February 2008 Archives

Yesterday, Wednesday, a brown-bag lunch for musicians and staff was held in the foyer as we were presented the 2008-2009 season, with Peter Czornyj (artistic vp) and Kristi Kovalak (marketing vp) doing the honors. I'm telling you this, of course, as a big tease, since such information is kept under tight security until it is all revealed, first in the Post-Dispatch on Sunday, and second on our website on Monday, and all the other ways we get it to the wide world with a riotous "Ta da!" to follow.

An SLSO fan writes:

My wife and I attended the Symphony's performance on Saturday, it was marvelous. At the end of Richard Strauss' Symphonia Domestica, the orchestra was given a well-deserved extended applause. It really is a shame that the piece has been absent from the program for so long. It truly is a lovely piece.

Guest conductor Mark Elder, in his thick British accent: “Strauss after the break.” He makes the “u” audible and adds an extra “s” at the end.

To which a Henchman bellows, “Strauss!” in a classic call-and-response.

We have received an early release from Powell Symphony Hall duties to head home before the weather turns more hazardous. I hope everyone else in our ice-bound region can do the same.

Glorioski but this is a wonderful post from Alex Ross’ blog therestisnoise:

The Youth Orchestra gave a Sunday afternoon concert. An SLSO and SLSYO fan writes:

I’m feeling a bit bedraggled today after the big Carnegie weekend, so just a few observations.

I made it backstage in time to witness John Adams, Jeremy Geffen and David Robertson leave the stage following their pre-concert discussion. What is most memorable about that moment was to see the ritual removal of the little gizmo that hooks around the ear that attaches the mike to whoever is speaking, rather than those hand mikes of the Pleistocene Age. And even though they’d left the stage and the audience, Robertson and Adams were still talking.

I took a break and went to see the dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History this morning. Yeah, I was one of those dinosaur kids, but that was back when T-Rex stood erect and it was believed they were all dumb and slow, not these high-speed internet dinosaurs they have today.

An SLSO fan wrote in after the Turangalila performance at the Touhill in January, marveling at how she found herself singing some of the melodies after she left the hall. She didn’t think Messiaen would ever have that kind of effect.

Let me begin by showing you my little corner of New York, from my hotel window, early this morning.

I have written text for a proposed photo gallery to be included as soon as the photos, hopefully, are transmitted via the magic of electronic mail and Dale can find the time to put them up (this isn’t his only job you know – I doubt that it’s even his job). Anyway, if all goes well you will see a photo gallery that travels from Lambert to Josh as Elmo at LaGuardia to arriving at the hotel last night. You will see why the theme is Sufjan Stevens. And if the pics don’t make it somehow, you can imagine much better images in your own head, I’m sure.

I think I have my internet woes relieved. Keep your fingers crossed.

Morning at Lambert, I sit beside violist Mike Chen, who is looking over the score of Strauss' Death and Transfiguration. As it happens, when Scott Parkman is away, Mike rehearses the Youth Orchestra, and Death and Transfiguration is coming up on the spring. Mike says he's enjoying the work, the quality of the ensemble is extraordinary.

I arrived at the Hall this crisp, raw morning to see the Henchmen, bundled in layers of shirts and hoodies and coats and gloves and fuzzy hats, unloading the big truck from the Columbia trip and began learning of the Boone County Adventure.

Not long after the final soft strains of Christian Tetzlaff and the orchestra playing Berg’s Violin Concerto were heard -- it was off to the buses. Bright red buses taking the orchestra to Columbia, MO, where a preview of the second night at Carnegie will be performed at Mizzou’s Jesse Auditorium: the same as last weekend’s Powell Hall concert only with the Berg and Tetzlaff substituting for the Mozart and Radu Lupu.

A great weekend for living composers last weekend, with terrific houses and enthusiastic responses to works by John Adams and Robert Ray.

When you attend the “Burden of Dreams” program this week, featuring Radu Lupu playing Mozart and the United States premiere of John Adams’ Doctor Atomic Symphony, you will observe a forest of microphones, suspended in air over the orchestra. These performances of Doctor Atomic Symphony are being recorded live for a future release on Nonesuch Records, the cool recording company with a roster that includes John Adams, Richard Goode, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, k.d. lang, Emmylou Harris and Wilco. “I’m in the the in-crowd. I know where the in-crowd goes….”

This morning Peter Henderson was warming up on the keyboards prior to Doctor Atomic Symphony rehearsal. “I still haven’t gotten my head around this piece yet,” he confided. “I can’t quite put it together as a symphonic work. It’s more operatic, with the solos working like arias.” Then he pointed to David Robertson at the podium, “He’s put it together, though.”

Trombonist Jonathan Reycraft came upstairs for a visit this afternoon, and, of course, my question was “How is Dr. Atomic?”

Jonathan smiled broadly. “I think it’s pretty cool. It’s more expressive, less linear than Harmonielehre. Harmonielehre is so much about rhythm, but this one has some really great solo material within the orchestra.”

Because neither David Robertson nor I want the slso blog to become known as a vehicle for misinformation, I need to correct the most recent post. Milo, the Powell Hall Pooch, finished second in his preliminary heat of six weiner dogs in the Soulard Mardi Gras Weiner Dog Race. He did not finish second in the finals.

We’re still just as proud.