SLSO Blog - Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra tag:www.slso.org,2008-02-25:/blog//1 2010-09-01T15:39:55Z Welcome to the SLSO Blog, an ongoing account of life with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra compiled by Eddie Silva. Movable Type Open Source 4.1 Variations on a Theme of Beyoncé tag:www.slso.org,2010:/blog//1.1284 2010-09-01T15:36:48Z 2010-09-01T15:39:55Z David Robertson recently conducted the premiere of Mark-Antony Turnage's Hammered Out at the BBC Proms. Some of you may remember that the SLSO has done a couple of Turnage works since David became Music Director: Three Screaming Popes in... Eddie Silva David Robertson recently conducted the premiere of Mark-Antony Turnage's Hammered Out at the BBC Proms. Some of you may remember that the SLSO has done a couple of Turnage works since David became Music Director: Three Screaming Popes in 2007; and A Prayer Out of Stillness, the U.S. premiere with John Patitucci on electric bass guitar and Erik Harris on acoustic double bass in 2008.

]]> But even if you experienced any of those performances, you won't be quite prepared for this Turnage/Robertson/Beyoncé mashup. Notice how David stays in rhythm with the "Single Ladies" beat. Thanks to Alex Ross for discovering this for us. Click. ]]> New and Improved tag:www.slso.org,2010:/blog//1.1283 2010-08-31T20:39:18Z 2010-08-31T20:40:50Z I could smell the fresh paint near the lobby Tuesday morning, which means the bathroom renovations are nearly completed. In the afternoon I saw Principal Percussion Will James with the Henchmen putting together a new glockenspiel stand "So we... Eddie Silva I could smell the fresh paint near the lobby Tuesday morning, which means the bathroom renovations are nearly completed. In the afternoon I saw Principal Percussion Will James with the Henchmen putting together a new glockenspiel stand "So we don't break the glock," Will told me. And then I saw the stage was filled with brand new chorus chairs, 130 black beauties gleaming in the stage lights. Bring on the season!

]]> Crosscurrent tag:www.slso.org,2010:/blog//1.1282 2010-08-30T21:55:51Z 2010-08-30T21:58:14Z I was working on some Russian Festival material, and re-discovered this comment from David Robertson, which he shared with me last winter in preparation for the 2010-11 season roll out: "I was interested in looking at a lot of... Eddie Silva I was working on some Russian Festival material, and re-discovered this comment from David Robertson, which he shared with me last winter in preparation for the 2010-11 season roll out:

"I was interested in looking at a lot of Russian works and major Russian figures, but another major portion of the program is bringing in the German point of view [Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Mahler, Strauss, for example]. Actually there is this interesting crosscurrent throughout the season of which do you prefer: Dostoyevsky/Tolstoy or Goethe/Thomas Mann?"

]]> Blog Gone tag:www.slso.org,2010:/blog//1.1281 2010-08-25T20:44:25Z 2010-08-25T20:49:35Z I'm spending a few days away from the Hall before the cry goes up "The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming!" That is the 2010-2011 season-long Russian Festival and all other things SLSO-related that must be attended to.My next... Eddie Silva
My next post will be Monday, August 30.
]]> Mike Lynch tag:www.slso.org,2010:/blog//1.1280 2010-08-23T17:51:21Z 2010-08-23T17:57:47Z Friday was Mike Lynch's last day as SLSO Stage Manager. You may best know his as the leader of the pack of Mike Lynch and the Henchmen. Mike has been doing the job for 10 years, and now he'll... Eddie Silva Friday was Mike Lynch's last day as SLSO Stage Manager. You may best know his as the leader of the pack of Mike Lynch and the Henchmen. Mike has been doing the job for 10 years, and now he'll be doing other things with his life and career, which, I suspect, will not have the wake-up-at-2am anxieties that this job has had.

]]> Need a stage extension for A Child of Our Time, need to set the orchestra up on risers to give Hubbard Street Dance Company room to dance, need to get all the instruments safe and sound to Carnegie Hall, or Cape Girardeau, or four cities in five days in California: Mike has figured out and accomplished these feats with a combination of efficiency and grace that is rare to find in the high-stress atmosphere of symphony orchestras.

We're all going to miss Mike for a lot of reasons, but I will most fondly remember him for the post-Carnegie stories that were told over late-night pizzas at Ray's, that venerable institution just down the street from the legendary hall in Manhattan. Mike always handled New York City with aplomb, even though it's a Coca-Cola town and Mike's a Pepsi guy.

Bruce Mourning will be taking over for Mike, and Bruce already knows the lay of the land, working as part of the full-time stage crew as well as an extra for a number of years at Powell Hall. I've yet to decide whether it will now be Bruce Mourning and the Henchmen. Probably not. Time to re-brand.

Thanks for the decade, Mike. See you at Ray's.

Mike with harp
Mike Lynch moves a harp ]]> Light Reading tag:www.slso.org,2010:/blog//1.1279 2010-08-19T22:18:31Z 2010-08-19T22:23:24Z I rarely spend much time in the staff lunch room on the seventh floor, since I'm an eat-at-my-desk kind of guy, but it can be a quiet place to look over some copy.... Eddie Silva I rarely spend much time in the staff lunch room on the seventh floor, since I'm an eat-at-my-desk kind of guy, but it can be a quiet place to look over some copy.

]]> However, Thursday afternoon I was distracted by the literature on a book shelf partly hidden in a corner of the room. Although I am surrounded by highly knowledgeable and intellectually curious people, I really kind of doubt my colleagues are picking up these hefty volumes for light reading while they eat their microwaved Weight Watchers: Les Archet Francais (two volumes), Meister italienischer Geigenbaukust, Dictionnaire Universel des Luthiers, Marlboro Music: Collected Concert Programs 1951-2000 (three volumes), Universal Dictionary of Violin and Bow Makers, and Encyclopedia of the Great Composers and Their Music.

Made me long for a few issues of People to be laying around.

]]> What's That Sound? tag:www.slso.org,2010:/blog//1.1278 2010-08-18T22:16:45Z 2010-08-18T22:19:21Z After many days during which the sounds I have heard from downstairs included workmen renovating bathrooms, Henchmen hauling and storing new chorus chairs, lifts lifting, and assorted pounding, scraping, and hammering--Wednesday afternoon I passed by the Green Room and... Eddie Silva After many days during which the sounds I have heard from downstairs included workmen renovating bathrooms, Henchmen hauling and storing new chorus chairs, lifts lifting, and assorted pounding, scraping, and hammering--Wednesday afternoon I passed by the Green Room and heard the sound of a violin being played. Eureka!

]]> Husband Calling tag:www.slso.org,2010:/blog//1.1277 2010-08-16T14:58:52Z 2010-08-16T15:06:49Z I know the Finns are notorious for their wife-carrying competitions--and a quick Google check reveals that wife-carrying prizes are also given out in Latvia, China, and Maine--but at the Illinois State Fair this past weekend the focus was on... Eddie Silva I know the Finns are notorious for their wife-carrying competitions--and a quick Google check reveals that wife-carrying prizes are also given out in Latvia, China, and Maine--but at the Illinois State Fair this past weekend the focus was on husband calling.

]]> In the age before cell phones, so long ago, wives communicated to their husbands out in the far fields either via a ringing bell or triangle or the power of their voices. A trip to any state or county fair displays so many talents that you may have presumed to have been lost. It's always endearing to me--born on a dairy farm in northern Idaho--to see and hear agrarian traditions maintained. I think I can hear my mom calling my dad from the front porch right now.

It is with great pride to announce that the champion husband caller at the 2010 Illinois State Fair is Nancy Allison, member of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus. As you can read in the Springfield State Journal-Register, Nancy put her Wagner experience to use. If "Ride of the Valkyrie" can't get a husband to come running.... You'll also experience some dandy hog calling in the accompanying video clip. Click.

You may remember that Nancy was a guest on the video blog last season. You can catch her in her pre-Mozart Requiem rehearsal mode here.

]]> Sexy Beast tag:www.slso.org,2010:/blog//1.1276 2010-08-14T20:11:54Z 2010-08-14T20:22:12Z I've been more than a trifle amused whenever I've seen the trailer for the French bio-pic Igor Stravinsky and Coco Chanel. When did the cool ultra-Modern Stravinsky turn into big screen eye candy? How did the rail-thin dandy become all... Eddie Silva Igor Stravinsky and Coco Chanel. When did the cool ultra-Modern Stravinsky turn into big screen eye candy? How did the rail-thin dandy become all hunky?
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Ooh la la. How could Coco Chanel stay away?]]> Room with a View tag:www.slso.org,2010:/blog//1.1275 2010-08-13T17:01:22Z 2010-08-13T19:16:58Z If you check out the Symphony Facebook page you'll see that SBM posts "No story this time, alas" following her trip to Rams training camp. But the assembled Symphony crew (see previous post) did indeed get to meet and... Eddie Silva If you check out the Symphony Facebook page you'll see that SBM posts "No story this time, alas" following her trip to Rams training camp. But the assembled Symphony crew (see previous post) did indeed get to meet and greet with Sam Bradford. And because of the excessive heat and the wild storms that came through here Thursday, the Rams were practicing indoors, and the only folks that were there to view were our team, press, and Blake Hawksworth of the Cardinals. I have no word on Hawksworth's ability with a cello.

]]> Rams Prep tag:www.slso.org,2010:/blog//1.1274 2010-08-12T21:44:56Z 2010-08-12T21:47:07Z I've yet to get a report from Rams training camp, where my capo dei capi Adam Crane, capo dei tutti capi Fred Bronstein (with son Max), director of marketing Jonna Robertson (in a Sooners jersey), communications intern Jared Erlinger,... Eddie Silva I've yet to get a report from Rams training camp, where my capo dei capi Adam Crane, capo dei tutti capi Fred Bronstein (with son Max), director of marketing Jonna Robertson (in a Sooners jersey), communications intern Jared Erlinger, and Symphony cellist James Czyzewski were invited to witness how the Rams prepare for their season, and to have a moment with the No. 1 pick Sam Bradford, who apparently has some experience with the cello. I believe St. Louis Post-Dispatch music critic Sarah Bryan Miller was there to get the scoop.

 

]]> Prep 2 tag:www.slso.org,2010:/blog//1.1273 2010-08-11T22:18:18Z 2010-08-11T22:19:41Z Wednesday morning I was privileged to tour the venue for October's Gala Dinner, which is on the campus of Wells Fargo Advisors. What was fun about the tour was that I was able to imagine how the spaces will... Eddie Silva Wednesday morning I was privileged to tour the venue for October's Gala Dinner, which is on the campus of Wells Fargo Advisors. What was fun about the tour was that I was able to imagine how the spaces will be transformed into something magical come October 2. It was all described to me in swimming detail, none of which I can tell you about because you deserve a fabulous surprise.

]]> Prep tag:www.slso.org,2010:/blog//1.1272 2010-08-10T22:24:58Z 2010-08-10T22:27:53Z An SLS Chorus member told me of long hours that she and some of her fellow chorus members have already spent in the snoop dog days of summer going over the Schubert Mass No. 6 parts at Amy Kaiser's... Eddie Silva An SLS Chorus member told me of long hours that she and some of her fellow chorus members have already spent in the snoop dog days of summer going over the Schubert Mass No. 6 parts at Amy Kaiser's house, and marking them up so that rehearsal time may be used for rehearsal and not marking up parts. This is for October 22-23 performances. It takes a lot of work, and different types of work, to make one of the finest choruses in the country sound so wonderful.

]]> Wings tag:www.slso.org,2010:/blog//1.1271 2010-08-09T18:37:55Z 2010-08-09T18:40:23Z An SLSO staffer recently told me--as part of submitting The Music of ABBA show as one of her Hot Picks! for the 2010-11 season--that she went through 35 curling irons to get the hair just right in the '70s.... Eddie Silva An SLSO staffer recently told me--as part of submitting The Music of ABBA show as one of her Hot Picks! for the 2010-11 season--that she went through 35 curling irons to get the hair just right in the '70s.

]]> Blog Weary tag:www.slso.org,2010:/blog//1.1270 2010-08-05T14:04:02Z 2010-08-05T14:06:09Z It's the heat. It's my back. It's the Cardinals' horrible defeats. It's figuring out what to say about Stravinsky. It's the new season looming like a Russian bear. It's too much that needs to be done too soon. It's... Eddie Silva It's the heat. It's my back. It's the Cardinals' horrible defeats. It's figuring out what to say about Stravinsky. It's the new season looming like a Russian bear. It's too much that needs to be done too soon. It's the spate of apocalyptic news and films and literature.

]]> For all this and more, the blog has been a bit sporadic of late. I'm going to give it, and myself, a rest. My next post will be Monday, August 9, and I will try to come back revived, refreshed, recharged, renewed.

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