch in Hansel and Gretel. Jon Garrett is a recording artist, composer, collaborative pianist and lyric tenor based in Saint Louis, Missouri. His compositions have been featured in performances by the Chamber Chorus and Missouri Ballet Theatre. He has performed with Winter Opera St. Louis, Union Avenue Opera, the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus, Missouri Ballet Theatre and Stray Dog Theatre." 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 an organ concert by Bill Stein, Director of Music Ministries, First Presbyterian Church, Kirkwood, on Friday, November 21, at 12:30 PM as part of its free Friday Pipes series. "Join us on Fridays at Third Baptist Church for Friday Pipes, the free organ recital series celebrating the restoration of the church's 72-rank Kilgen/Möller pipe organ. Each week a different performer will be presenting a program of classical, church, and theatre organ music in the beautiful sanctuary of Third Baptist. This season's performers come from across the USA, and even from around the world. Free parking is available in the church lots on Washington Avenue." Third Baptist Church is at 620 N Grand. For more information: www.third-baptist.org.

The Touhill Performing Arts Center presents The University Singers and Vocal Point on Monday, November 17, at 7:30 PM at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri at St. Louis campus. "Under the direction of Jim Henry, UMSL’s select choral ensembles University Singers and Vocal Point present a diverse selection of works representing over three centuries of choral music composition. From sacred works by Vivaldi and Bruckner, to the music of contemporary composers Orban, Chien, and Elder, to world folk songs, to selections from the Great American Songbook, to holiday favorites, there is something for every taste, all performed by two of St. Louis’s premier vocal ensembles." For more information: touhill.org.

The Touhill Performing Arts Center presents a Piano Studio Concert on Tuesday, November 18, at 7:30 PM at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri at St. Louis campus. "Please join us for the wonderful evening of piano music. Students of Alla Voskoboynikova will perform music by Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninov and other composers in the most elegant atmosphere of Lee Theater. Meet the performers after the concert at the lobby." For more information: touhill.org.

The Washington University Department of Music presents a student recital on Monday, November 17, at 7:30 p.m. "Join the talented students of Washington University in a performance of works for various instruments. This event is open to the public and free." The performance takes place at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity in University City, MO. For more information: music.wustl.edu.

The Washington University Department of Music presents the Washington University Wind Ensemble featuring Jonathan Reycraft, trombone, on Thursday, November 20, at 7:30 p.m. "Join the Washington University Wind Ensemble and trombonist Jonathan Reycraft in a performance of Bert Appermont’s piece, Colors. This performance is Co-Sponsored by the Community Partnerships Program of the St. Louis Symphony. The Washington University Wind Ensemble will also perform pieces by Steven Bryant, Robert Jager, and Darius Milhaud." The performance takes place at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity in University City, MO. For more information: music.wustl.edu.

They fly through the air with the greatest of ease

Transit Space

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"Diavolo," writes the company's Artistic Director Jacques Heim in his program notes, "is a fusion of many different movement vocabularies such as everyday movement, ballet, contemporary, acrobatics, gymnastics, martial arts, and hip-hop." On stage, that translates into genre-bending theatre pieces that are a mashup of dance, Olympic-class athletics, and circus arts that are sometimes thrilling and always mesmerizing.

The Diavolo difference is readily apparent in a skim through the biographies of the company members. Pretty much everyone has the usual training and professional experience in traditional dance, but many do, indeed, have backgrounds in acrobatics, gymnastics, martial arts, and hip-hop—not to competitive cheerleading and circus arts as well. Diavolo company members are clearly skilled multi-disciplinary athletes as well as artists.

Transit Space

The program Diavolo brought to St. Louis this past weekend consisted of two works: "Transit Space" (2012) and "Trajectorie" (1999). Each ran around 40 minutes and while the two were very different in overall tone, they both touched, to varying degrees, on what Mr. Heim describes as Diavolo's primary themes: "human struggle, fear, danger, survival, chaos, order, deconstruction, destiny, destination, faith, and love." That's a tall order but then, this is an ambitious company.

"Transit Space," writes Mr. Heim, "explores themes of feeling lost, finding a sense of purpose, and coming together." As the piece opens, the company members walk onstage in urban street clothes to the sounds of city traffic. Several are carrying what would be skateboards if they had wheels. The sound changes to hip-hop music with voice-overs speaking of urban loneliness. On the words "I want to move," the dancers carrying the skateboards slap them down and use them as platforms for athletic and break dance moves. Then the dancers move upstage, the lights come up all the way, and we see four convex wood and metal constructs that are basically simplified versions of the ramps used by skateboarders and urban stunt bikers.

The metal ramps are detachable, creating eight separate pieces that (as shown in the video accompanying this review) are rapidly recombined into a number of playing spaces. Dancers leap, slide, tumble, and do just about anything you can think of on them in a dazzling display of athleticism. Throughout it all, actors on the soundtrack give voice to the many moods of urban life. The piece hits an emotional peak when all of the dancers join hands in the center of the stage on the words "as long as I have you, I don't have fear" and the stage goes black. Point made, and very effectively.

Trajectorie

The big set piece for "Trajectorie" is a half moon-shaped, rocking wooden stage with a scrim on the front. As the work opens, a lone female dancer does a lyrical "shadow game" routine with another dancer seen only in silhouette. As more dancers enter the action becomes more animated, and before long the hemispherical stage is rocking and rotating while dancers slide on and off, dash back and forth, and even leap into space, propelled by the stage. Those leaps produced some audible gasps from the audience as the dancers flew through the air and were caught expertly by their teammates.

There was a bit more classical ballet in "Trajectorie" (although not very much) and more moves that were reminiscent of martial arts (tai chi in particular) but otherwise it shared with "Transit Space" an emphasis on virtuoso movement of all kinds. Unlike the newer work, though, "Trajectorie" ends not with a crescendo and climax so much as a slow diminuendo. Towards the end of the piece the other dancers disappear, one by one, behind the rocking centerpiece until, at last, we're back to the solo female dancer of the beginning. Then she, too, slowly disappears behind the construct.

Mr. Heim says that the work "shows the transcendence of the human soul against all odds", but to me there was something of an elegiac feel to those final moments that was more surrender than transcendence. But maybe I'm over-analyzing it. Or, perhaps, there's less difference between transcendence and surrender than I think. Either way, "Trajectorie" is a reminder that art lives, for the most part, in ambiguity.

If what we saw this weekend at the Touhill is any indication, Diavolo is an innovative, hard to classify, and possibly even unique dance company. It is, in short, the kind of thing Dance St. Louis has been bringing us for many years now. May they continue for many more.

The Dance St. Louis season continues with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre at the Fox April 25 and 26 and concludes Memorial Day weekend with the 7th Annual Emerson Spring to Dance® Festival at the Touhill Center. For more information: dancestlouis.org.

Off to see the wizard

Photo: Andrea Zucker

Who: Ballet Memphis
What: The Wizard of Oz
Where: The Touhill Performing Arts Center, presented by Dance St. Louis
When: January 24 and 25, 2014

When you think of the music for the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz," the first names that probably come to mind are Harold Arlen and E. Y. "Yip" Harburg. Their songs "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "If I Only Had a Brain" have been firmly ensconced in the Great American Songbook for decades. If you're a film music fan, you might also think of composer/arranger (and Broadway veteran) Herbert Stothart, who combined Arlen's tunes with original material into a seamless, Oscar-winning score.

Names that would probably not leap to the forefront of your cranium would be Benjamin Britten, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, and Zoltán Kodály. And yet the recordings of music by those 20th century masters that serve as the accompaniment for Ballet Memphis's dance version of the classic film are so well chosen that you'd think they were composed exactly for the purpose.

That canny choice of music isn't the only reason this ballet version of "The Wizard of Oz" was so entertaining, of course. Steven McMahon's eclectic and character-driven choreography, Bruce Bui's colorful costumes, Andrew Kovach's simple but effective sets, and Andrew Meyers' minimalist yet dramatic lighting all combined to make this a genuine "all ages" show. We saw it at the Saturday matinee, and the parents were clearly enjoying it as much as their Munchkin offspring.

Photo: Andrea Zucker

The scenario follows the film closely and, rather like Beijing opera, clearly assumes that the audience is familiar enough with the source material to fill in the details. When we saw the oversize, distorted shadow of Rafael Ferreras, Jr., (slyly fraudulent as the Wizard) flamboyantly gesticulating at Dorothy and her three companions, for example, it was easy to recall the oversize, distorted projection of Frank Morgan's face from the movie. Likewise, Travis Bradley's loose-limbed, acrobatic clumsiness as the Scarecrow immediately called to mind Ray Bolger's equally magical dancing in the original.

Ballet Memphis's "Wizard of Oz" is not, in short, for those who have somehow never seen the film. But then, given how popular the film has been over the decades, that's pretty small potatoes as criticism goes.

The company has assembled a wonderful cast of dancers for this tour. Julie Niekrasz (Glinda in the evening performances) was a wistful and charming Dorothy, Dylan G-Bowley an amusingly robotic as the Tin Man, and Kendall G. Britt Jr. the very essence of comic feline bravado as Lion. Crystal Brothers (Aunt Em in the evenings) was a wonderfully sinuous and gravity defying Wicked Witch while Virginia Pilgrim (Dorothy in the evenings) was cheerfully sugary as Glinda. Daniel Russell Cooke was a sympathetic Uncle Henry, and Bryn Gilbert made a strong impression in the small but vital role of the awful Miss Gulch.

Photo: Andrea Zucker

The corps de ballet (which included dancers from some of the smaller roles) filled in as poppies, snowflakes, flying monkeys (with some very evocative Fosse-esque choreography), and citizens of the Emerald City. Students from COCA's dance program portrayed the Munchkins and children of Oz. It's a nifty local tie-in and, again, a sign of the intelligence behind this production in that it saves the company the hassles of travelling with child performers.

It is, I suppose, possible that hard-core dance lovers might dismiss overtly commercial efforts like "Wizard of Oz" (although Ballet-Dance Magazine certainly seemed to like the 2007 premiere), but the fact is that very few performing arts organizations can survive these days without the occasional crowd pleaser. You can't champion newer and more innovative work (as Ballet Memphis clearly does; their motto is "reach further") without something guaranteed to pay the bills. If the size of the house this past Saturday afternoon was any indication, "The Wizard of Oz" is does that, and delivers a satisfying piece of dance theatre in the process. I'd call that a win-win.

The Ballet Memphis production of "The Wizard of Oz" played the Touhill Performing Arts Center January 24 and 25, produced by Dance St. Louis. The Dance St. Louis season continues February 28 and March 1 at the Touhill with Diavolo, a company of modern dancers athletes, gymnasts, ballet dancers, martial artists, actors, and stunt performers, the blurs the boundary between dance and circus arts. For more information: dancestlouis.org.

TPTBT (The Place to Be Tonight): Friday, May 24

Kansas City Ballet

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Who: Dance St. Louis
What: The 6th annual Emerson Spring to Dance Festival
Where: The Touhill Performing Arts Center
When: Today and tomorrow starting at 6 PM
Why: Spring to Dance is Dance St. Louis's annual dance festival. This year it features 30 dance companies at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Performances take place each night at 6 PM in the Terrace Lobby, at 7 PM in the Lee Theatre, and at 7:30 PM in the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall. If you want to overdose on quality dance, this is the way to go; there are performances in the Lee Theater, the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall, and even the lobby. For more information: dancestlouis.org.

TPTBT (The Place to Be Tonight): Saturday, April 20

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Who: Doc Severinsen and His Big Band
When: Tonight at 8 PM
Where: The Touhill Performing Arts Center
Why:  When I was a kid, The Tonight Show was hosted by Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon, and the Tonight Show Band was conducted by Skitch Henderson and then, following a brief stint with Milton DeLugg, by the band's first trumpet, Doc Severinsen.  Their approaches were different (Henderson had classical training while Severinsen was a pop and jazz musician), but they both knew what a real big band should sound like.  Since I was, at the time, playing in my high school stage band (as well as the marching band and orchestra), I loved listening to their work.  Severinsen's outlandish outfits were always good for some byplay with Carson and the two worked well together.  Severinsen retired from the Tonight Show gig in 1992 with Carson but he and his band are still touring.  Expect Ellington, Basie, big band era standards and, of course, the Tonight Show theme.

Luck be a Lady

Photo by Heather Thorne

Who: The Nashville Ballet
What: Carmina Burana
Where: Dance St. Louis at the Touhill Center
When: February 21-24, 2013

So: Take the 40 dancers of the Nashville Ballet; add 120 singers and 60 musicians, including The University of Missouri-St. Louis Orchestra and Singers, The Bach Society of Saint Louis, and The St. Louis Children’s Choir; then set them loose on Carl Orff's 1936 Carmina Burana on the Touhill Center's big stage. What you get is an impressive piece of dance theatre that succeeds both as Spectacle and as Art.

That couldn’t be more appropriate, since Orff envisioned this material as the basis for a choral cantata with some mimed action and “magic tableaux.” And, in fact, the first performance in Frankfurt in 1937 was fully staged, with dancers, sets, and costumes. It’s usually presented strictly as a concert piece these days, but the composer’s theatrical intentions are evident in every note.

The first (and least sexually explicit) of Orff’s Trionfi trilogy of choral theatre works, Carmina Burana derives its title from an 1847 collection of secular poetry by anonymous authors from the 12th and 13th centuries that turned up in 1803 in the Benedictine monastery in Beuren, Germany. As befits their “vulgar” status, the poems celebrate not the theoretical joys of heaven but rather the practical ones of earth: spring, sex, food, sex, drink, gambling, and sex. They also recognize something that we moderns have lost track of, to our detriment: the heavy influence of blind chance on our lives. The setting of “Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi” (“Fortune, Empress of the World”), which opens and closes the work, reminds us that the wheel of fortune is always turning and that none of us should get too cocky, as the universe has a tendency to dope-slap the excessively smug.

Nashville Ballet Artistic Director and choreographer Paul Vasterling and visual designer Eric Harris emphasize that centrality of Lady Fortuna by making her a key character in the ballet. Danced with steely precision by Sadie Bo Harris, Fortuna begins and ends the evening surrounded by a massive, stage-filling “wheel of fortune” skirt that neatly establishes her dominance, but she also interacts with individual dancers to emphasize fate’s capricious influence.

This realization of Carmina Burana was, in fact, filled with striking images that beautifully complement the lyrics. Let me cite a few that will, I hope, give you a feel for the remarkable quality of what Mr. Vasterling, Mr. Harris, and the dancers accomplished.

Photo by Heather Thorne

For “In Taberna quando sumus” (labeled “The Drinking Song” here) the stage was filled with dancers in wine-red outfits reeling about in drunken but very precise abandon while the lyrics reeled off a list of the many types who come to the tavern to imbibe. The bird being roasted for dinner in “Olim lacus coleuram” (The Roasted Swan”) was costumed all in white and danced entirely en pointe, as though trying to escape the flames. She was eventually surrounded in fiery red-on-white banners and carried off the stage by dancers in red. Alexandra Meister danced the role with tragic grace the night we attended.

The “Spring” section underscored the lyrical parallels between the awakening of the earth and the awakening of human desire with a succession of colorful and flirtatious dances. In “Floret silva nobilis” (“The Maypole”), for example, the dancers were costumed in spring-like pastels and, at one point, danced around a human Maypole. “Chramer, gib de varwe mir” (“More Joys of Spring”) made the sex/spring parallel even more obvious with poses of adolescent sexual braggadocio and cheerful coupling.

I could go on, but you get the idea. The Nashville Ballet’s Carmina Burana was a visual treat of the highest order.

Musically, things were a bit more uneven. Perhaps the best work came from the combined voices of the Bach Society and UMSL singers. Deployed on risers behind and to the sides of the dancers, they were powerful, to say the least. Soprano Stella Markou and tenor Tim Waurick sounded great (Mr. Waurick’s roasting swan was one of the most dramatic I’ve heard). Baritone Jeffrey Heyl turned in a respectable performance of some very difficult music (“Dies, nox et omnia,” with its rapid switch between falsetto and chest voice, is a real killer), although he was not always as passionately engaged as I would have liked. The St. Louis Children’s Choir, deployed in box seats house right and left, were also most impressive, although they did tend to get a bit out of synch with the orchestra in the tempo changes towards the end of “Tempus est iocundum.”

The UMSL Orchestra, conducted by James Richards, had some of the usual weaknesses I associate with student ensembles, especially in the strings, but for a big wind-and-percussion piece like Carmina Burana that doesn’t matter so much. They certainly did a good job overall and can feel justifiably proud of the results.

The evening opened with Bach’s Cantata No. 10 ("Meine Seele erhebet den Herren"), danced by MADCO and choreographed by Dance St. Louis Artistic and Executive Director Michael Utoff. As a curtain raiser and contrast to the more spectacular and overtly theatrical main event, it was an excellent choice. Mr. Utoff’s often whimsical choreography was a nice match for what the program notes describe as MADCO’s “versatile and athletic style”, complimenting the religious text without overtly illustrating it. The final “Chorale,” in which the dancers create the momentary illusion of a cathedral-like space, was particularly lovely—as were Felia Davenport’s simple, dark blue costumes.

Dance St. Louis’s Bach/Orff double bill will be over by the time you read this, of course, but I still want to congratulate them on bringing such a big, ambitious project to town. Fully staged productions of Carmina Burana are rare (we haven’t had one locally in a couple of decades, at least), so the chance to see one of this quality was most welcome. The Dance St. Louis season continues with New York City Ballet MOVES March 8 and 9 at the Fox. For more information: dancestlouis.org

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of February 22, 2013

As always, the choices are purely my personal opinion. Take with a grain (or a shaker) of salt.

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New this week:

The Fox Theatre presents the musical The Book of Mormon through March 3. "Nine 2011 Tony Awards® say it's the Best Musical of the Year. Vogue says, 'It's the funniest musical of all time.' And The New York Times says, 'It's the best musical of this century.' It's THE BOOK OF MORMON, the Broadway phenomenon from South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q co-creator Robert Lopez. The Daily Show's Jon Stewart calls it 'A crowning achievement. So good, it makes me angry.' Contains explicit language." If you're going out into the cold, you might as well make it worthwhile be catching one of the hottest new musicals in years. The Fox Theatre is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.

Alexandra Meister
photo by Heather Thorne

Dance St. Louis presents the Nashville Ballet production of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM. The production features 120 singers, 60 musicians, and 40 dancers, including The University of Missouri-St. Louis Orchestra and Singers, The Bach Society of Saint Louis and The St. Louis Children’s Choir.  Orff described the work as a "scenic cantata," so even though it's usually performed strictly as a concert piece, adding dance is very much in keeping with the composer's intentions. The opening act for the evening is Bach’s Cantata No. 10, performed by MADCO and The University of Missouri-St. Louis Orchestra and Singers. Performances take place at the Touhill Center on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus. For more information: dancestlouis.org.

©Photo by Jerry Naunheim Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Sense and Sensibility, based on the Jane Austen novel, through March 3. “When their father's death leaves two sisters with uncertain prospects, they must navigate the unpredictable seas of courtship with only their hearts to guide them. The course of true love winds through flirtation, folly, scandals and secrets as reserved, sensible Elinor and romantic, impulsive Marianne attempt to find their way in the world. This lovely, intimate adaptation of Jane Austen's first novel is a charming journey through hope and heartbreak as two young ladies find that when sense and sensibility meet, love can't be far behind.” I have the wrong set of chromosomes to be a Jane Austen fan and even I found this elegant and beautifully staged production very enjoyable. Performances take place at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

Held over:

HotCity Theatre presents the world premiere of Connected by Lia Romero through February 23. The play is designed to work in combination with Facebook, where profiles will be created for each of the characters as though they were real people. Audience members are invited to "friend" the characters in the weeks leading up to the show to find out more about their backstories. In his review for 88.1 KDHX, Robert Mitchell says theplay "offers a fresh and funny look at the lives of Ladue high school students and their use - and misuse - of social technology". Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, visit www.hotcitytheatre.org or call 314-289-4063.

The Black Rep presents The Mountaintop by Katori Hall through March 9. "April 3, 1968, Memphis. The Lorraine Motel, Room 306. where Martin Luther King Jr. spends his last night on earth." I haven't seen this yet, of course, but the topic is provocative and timely. Besides, the author is the winner of the Blackburn Prize for outstanding women playwrights and the play has earned England's Olivier Award for best play. In her review for 88.1 KDHX, Megan McEnery describes the production as "intriguing, honest and totally worthwhile."  Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square. For more information, visit theblackrep.org or call 314-534-3810.

Photo by John Lamb

Stray Dog Theatre presents Charles Busch's comedy Psycho Beach Party through Saturdays at 8 PM. There will be a matinee on the closing Saturday at 2 PM in addition to the evening show. “Comedy meets horror in this wacky, campy retro-fusion of teenage surfer flicks and slasher sagas. Set in 1962, teen tomboy Chicklet Forrest desperately wants to belong to the surfer crowd on Malibu Beach. Unfortunately her many split personalities get in the way, while her most dangerous alter ego has nothing less than world domination in mind.” In her review for 88.1 KDHX, Tina Farmer describes it as a "a spirited romp through the 'golden age' of beach and surf movies that playfully, occasionally darkly, jabs at the funny bone." Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

España

Who: Dance St. Louis
What: Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater
When: January 27 and 28, 2012
Where: The Touhill Performing Arts Center

Boléro

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The first Dance St. Louis program of the year was a stunner. The artistry and athleticism of the Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater lit up the Touhill this weekend with an exhilarating and colorful evening of Spanish Regional, Classical, and Flamenco music and dance.

Think of it as a Spanish Riverdance but farther from Las Vegas and closer to its roots.

Currently in residence at Northeastern Illinois University at Chicago, Ensemble Español describes its mission as “the preservation, presentation and promotion of the classical, folkloric, flamenco, and contemporary traditions of Spain.” That mission was accomplished in spectacular fashion this weekend with a full program (two and one-half hours with intermission) that captured the variety, vigor, and (especially) the sensuality of Spanish dance. Spontaneous applause was common, along with standing ovations.

The night began with the exuberant and flashy “El Baile de Luis Alonso” by the full company, followed by “El Albaicín” (music by Albéniz, from Book 3 of Iberia), a seductive duet by guest artists Palome Gómez and Christian Lozano. Seduction then took a dark turn in the tragically charged “Amor Eterno (Petenera)”, in which live flamenco musicians joined company Associate Artistic Director Irma Suárez Ruíz and First Dancer Jorge Pérez in a pas de deux that, according to the program notes, “is rarely performed due to the superstitions that surround La Petenera. Is she love or is she death?” Either way, it was riveting.

Two remarkable solos were next. First, Mr. Lozano returned, along with the live musicians, for an astonishing display of flamenco technique that was frequently interrupted by applause. It was the kind of performance that made me wonder if flamenco shouldn’t be considered as an Olympic-level sport as well as an art form. Then Ms. Gómez took the stage for the elegant “Ruinas”, dedicated to company founder Dame Libby Komaiko. The first half of the program concluded with the entire company displaying a variety of dance styles in “Ecos de España”, inspired by the “Black Period” paintings of Goya (several of which were projected on the a screen upstage to set the scene) and accompanied by the final two sections of Rimski-Korsakov’s Capriccio Español.

Various styles of flamenco (mostly with live musicians) informed the the second half of the program, beginning with the full company in “Alegrias y Jaleos”, followed by “Anhelo del Alma” (“Longing of the Soul”), with Claudia Pizarro, Crystal Ruiz, and Olivia Serrano performing their own choreography — a neat combination of staccato taps and sinuous grace. Each of the three brought her own unique personality to the dance — a marked contrast from the kind of uniformity you usually encounter in classical ballet troupes.

Next, the men of the company were featured in the bravado of “Una Obra de Arte” (“A Work of Art”), followed by a return of Mr. Lozano and Ms. Gómez in their own creation, the elegiac “Zorongo Gitano”.

The evening concluded with what has apparently become a signature piece for the company, a dazzling realization of Ravel’s Boléro accompanied by projected images of drawings and paintings by Picasso.

It begins with small, fluid arm and shoulder movement from the women of the company, decked out in bright red low-backed dresses and seated on the floor, facing away from the audience. The movement passes from one dancer to the next in a kind of choreographic canon. As the music progresses, they rise and are joined by other company members as the piece slowly builds to its well-known conclusion. By the end, the stage has become a riot of color and movement, with flashing toreador capes to accent Ravel’s one and only key change.

It was simply jaw-dropping. I have complained before about how willing local audiences are to leap to their feet, but this time it was completely appropriate. Thanks to Dance St. Louis for bringing this remarkable, tremendously talented company to our city. Let’s hope this will be only the first of many visits.

Dance St. Louis’s season continues with the national tour of the recent revival of West Side Story at the Fox February 14 through 16. Their next presentation at the Touhill is the Joffrey Ballet on March 9 and 10. For more information, you may visit dancestlouis.org.