The Dancing Maestro

The Maestro steps out onto the podium, looks at the audience and says “its top of the 3^rd inning, 3-0, Cards”, followed by the audience of the Saint Louis Symphony cheering.  This is of course in reference to the current Cardinals baseball team that very likely can go to the World Series this year.  Just one of the reasons I love going to the Saint Louis Symphony.  Maestro David Robertson is such a delight in many ways.  And this concert of the overture to Wagner’s DerFliegender Holländer, Sibelius’ 1^st  Symphony, and the US premiere of a new work by Phillipe Manoury called Synapse proved no different. 

I had no doubt the overture to Der Fliegender Holländer was going to be exciting.  Maestro Robertson, as always, lead the Symphony with enthusiasm and passion.  His movements on the podium were like watching a dance; you always wondered how his body would move to the music.  The Symphony did a marvelous job bringing out all the leitmotifs of the opera and with the exception of a few inconsistencies in the brass, the overall ensemble was a lush rich sounds.

Synapse was the second piece on the program (4-0, Cards, by the way).  I was very excited to here this piece for two reasons.  One, I love modern works, and two, the violinist, James Ehnes, was playing on an Ex Marsick Stradivarius of 1715.  As a violinist, I have never actually seen or heard a Stradivarius in person so this was going to be a new treat.  Maestro Robertson began by informing the audience about the compositional aspect of the piece.  He explains how Manoury uses certain elements to describe an action and how it moves to the next.  This was demonstrated by Ehnes playing the various motives of the piece (the Symphony applauded his virtuosity with certain motives).  The piece was about 31 minutes long.  Overall, I liked the piece.  I liked the use of aleatoric harmonics in the strings but the use of steel drums I found to be slightly distracting.  They just didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the piece.  I listened to the description of synapse: the chemical process by which a nervous impulse passes from one neuron to another.  It made sense and I definitely heard what Manoury wanted to portray.  After 15 minutes of it though, I felt it began to lose direction.  The piece didn’t seem to have much of an arc to it other than passing from one motive to the next.  All things considered, James Ehnes’ performance of the piece was brilliant.  His virtuosity and attack of each moment was beautifully done.  I was especially impressed with how well he executed his double stops.  For those who don’t know what double stops are, it is the use of playing a chord on a string instrument, which is significantly more difficult to produce than it may sound. 

After an intermission, the Symphony closed the concert with Sibelius’ 1^st Symphony.  I remember playing the 2^nd Symphony in high school and was taken back to those fond memories of Sibelius’ music.  Sibelius was a master at incorporating the nationalistic sound of Finnish music as a way of expressing the Finnish people’s desire for independence from Russian oppression.  The 1^st Symphony is a shining example of this desire.  Again, watching Maestro Robertson at the podium was magical.  His actions conveyed every nuance to the orchestra and to the audience as well. 

Music you don’t get to hear every day can surely make you appreciate of the art we have in today’s world.  The Saint Louis Symphony is a wonderful place to find such art.  Oh, and bottom of the 8^th, 5-1, Card.