June 2010 Archives

The blog and I are going to be away until after the 4th of July holiday. Until then..

The blog and I are going to be away until after the 4th of July holiday. Until then...

SLSO Pops Conductor Emeritus Richard Hayman leads the orchestra in his 90th-birthday concert this Sunday. Hayman first became the pops conductor with the orchestra in 1976, and proceeded to become a most beloved and master entertainer for a generation in St. Louis. Hayman is known for phenomenal harmonica playing and stylish orchestral arrangements of everything from "Mack the Knife" to "Fool on the Hill." He's also known for a wardrobe that would have made Liberace blush. I've learned from Special Ops Enforcer Maggie Bailey (you may note that her title has changed) that Hayman's wardrobe arrived today. Said Maggie, "It is awesome!" Maybe I can get a pic Wednesday.

I caught just a bit of Terry Gross' interview with James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem on Fresh Air Monday afternoon. You can read more of the interview and learn more about the band here. What perked up my ears was when Murphy was talking about how he came to create his own band because of what he saw was wrong with so many bands in live performance. He said he saw bands fail to prioritize the "momentness of a show" and gave more time to "making sure they didn't make mistakes."

I've written about this before in various places in the SLSO publishing sphere, but I have so few new ideas I'll stick with the old ones. And it helps that SLSO Concertmaster David Halen acknowledged this idea just before rehearsal Thursday morning: Listening to Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, as well as the Concerto for Two Violins--performed this Sunday as the finale to the Casual Classics season--makes an immediate connection to the music of Appalachia, the Scotch-Irish traditional Bluegrass sound.

One of the most anticipated SLSO Presents programs in the 2010-11 season is the Halloween Weekend performances of Psycho. Violinist Kristin Ahlstrom has already made it one of her hot picks for the season: "can't WAIT to play the violin part in the shower scene!!!" (2010-11 Musician/Staff Picks coming soon.)

Although the world is caught up in soccer frenzy, the SLSO does not, as yet, have a Vuvuzela Concerto in the works. I remember that violist Chris Woehr once played the conch shell in a concert, so I know he's pretty adaptable. Maybe we could re-engage the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets with vuvuzelas--imagine Janacek's Sinfonietta played that way.


South African youths play the vuvuzela.

You don't have to go to Colorado, or Idaho or Vermont to enjoy a summer music festival. This week, in the heart of MO, Innsbrook Institute Summer Chamber Music Festival celebrates 10 years. SLSO Concertmaster David Halen is the festival's artistic director, and for the 10th he's lined up international stars such as Gilles Apap and Natasha Paremski, and SLSO colleagues such as Erin Schreiber, Mark Sparks, Erik Harris and Ward Stare. The first concert is Monday night. For the concert schedule click here. 

You know you're in for a good day at work when the first words you hear are "Do you know where the helium is?"

Those of us who are engaged in the process of finding ways to promote orchestral concerts are often a little envious of opera. Opera, after all, has that wonderful ingredient called "narrative," and many of those narratives involve lust, betrayal, revenge and madness. If you can't sell those, what can you sell?

Vivien Schweitzer of the New York Times writes: "terrific concert"... "Mr. Stare inspired the musicians to impressive heights"... "all sections meshing into a vigorous and expressive whole"... "elegantly rendered solos"... "technically proficient"... "vivacious interpretation"--read the entire review here. Go YO!

I'm taking a Charm City vacation this weekend (that's Baltimore, hon). Everyone have a wonderful time at Liza with a Z, at Opera Theatre, at Circus Flora, and go YO in NYC! My next blog post will be Wednesday, June 9.

Just when I was thinking, "How about some music?" Youth Orchestra musicians started arriving at Powell Hall for just one more rehearsal at home before their trip to New York City to perform at the famed Riverside Church on Tuesday.

For those of you who have never been to Powell Hall, it sits smack dab in the middle of urban St. Louis, in the midtown district where you can find incredible art, theater, a smattering of restaurants and cheap takeout Chinese.

Monday when all was hot, humid and sunny, I thought, "What do you know, it didn't rain on Gypsy Caravan this year." Of course, I spoke too soon, and late in the afternoon the rain fell in buckets. But then it stopped, and it was less hot, less humid and still sunny. I'm thinking this gave the shoppers time to regroup and refocus, the way the Cardinals did on Monday to pummel the Reds. 12-4. Spank. Spank. Spank.