October 2005 Archives

David Robertson and the SLSO play Morton Feldman’s Coptic Light this weekend. Feldman was a fascinating character – hung out with the abstract-expressionist gang at the Cedar Tavern (Jackson Pollack, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Franz Kline, among others – Philip Guston was one of his best friends). He revered Samuel Beckett and developed a friendship with him in the 1970s. Feldman himself was a fine writer and his Give My Regards to Eighth Street has a certain cult status. My favorite Feldman quote – and there are many – is “Compositionally, I always wanted to be like Fred Astaire.”

I met with violinist Becky Boyer Hall yesterday to hear her reminiscences of the Youth Orchestra. She, Kristin Ahlstrom, Mark Sparks, Sarah Hogan, and Felicia Foland of the SLSO are all YO alumni. And Becky, Felicia and Mark all attended Kirkwood High together. Be true to your school.

Scott Parkman appears to walk with a bit lighter step since he completed his musical composition, which will be premiered at the Youth Orchestra concert in March. Parkman, SLSO Assistant Conductor and YO Music Director/Conductor, has gotten all the notes down and thus he is less grave.

This afternoon I had the privilege of talking to Leonard Slatkin for a brief while. I’m working on a Playbill article on the 35th anniversary of the Saint Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra (YO), and since it was Maestro Slatkin who started it all, he needs to be included. Also, he is always great for a quote.

“That’s fantastic. I’m happy.”

It’s hard to believe anyone could come out with those words today in the despond of Cardinal Nation, but Nic McGegan is nothing if not ebullient. But then, he had a lot to find happiness in with rehearsals of Haydn, Handel, Bach and Tippett with the Orchestra this morning and afternoon. Even through these little box speakers in our offices Alison Harney’s violin in the Brandenburg Concerto was a bright song of solace. It was fantastic. We almost felt happy.

A pigeon entered Powell Symphony Hall along with busloads of schoolchildren yesterday morning. It flew about in the auditorium. Perched. Flew. Perched. Flew. This caused a delay in the proceedings. The musicians waited patiently. The schoolchildren got a big kick out of it all. The stage crew opened some backstage doorways and, finally, the pigeon saw light and it was away into the big blue.

This morning was the first concert for schoolchildren this season at Powell Hall. I didn’t get a chance to go downstairs and take in the busloads of enthusiasts – and they certainly did sound like an enthusiastic group of fourth, fifth and sixth graders. Along with the generous applause in my office speaker, I also heard that Scott Parkman’s microphone was on as he was conducting. You could hear the exertion it takes to lead an orchestra, especially through a few difficult passages of Prokofiev. He huffed, he puffed, he groaned, he growled, he mimicked sounds as they emerged from the different sections of the orchestra.

Sunday afternoon some of those who couldn’t bear to watch the Cardinals game attended the concert at Powell. My wife and I sat near a family, which included an adorable brother and sister and their grandparents. I’m bad on children’s ages, but the sister was big enough to be a little bit independent and small enough to sit cozily in Grandma’s lap for a while. The girl wore a red dress and a pink ribbon in her hair. Very stylish. Before the violin concerto the grandfather told the boy that soon the conductor would be back with the soloist. They would stand in front and bow. Then the violinist would play in front of the orchestra. Karen Gomyo came onto the stage in a beautiful gown, shimmery copper with a few sparkles, and both children were enrapt. We have to be quiet now, the grandfather said, and they were.

And as far as the Cardinals are concerned, Game 5 is often the turnaround game in a series. I’m confident.

The members of the orchestra are known for being generous to guest artists. Guest conductors who are, say, not exactly dynamic are given support from the players, by and large. The musicians, individually and collectively, will often say some variation of “You always serve the music – no matter what,” as violinist Eva Kozma told me not so long ago during an interview. The music matters most. So guests with difficult personalities or disruptive temperaments or a certain lack of skill are accepted with diplomacy and tact and the show goes on.

A new thing happening at the hall this year is a series called Off Stage at Powell. This is a bit of adult education held in the Wightman Grand Foyer, with members of the orchestra participating. The first one will be with pianist Peter Henderson, who also teaches at Maryville University, and SLSO Principal Flute Mark Sparks, who is one of the most articulate spokespersons for the art form that you would care to listen to. It’s Intro to the Orchestra. Casual. Bring your supper if you like: Wednesday, October 26 at 6pm.

And then if you want to stay after there is On Stage at Powell, where Peter and Mark take the stage and perform. You get to sit onstage too. It’s intimate. It’s fun. It’s free. The view of Powell from the stage is awesome.

Today was the annual Benefits Day at Powell Symphony Hall, which means representatives from our health-care providers and such are on hand to answer questions. The big lineup was for the flu shot, which for some of us came right in the midst of Gambit rehearsal – a curious juxtaposition.

A nice touch was the cartoon-character band-aid for the syringe prick. Some got Bugs Bunny, some got Wile E. Coyote.

The last posting received a number of responses, which should tell us all something.

I want to a make it clear that my comment on the British was meant as a compliment. I mean, who else but a British critic would get right down to it? The polished prose revealing the white heat. I am much more curious about a new work that produces that sort of response. It makes us all better understand what a little sonority can do.

I wonder about a lot of things regarding the classical-music biz, and one of those things is how it insists on being unsexy. What’s with that? I keep a quote of the painter Frank Stella’s in mind at all times: “It has to be sexy to be good art. Everybody knows that.”

In looking for some commentary on Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Gambit, which receives its SLSO debut this week with guest conductor Michael Christie, who is also having his SLSO debut, I found this blurb from the Guardian: “Its steady build towards climax has a sense of luxuriating in its own sonority that lights it up from within.”

Doesn’t that just sound like the British?

Straight away from playing Buddy Guy and Public Enemy and Elvis Costello and many others on his KDHX show Sound Salvation, DJ and music critic Steve Pick joined me for Mendelssohn and Busoni and Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky and a donut at this morning’s Coffee Concert. A bit of a shift from hearing the New Pornographers at Mississippi Nights, which was the concert Steve attended last night, but – and this is a theme – it’s all music.

This morning the sound from the Green Room was a rapid buzzing of bees, yet lyrical with a warm, embracing tone.

The other day I sat down with Eva Kozma over a tuna croissante and French onion soup at Nadoz to talk about what principals do. I’m writing an article for the November Playbill on the subject, and for this issue I’m focusing on the second violins.

And here you have it: the 6 North Coffee Co., coffee holder with logos.

If you go to the swank new happening coffee shop on Laclede and Sarah, 6 North Coffee Co., check out your coffee holder. You will find the 6 North logo, the SLSO logo, and It’s Different with David Robertson – all keeping your hand from burning.