November 2011 Archives

Wednesday afternoon, after the rehearsal of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons had been completed, guest artist Jennifer Koh and St. Louis Symphony Principal Cello Daniel Lee stayed on stage and rehearsed some more together. Koh explained to me afterward that there is a lot of interaction between the solo violin and first cello, and she and Danny were getting some rhythmic details in synch. It may have been practice, but from the auditorium it looked riveting and fierce. And fun.

You can find an album of photos of Monday's percussion demonstration on the Symphony's Facebook page. All you have to do is press that blue "f" on the Symphony homepage. It's just easier to put them all up there than up here. If you like cute kids, it's the place to go.

How do you keep a Powell Hall stage-full of students from playing their percussion instruments when they're not supposed to play them? Education Manager Dacy Gillespie knows the trick: Hold your instruments on your heads!

Powell Hall is a great place to take the guests this Thanksgiving Weekend, plus you can join in the spirit of giving at Union Avenue Church at an event that gets to the heart of the Symphony's mission: to enrich people's lives through the power of music.

During rehearsal of Chabrier's Espana on Wednesday afternoon, David Robertson gave this directive to the orchestra: "Be optimistic here."

Monday evening travelers passing through Lambert Airport had the anxieties of the great holiday schlepp lessened by the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus. Director Kevin McBeth and company moved their Monday night rehearsal from the Powell Hall stage to the main terminal and gave an A Gospel Christmas preview. Gloria in excelsis everyone.

I posted the following on the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra Facebook page Sunday night. I figure there isn't a total crossover audience between Blogland and FB, so I'll share here as well:

It is always good to find a fellow Brucknerian, which is not hard to do at a concert featuring Bruckner 7.

Bob Dylan once said that one of the few responsibilities of the artist is to inspire. The St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra fulfills that responsibility, and more. The YO musicians play their first concert of their three-concert season this Sunday afternoon, 3pm.

What David Robertson said when he heard what he wanted to hear from the orchestra in the morning rehearsal of Bruckner 7.

Listen to the complete interviews with Jun Märkl and Horacio Gutiérrez from last week's St. Louis Public Radio broadcast of the St. Louis Symphony. Both these guys were great to talk with. Click to St. Louis Symphony Extra.

Peter Henderson was leaning into the piano the other day, trying to position himself to pluck the appropriate strings. He explained to me that even Steinways don't have a standard interior design, so where strings may lie within the infrastructure and armature differs from piano to piano.

I've been fascinated by the response to my last post, "Dress Decode," in which I encouraged a "Dress how you feel" approach to a night (or morning or afternoon) at the Symphony.

On my way out the door Saturday night, a couple of my neighbors spotted me and one said, "So, you're not working tonight?"

A harmonic convergence of the family kind is occurring on the Powell Hall stage this weekend. Playing together in the orchestra are the husband-and-wife team of Tom (Acting Principal Trumpet) and Marian Drake (extra cello) and their daughter Sarah Drake (extra violin), a former St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra concertmaster.

Sometimes in rehearsals, when Jun Markl would give the downbeat to begin, he'd say, "Wheeee!"

St. Louis Symphony Education Manager Dacy Gillespie invited me to a Symphony in Your School presentation at Mallinckrodt Elementary on Tuesday morning. These are the sorts of invites you don't pass up.

I had the privilege of interviewing guest conductor Jun Markl on Wednesday afternoon. If you are listening to the Saturday night live broadcast on St. Louis Public Radio, 90.7 KWMU you'll hear excerpts. But one of my favorite moments was when I asked him what special qualities guest pianist Horacio Gutierrez would bring to the Beethoven "Emperor" Concerto.

Markl said, "I don't know yet."

I'll be in 'Sconsin visiting that part of the family. The blog returns Tuesday, November 8.

More than a few St. Louis Symphony musicians left the stage for rehearsal break saying words like "phenomenal," "extraordinary," "he's really something," or just letting out sighs of pleasure on the subject of guest pianist Eric Le Sage, who had just played the Schumann Piano Concerto with them.

Local music writer Terry Perkins caught up with Ben Folds. You may read their interview in the Playbill at this weekend's concerts, or you may read it here. Thanks, Terry.