It is the morning after the Fusion concert at Touhill and I suspect there will be many more visits than usual to Monet’s Water Lilies at the St. Louis Art Museum this weekend. David Robertson served as conductor, presenter, teacher, intellectual force. With projections from Monet’s “Water Lilies” and “Morning on the Seine” series, he connected the Impressionist painter with his contemporaries, especially Debussy and Mallarmé, and made those connections in the most intriguing and inspiring ways. By the time the orchestra played Jeux, a work that might on any other occasion receive mild audience disdain because of its "modern" tendencies, the sold-out house was eager for it (at least that’s what my colleague Richard Ashburner and I observed).
The best thing about the evening was how it made you both hear and see things afresh. I can say this especially about Monet, who is a painter I love and whose work I’ve had the privilege to look at in various museums around the world. I’ll be one of those heading to the Water Lilies again in St. Louis. One of the exciting parts about the presentation was that the triptych that is known as the “Midwest Water Lilies” -- which has been separated since it left Monet’s studio and now resides in museums in Cleveland, St. Louis and Kansas City – was brought together on the screen, the image moving ever-so-slowly from left to right, the great epic work combined with Debussy’s epic (in terms of achievement if not proportion) Jeux. I believe the three panels have only been united once before – that is, the actual canvases.
The other best thing was to feel the warmth of a French summer garden on a cold, cold Missouri night.
For the view from the stage, Diana Haskell, SLSO assistant principal clarinet (who played Jeux beautifully last night) sent this post after the concert on the eve of the trip to Carnegie:
“Though the night was cold and windy, there was great anticipation about the New York tour. The musicians brought their dress-black clothes to place in wardrobe trunks and chatted about what to do in New York City. There was some trepidation about how people would respond to the format of tonight’s concert, but all concerns were set aside once we were settled onstage.
“The audience really seemed to enjoy Maestro Robertson’s remarks about Debussy's works: Jeux and Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (or ‘Prelude to the Afternoon on the Farm,’ as musicians affectionately call it). It was like a Music History class… but with a really fun teacher! As we performed, images of various works of Monet were shown. The audience was attentive throughout.
“Afterward we placed our instruments carefully in custom-made wood cases with padding. These cases will be carried to New York City by a heated truck. I would imagine our guys are already on their way, driving all night to arrive early enough for us to practice in our hotel rooms sometime tomorrow. Our stage crew is one of the best in the business. I appreciate them immensely, as they make our job so much easier because of their attention to detail.
“Off to pack, sleep and New York in the morning!”
