SLSO Blog - Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra http://www.slso.org/blog/ Welcome to the SLSO Blog, an ongoing account of life with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra compiled by Eddie Silva. en Copyright 2010 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:36:48 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Variations on a Theme of Beyoncé 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.

]]> http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/09/variations-on-a-theme-of-beyon.html http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/09/variations-on-a-theme-of-beyon.html Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:36:48 -0600 New and Improved 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!

]]> http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/new-and-improved.html http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/new-and-improved.html Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:39:18 -0600 Crosscurrent 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?"

]]> http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/crosscurrent.html http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/crosscurrent.html Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:55:51 -0600 Blog Gone
My next post will be Monday, August 30.
]]> http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/blog-gone-10.html http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/blog-gone-10.html Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:44:25 -0600 Mike Lynch 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.

]]> http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/mike-lynch.html http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/mike-lynch.html Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:51:21 -0600 Light Reading 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.

]]> http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/light-reading.html http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/light-reading.html Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:18:31 -0600 What's That Sound? 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!

]]> http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/whats-that-sound.html http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/whats-that-sound.html Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:16:45 -0600 Husband Calling 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.

]]> http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/husband-calling.html http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/husband-calling.html Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:58:52 -0600 Sexy Beast 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?
]]> http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/sexy-beast.html http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/sexy-beast.html Sat, 14 Aug 2010 15:11:54 -0600 Room with a View 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.

]]> http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/room-with-a-view.html http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/room-with-a-view.html Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:01:22 -0600 Rams Prep 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.

 

]]> http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/rams-prep.html http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/rams-prep.html Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:44:56 -0600 Prep 2 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.

]]> http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/prep-2.html http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/prep-2.html Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:18:18 -0600 Prep 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.

]]> http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/prep.html http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/prep.html Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:24:58 -0600 Wings 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.

]]> http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/wings.html http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/wings.html Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:37:55 -0600 Blog Weary 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.

]]> http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/blog-weary.html http://www.slso.org/blog/2010/08/blog-weary.html Thu, 05 Aug 2010 09:04:02 -0600