Latest / St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Concert Rebroadcasts / Mozart and Schumann
Transcript
- 0:02SPEAKER_01: Live from Powell Hall at the Jack C.
- 0:04SPEAKER_01: Taylor Music Center, this is the St.
- 0:06SPEAKER_01: Louis Symphony Orchestra.
- 0:07SPEAKER_01: Tonight guest conductor Christina Posca will lead the orchestra in a program that opens with the U.S.
- 0:13SPEAKER_01: premiere of Ulo Kriegel's Proteus Pulse.
- 0:16SPEAKER_01: The concert continues with Wolfgang Ambadeus Mozart's piano concerto number 21 in C major, Kershel 467, featuring pianist Marie Angengucci.
- 0:27SPEAKER_01: After intermission, the concert will conclude with Robert Schumann's Symphony No.
- 0:31SPEAKER_01: 3 in E flat major, Opus 97, Rhenish.
- 0:35SPEAKER_01: Good evening.
- 0:35SPEAKER_01: I'm Jonathan All, and welcome to another live broadcast of the St.
- 0:39SPEAKER_01: Louis Symphony Orchestra's 2026-27 season on St.
- 0:43SPEAKER_01: Louis Public Radio and simulcast on Classic 107-3.
- 0:47SPEAKER_01: You can listen to us online, see a copy of tonight's program notes, and much more at stlpr.org slash symphony.
- 0:55SPEAKER_01: During the intermission, we'll speak with Christina Posca, SLSO president and CEO Marie Alain Bernard, and Marie Anshnaguchi.
- 1:04SPEAKER_01: Joining us now is commentator Lauren Eldridge Stewart.
- 1:06SPEAKER_01: Good evening, Lauren.
- 1:07SPEAKER_06: Good evening, Jonathan.
- 1:08SPEAKER_01: Lauren, it seems tonight's program will begin and end with water, so start us on our journey.
- 1:13SPEAKER_06: Well, let's head to the water.
- 1:14SPEAKER_06: This week's program is titled Scenes from the Rhine in the Noted Program booklet, but we'll start a bit further north in Estonia, the homeland of tonight's guest conductor, Christina Poska, and the first composer on tonight's program, Ulo Kriegel.
- 1:28SPEAKER_06: Kriegel wrote Proteus Pulse with a Greek sea god in mind.
- 1:32SPEAKER_06: The son of Poseidon and older brother of Triton, Proteus was known for his shape-shifting, truth-telling nature.
- 1:39SPEAKER_06: According to a story in the Odyssey, if a traveler could catch the evasive Proteus, he would reveal the truth of a situation.
- 1:46SPEAKER_06: Kriegel is interested in the truth of our current ecological situation.
- 1:50SPEAKER_06: In his program notes, he writes, For good reason, there have been a lot of discussions in recent times about the states and circumstances in the oceanic body of the earth.
- 1:59SPEAKER_06: It does not look good at all.
- 2:01SPEAKER_06: At least as far as our eyes can see.
- 2:28SPEAKER_06: As he puts it, also from this piece of music here, I think we can somehow hear that the good old Proteus is in dire straits.
- 2:36SPEAKER_06: He is winding up his horns, crying out loud as is appropriate in his position.
- 2:41SPEAKER_06: We have captured him by keeping him in not very elegant conditions.
- 2:46SPEAKER_06: And as promised, he is now willing to foretell us the future.
- 2:50SPEAKER_06: Do we take a listen to it?
- 2:52SPEAKER_01: You can see a copy of tonight's program notes at stlpr.org slash symphony.
- 2:58SPEAKER_01: You're listening to the St.
- 2:59SPEAKER_01: Louis Symphony Orchestra live from Powell Hall on St.
- 3:02SPEAKER_01: Louis Public Radio and online at stlpr.org.
- 3:07SPEAKER_06: A few words about our guest conductor.
- 3:09SPEAKER_06: Christina Posca stands among the most sought-after conductors on today's international music scene.
- 3:15SPEAKER_06: She has served as music director of the Orchestre Francais de Jeanne since 2025 and as principal guest conductor of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra since the 2021-22 season.
- 3:27SPEAKER_06: Previously, she held the position of Chief Conductor of the Flanders Symphony Orchestra from 2019 through 2025.
- 3:34SPEAKER_06: Her recent highlights include debuts with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Essen Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and return performances with ensembles such as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra.
- 3:50SPEAKER_06: She is equally prolific with operatic repertoire, including works by Mozart, Bella Bartok, and Ricard Strauss.
- 3:58SPEAKER_06: These concerts mark Christina Poska's SLSO debut.
- 4:02SPEAKER_01: The instrumentation for our opening piece is two flutes, one doubling piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, a timpani, a percussion, harp, and strings.
- 4:15SPEAKER_01: And concertmaster David Halen is now standing in front of the orchestra as the tuning commences.
- 4:20SPEAKER_01: We're expecting our conductor Christina Poska to follow shortly, and she will address the audience.
- 4:26SPEAKER_01: This weekend is the first SLSO performances of this piece by Ulo Kriegel.
- 4:32SPEAKER_01: It was debuted in 2022 in Talon, Estonia, with Christina Poska conducting the Flanders Symphony Orchestra.
- 4:39SPEAKER_01: Ulo Kriegel was born in 1978 in Tallinn, Estonia.
- 4:45SPEAKER_01: And now our conductor for the evening, Christina Poska, is coming out, shaking the hand of David Halen and going to the podium and acknowledging the orchestra.
- 4:54SPEAKER_01: And again, we're expecting her to address the audience here at Powell Hall.
- 5:01SPEAKER_00: Hello, good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
- 5:04SPEAKER_00: Very warm welcome to uh tonight's concert.
- 5:07SPEAKER_00: My name is Christina Poska, and I am extremely excited to be here in St.
- 5:12SPEAKER_00: Lucia for the very first time and playing in this wonderful hall with this most wonderful St.
- 5:19SPEAKER_00: Lucia Symphony Orchestra.
- 5:28SPEAKER_00: We have a very special and beautiful program for user tonight.
- 5:32SPEAKER_00: And the connecting element in this program is water.
- 5:36SPEAKER_00: And as already the also at the high level of the concert says we have the Schumann um the Rhine Symphony.
- 5:44SPEAKER_00: His third symphony is marking a very brief but extremely happy phase of his uh life when he moved with his family in Germany from Resident Evil, where he became a city musical director, and he was extremely overwhelmed by the warm welcome of the people.
- 6:09SPEAKER_00: And also the cathedral and what you would hear in the fourth momentum in the common moment.
- 6:24SPEAKER_00: I would even say that's a nine.
- 18:53SPEAKER_06: And also Associate Concert Master Aaron Schreiber.
- 18:57SPEAKER_01: And now giving a hug to our guest conductor, they've worked together before for he conducted the world premiere of his work on the star.
- 19:09SPEAKER_01: And our audience is applauding the composer and the rest of the orchestra.
- 19:14SPEAKER_06: He is now descending from the stage back into the audience.
- 19:20SPEAKER_01: And Christina Posca is again acknowledging the orchestra and leaving the stage.
- 19:25SPEAKER_01: Up next on our program tonight is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's piano concerto number 21 in C major, Kurtel 467.
- 19:34SPEAKER_01: Lauren, what sets this very popular concerto apart from others?
- 19:39SPEAKER_06: Well, there are a lot of piano concertos by Mozart, but one way of distinguishing them is to consider their narrative qualities.
- 19:46SPEAKER_06: Orrin Howard does something like this when he writes that this concerto is like a grand comedic anecdote to the drama of the previous piano concerto, number 20, in D minor.
- 19:56SPEAKER_06: He asserts that the quiet march-like opening in unison strings sets an opera buffa-like stage for the succession of ideas, which, though interesting enough in themselves, are completely successful in that they ideally convey a bristling air of expectancy.
- 20:11SPEAKER_06: In this orchestral opening, the winds play important supporting roles.
- 20:16SPEAKER_06: They initiate little fanfares, stride about in busy attendance upon the strings, or capture center stage with bright melodic interjections.
- 20:24SPEAKER_06: In an interview with Classic 1073's Chuck Livazzi earlier this week, tonight's guest soloist Maria Anjingucci related a similar perception of the 20th and 21st piano concertos by Mozart as mini operas, where you have characters that respond, that have dialogues.
- 20:42SPEAKER_06: Some are lighter, some are heavier, some more heavenly, some more earthy.
- 20:47SPEAKER_06: It's an extraordinary playfulness, wit, in the architecture of the form, always in the service of the narrative, the broader architecture of the piece.
- 20:56SPEAKER_06: The concerto is in three movements Allegro, Andante, and Allegro Vivace Asai.
- 21:02SPEAKER_06: The composer premiered the concerto from the keyboard as both soloist and conductor in 1785.
- 21:09SPEAKER_06: At this point in his career, he was living in Vienna and at the height of his popularity.
- 21:14SPEAKER_06: He was offering subscription concerts, which were tailored to his strengths as a composer and pianist.
- 21:20SPEAKER_06: We will hear Maria Angengucci take on the challenges of this concerto tonight.
- 21:25SPEAKER_01: You can see a copy of tonight's program notes and much more at stlpr.org slash symphony.
- 21:31SPEAKER_01: You're listening to the St.
- 21:32SPEAKER_01: Louis Symphony Orchestra live from Powell Hall on St.
- 21:36SPEAKER_01: Louis Public Radio and online at stlpr.org.
- 21:41SPEAKER_06: A few words about tonight's featured soloists.
- 21:43SPEAKER_06: Maria Anjingucci has firmly positioned herself as one of today's leading young soloists, captivating audiences with the visionary power of her interpretations, whether conducting or leading from the piano.
- 21:56SPEAKER_06: She is a regular guest of some of the world's most prestigious.
- 22:00SPEAKER_06: Concert halls, including Vienna Music Varana, Amsterdam Concercabelle, Tokyo Centauri Hall, Philomone de Paris, Zurich Tahala, and Sydney Opera House.
- 22:12SPEAKER_06: During the 2025-26 season, she was artist in residence with Radio France, appearing alongside Philharmonic de Radio France and Orchestre National de France, with conductors such as Christian Matilaro and Simone Young.
- 22:26SPEAKER_06: Other recent highlights include debuts with the Oslo Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Estonian Symphony Orchestra, and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic.
- 22:38SPEAKER_06: Maria Angengucci's most recent appearance with the SLSO was at the Tuhill Performing Arts Center in April 2024, when she performed Beethoven's piano concerto number two with John Storgaard conducting.
- 23:02SPEAKER_01: The composer performed a solo part conducted from a keyboard.
- 23:05SPEAKER_01: The first SLSO performance was in 1942 by Vladimir Goldman conducting with Robert Captain II S O The most recent SLSO performance was March 3, 2019, or Peter Angen conducting with large photo Solar.
- 53:42SPEAKER_01: We just heard Top Khan on the Small Card number 21 and 10 major 467.
- 55:01SPEAKER_06: Here we go.
- 1:03:01SPEAKER_06: I guess I'll take a look at the orange on the list.
- 1:03:38SPEAKER_06: The audience is on their feet, and also many bows in the orchestra are moving violinists, even playing their instruments in their lap to applaud.
- 1:03:51SPEAKER_01: A reminder that you can follow along at home with your own program notes by going to stlpr.org slash symphony.
- 1:03:58SPEAKER_01: During the intermission, we will talk with Christina Posco, Marie Allen Bernard, and Marie Angucci.
- 1:04:04SPEAKER_01: I'm Jonathan All, and you're listening to a live broadcast of the St.
- 1:04:07SPEAKER_01: Louis Symphony Orchestra on St.
- 1:04:09SPEAKER_01: Louis Republic Radio.
- 1:04:16SPEAKER_01: Live from Powell Hall and the Jackson Taylor Music Center.
- 1:04:19SPEAKER_01: This is the St.
- 1:04:20SPEAKER_01: Louis Symphony Orchestra.
- 1:04:21SPEAKER_01: I'm Jonathan All, along with Lauren Eldritch.
- 1:04:24SPEAKER_01: Joining us now is guest conductor Christina Fosca.
- 1:04:26SPEAKER_01: Bravo on a fabulous first half of the concert.
- 1:04:29SPEAKER_01: And welcome to St.
- 1:04:30SPEAKER_01: Louis.
- 1:04:31SPEAKER_01: So you're making your debut with the St.
- 1:04:33SPEAKER_01: Louis Symphony Orchestra.
- 1:04:34SPEAKER_01: What has your week been like working with these musicians?
- 1:04:38SPEAKER_00: I don't know if I have uh right words for that, but um I'm uh literally for uh uh the officer is uh uh amazing.
- 1:04:47SPEAKER_00: I uh I I love the place the whole great something very, very special for the high level, but also very nice people could very flexible.
- 1:05:01SPEAKER_00: Um actually everything on the conduct now you conducted the world premiere of tonight's first work, uh Ula Creole Proteus.
- 1:05:12SPEAKER_01: Um how did Ulu come to your attention and how did that premiere come about?
- 1:05:16SPEAKER_00: Well, we're both in Estonia.
- 1:05:18SPEAKER_00: We're both in a stuff together.
- 1:05:21SPEAKER_00: Okay.
- 1:05:22SPEAKER_00: So I know you're already for a very long time, and uh let's say no a generation definitely number of one composer but generated in Estonia very perspective and known uh composers who have been uh performing the first work throughout the years and uh and so like uh collection for you to go for and uh that happens very often with uh with new pieces that we have to know if you go and I would have several places.
- 1:06:00SPEAKER_01: What's it like to uh work with a composer, have that composer attend your rehearsals?
- 1:06:06SPEAKER_01: What is that like?
- 1:06:07SPEAKER_00: Yes, it's actually a very uh intense collaboration.
- 1:06:10SPEAKER_00: Um four years ago we were really uh we had more rehearsals than now here, and uh and uh of course composer hears it then for the very first time.
- 1:06:19SPEAKER_00: He has an idea what to change and so on.
- 1:06:21SPEAKER_00: So there was a lot of process of changing, maybe cutting some bars and changing a little bit instrumentation and so on.
- 1:06:27SPEAKER_00: That's a totally normal process for the very first time.
- 1:06:29SPEAKER_00: And I'm actually I find it interesting because I can be also next to it part of this creative process.
- 1:06:34SPEAKER_00: And now actually for extra for St.
- 1:06:36SPEAKER_00: Louis, um he even did a little bit um uh little bit more, which we also uh kind of did a bit together as well.
- 1:06:44SPEAKER_00: So it's it's actually uh a little bit of a new version of it here.
- 1:06:48SPEAKER_01: Speaking of collaborations, have you worked with Marie Anginagucci before?
- 1:06:52SPEAKER_00: Yes, uh I have.
- 1:07:01SPEAKER_00: I think first of all, uh Mozart is most difficult thing to play, really.
- 1:07:05SPEAKER_00: You are so naked you cannot hide anything.
- 1:07:08SPEAKER_00: So if you manage to do it like she does, that it's interesting, it's deep, it's colorful, it has many layers, it has really my deepest respect and admiration.
- 1:07:18SPEAKER_00: Rarely I hear Mozart actually so interesting.
- 1:07:21SPEAKER_00: So big respect to her.
- 1:07:23SPEAKER_01: After the intermission, we're gonna hear uh Schumann's Rhenish symphony.
- 1:07:27SPEAKER_01: What what are you hoping the audience will take away from your read of that tonight?
- 1:07:32SPEAKER_00: Definitely the enthusiasm, uh what uh Schumann felt when he was writing it.
- 1:07:38SPEAKER_00: It's so so clearly uh in the music.
- 1:07:40SPEAKER_00: It's just this enormous outburst of energy, but also this very, very tender, extremely poetic uh third movement, and of course uh Cologne Cathedral in the in the fourth, and then light and uh colorful last movement.
- 1:07:56SPEAKER_00: But I think Schumann was also not not a normal person, and and it's not also a normal symphony.
- 1:08:02SPEAKER_00: So it has like um it has also weird places here and there, and those are the places I enjoy especially.
- 1:08:08SPEAKER_00: It might even create some question marks, and if it happens, it's good.
- 1:08:12SPEAKER_00: But I hope they understand the energy and law which we will try to bring bring across.
- 1:08:18SPEAKER_01: Christina Posca, thank you so much for joining us tonight, and best of luck on the second half of the concert.
- 1:08:24SPEAKER_06: Joining us now is SLSO president and CEO Maria Lembonard.
- 1:08:27SPEAKER_06: Good evening, Maria Lembonar.
- 1:08:29SPEAKER_06: Good evening.
- 1:08:30SPEAKER_06: So it's been a year since the opening of the Jack C.
- 1:08:32SPEAKER_06: Taylor Music Center.
- 1:08:34SPEAKER_06: How transformational has this been?
- 1:08:36SPEAKER_02: Oh, it's truly been amazing.
- 1:08:38SPEAKER_02: I think just how we can, you know, enhance the experience of live music for everyone of all ages, all walks of life has been truly extraordinary.
- 1:08:46SPEAKER_02: It's become truly a music center destination for artists from around the world.
- 1:08:51SPEAKER_02: So we're very, very happy, and I think it allows for a platform of more creativity before, during, and after concerts.
- 1:08:58SPEAKER_02: So we're delighted.
- 1:09:00SPEAKER_06: In recent news, you accepted the Kim Tuchi Heart of St.
- 1:09:04SPEAKER_06: Louis Award from Explore St.
- 1:09:06SPEAKER_06: Louis on behalf of the SLSO, which acknowledges the work an institution does to build civic engagement and pride.
- 1:09:13SPEAKER_06: How are you seeing the SLSO's role in this area evolving over the next few years, especially heading towards this 150th anniversary?
- 1:09:21SPEAKER_02: So the uh St.
- 1:09:22SPEAKER_02: Louis Symphony Orchestra's role in this community and in across the nation and end of sector and industry of classical music is truly essential.
- 1:09:31SPEAKER_02: First of all, as a connector, uh creator, I always think of the orchestra as a creative lab.
- 1:09:36SPEAKER_02: So nurturing new experiences, really showcasing a lot of music we don't get to hear, whether it's anchored in a classical repertoire or new music.
- 1:09:45SPEAKER_02: I think we're a music education leader, so we need to continue to ensure that every child in this community from pre-K to college has sequential access to education.
- 1:09:55SPEAKER_02: So that's a very, very important part of our work.
- 1:09:57SPEAKER_02: And also just to be the fabric of community where we are working to elevate St.
- 1:10:02SPEAKER_02: Louis as a music destination internationally.
- 1:10:04SPEAKER_02: So I think we I see our role from the stage to the community as a connector, shaping culture, shaping really a love for music for generations to come.
- 1:10:15SPEAKER_02: We're truly kind of this thread for 147 years, and we do believe that St.
- 1:10:20SPEAKER_02: Louis is the best place in a nation.
- 1:10:22SPEAKER_02: So we're gonna shout very loudly the extraordinary arts and cultural portfolio that this region has to offer and with its Symphony at its center, at its core.
- 1:10:32SPEAKER_06: Getting to these anniversaries, we have this 150th anniversary, but also there's another anniversary this season.
- 1:10:40SPEAKER_06: The institution is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the St.
- 1:10:43SPEAKER_06: Louis Symphony Chorus.
- 1:10:44SPEAKER_06: Could you tell us how the chorus and its leader, Aaron Freeman, enrich the artistic fabric of the organization?
- 1:10:51SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
- 1:10:51SPEAKER_02: Again, they are core to our mission.
- 1:10:53SPEAKER_02: So there's five or six programs this year that we do to really showcase the power and the magical essence of the voice with a chorus.
- 1:11:03SPEAKER_02: 50 years, that's a milestone.
- 1:11:05SPEAKER_02: We are one of very few leading orchestras in the country with a chorus at its heart.
- 1:11:10SPEAKER_02: So, not only in music, creating new experiences.
- 1:11:13SPEAKER_02: Just last night we were at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation singing a work by David Lang to mark their 25th anniversary.
- 1:11:20SPEAKER_02: So that's a very, very important milestone, and I just want to bring more people to enjoy the chorus and really uncover what the voice can do.
- 1:11:28SPEAKER_06: Also, similarly, the Symphony Volunteer Association is marking 100 years of serving the institution.
- 1:11:34SPEAKER_06: Can you talk a bit about the impact of the SLSO's volunteers?
- 1:11:38SPEAKER_06: Their work often takes place behind the scenes, but they are everywhere.
- 1:11:42SPEAKER_02: Yeah, the volunteers are over 425 or 50 members.
- 1:11:47SPEAKER_02: They were founded in 1926, so a group of women leaders in a community then.
- 1:11:52SPEAKER_02: Some of them actually were behind giving the votes to women, and at the same time they were leading an effort to support the St.
- 1:12:00SPEAKER_02: Louis Symphony.
- 1:12:01SPEAKER_02: So things continue to evolve.
- 1:12:02SPEAKER_02: So they're essential to, again, the fabric of our community.
- 1:12:06SPEAKER_02: Ambassadors greeting audience members, helping with education concerts, really selling items in the boutique.
- 1:12:12SPEAKER_02: So 100 years is quite a milestone going back to 1926 and how forward-looking our institution was.
- 1:12:19SPEAKER_02: A lot of women who really shaped this organization who now are shaped through generational engagement.
- 1:12:25SPEAKER_02: We have also a lot of men now in the volunteer course, but they are very essential to uh supporting our mission.
- 1:12:32SPEAKER_06: Now I know it's hard to pick, and there are so many wonderful concerts and events coming up.
- 1:12:37SPEAKER_06: But what are you looking forward to?
- 1:12:38SPEAKER_02: Well, in November, just thinking of chorus, we have a program with guest conductor David Densmeyer.
- 1:12:44SPEAKER_02: He's featuring really remarkable works featuring the chorus.
- 1:12:48SPEAKER_02: Stefan Geneve is back at the end of the month in Beethoven 6, and there's several projects he's gonna do.
- 1:12:54SPEAKER_02: Two among many.
- 1:12:55SPEAKER_02: Ravel enfin les sortiles in February, featuring the chorus and the children's choir, and also closing with Marlow 3.
- 1:13:02SPEAKER_02: So again, there's a gift for everyone every weekend, but really an extraordinary holiday season also coming up for us in music.
- 1:13:09SPEAKER_06: Well, we are looking forward to it.
- 1:13:11SPEAKER_06: Thank you so much for coming to talk to us.
- 1:13:13SPEAKER_06: Thank you so much.
- 1:13:14SPEAKER_06: That was SLSO, President and CEO Maria Lynn Bernard.
- 1:13:19SPEAKER_06: And joining us now is tonight's featured soloist, pianist Maria Ann Gengucchi.
- 1:13:24SPEAKER_06: Good evening, Maria.
- 1:13:25SPEAKER_04: Good evening.
- 1:13:26SPEAKER_04: Bravo on your performance of Mozart's piano concerto number 21.
- 1:13:30SPEAKER_04: Thank you so much.
- 1:13:31SPEAKER_04: Thank you to the to the orchestra and to the audience.
- 1:13:33SPEAKER_04: It was a really, really very special, very special experience, very special week.
- 1:13:37SPEAKER_06: Well, we certainly experienced it as fabulous here in the booth.
- 1:13:41SPEAKER_06: Could you tell us a bit about your history with the concerto?
- 1:13:44SPEAKER_03: So this concerto is among my favorites by Mozart.
- 1:13:48SPEAKER_03: It is such a it has such a youthful, flowing, almost improvisation-like energy.
- 1:13:54SPEAKER_03: There is something very special, very open, a lot of smile, a lot of genuine, you know, kind of reconciliation with life.
- 1:14:01SPEAKER_03: The concerto he wrote uh just before the number 20 in D minor is such a deep reflection on the you know condition of the human being.
- 1:14:09SPEAKER_03: It's really uh dramatic, almost tragic, it's very dense.
- 1:14:13SPEAKER_03: And this concerto that he wrote right after is as Christina Posca, the con the conductor for this week said very wisely and very well, it is some sort of cleansing energy.
- 1:14:23SPEAKER_03: There is something, there is a reconciliation, there is a smile, of course, there is a bit of drama, there are reminiscences of you know beautiful, lyrical, dramatic uh passages, but the whole of this piece is under the sign of the smile, the gratefulness and joys to be joy to be alive.
- 1:14:42SPEAKER_03: And uh personally always puts me in a very good mood and a very positive uh mood to listen, to work on this piece, and uh it's a piece that works like a roll of dice.
- 1:14:53SPEAKER_03: He really is based on small sequences that he kind of moves around and uh puts one after the other in sometimes unexpected ways.
- 1:15:02SPEAKER_03: So it's uh to the force in terms of composition, a very special piece in Mozart's output and uh pianist favorite.
- 1:15:12SPEAKER_06: Well, considering composition, there have been a number of cadenza written for this particular concerto.
- 1:15:20SPEAKER_03: Could you tell us a little bit about your choices around cadenza?
- 1:15:24SPEAKER_03: So what is interesting with this concerto is that you know, for instance, for other concerti, the number 20 just before, the number 22 just after, there are a lot of cadenas written by the greatest composers like Beethoven, Brahms, Bussoni, and you can think of so many names.
- 1:15:38SPEAKER_03: Even Schumberg wrote or Feinberg.
- 1:15:40SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's really impressive.
- 1:15:42SPEAKER_03: And for this concerto number 21, it is such a special piece and so perfect in many ways that actually there is a lot of pianist cadenza, pianists improvising, trying, putting ideas together, and I think that is particularly striking and it gives something very very genuine to the approach of the cadenza.
- 1:16:02SPEAKER_03: So for the third movement I choose the cadenza from Dino Ripati, and uh for the first movement it is a mix of different sources of uh impro uh of uh inspiration.
- 1:16:14SPEAKER_03: And what I really like with this concerto is also a certain form of spontaneity, so that's why I prepare always two, three cadenza.
- 1:16:20SPEAKER_03: And you know, depending on uh the orchestra, the hall, the mood, try to you know choose sometimes uh last minute something that could the cadenza that could fit the general atmosphere at the best.
- 1:16:32SPEAKER_03: So I think adding that little extra spontaneity uh gives something special to the experience.
- 1:16:38SPEAKER_06: Well, speaking of the hall and the atmosphere, right?
- 1:16:42SPEAKER_06: So the last time you were with us, it was at the Two Hill Performing Arts Center while Powell Hall was under renovation.
- 1:16:48SPEAKER_06: What do you think now that it's been completed?
- 1:16:51SPEAKER_03: First of all, it's very humbling and great, great joy and great honor to first of all to work again with the orchestra.
- 1:16:57SPEAKER_03: And I heard last time so many, you know, raving people really saying that they could not wait to come back to the hall and that it was such a special, beautiful place.
- 1:17:07SPEAKER_03: And now I really understand how it is really a gift to be able as an orchestra to work in such an extraordinary place.
- 1:17:14SPEAKER_03: It's really very special.
- 1:17:16SPEAKER_03: The beauty of it, the beauty of its sound, of its just architecture, it is stepping on stage is really a gift every time.
- 1:17:25SPEAKER_03: And I'm profoundly honored and humbled and grateful to be able to stand among the musicians in this place, and uh I think you know it gives all both to the musician and to the listener a special sense of communion, a special sense of being present in such a beautiful and special and meaningful place who is the result of the effort of so many people that were involved in making it possible to first of all to exist and to be renovated, to be just beautiful and shiny.
- 1:17:56SPEAKER_03: I think, yeah, it represents something very strong and it's very special.
- 1:18:00SPEAKER_06: Well, we thank you so much for sharing your very special gifts with us.
- 1:18:04SPEAKER_06: This was such an extraordinary performance.
- 1:18:07SPEAKER_06: We appreciate it.
- 1:18:08SPEAKER_06: Thank you.
- 1:18:09SPEAKER_06: That was tonight's featured soloist, pianist, marians, and Gucci.
- 1:18:14SPEAKER_01: Our concert tonight concludes with Robert Schumann's symphony number three in Eat Flat Major, Opus 97, Rhenish.
- 1:18:20SPEAKER_01: This symphony was highly influenced by Schumann's fascination with the Rhine River, as well as the Cologne Cathedral that sits above the Rhine.
- 1:18:28SPEAKER_06: Yes, in 1850, Robert Schumann was named director of the municipal orchestra and chorus in Düsseldorf, Germany, and in late summer moved with his family to that city on the Rhine.
- 1:18:39SPEAKER_06: But as an adolescent, long before that move, Schumann had expressed a reverence for the river and in 1830 had made a journey up the river which left a deep impression on him.
- 1:18:49SPEAKER_06: Majestic Father Rhine, a German god, he declared.
- 1:18:53SPEAKER_06: In September 1850, Schumann and his wife Clara traveled to Cologne, where they saw the completion after six centuries of the cathedral that sat high over the Rhine.
- 1:19:03SPEAKER_06: At its completion, it was the largest cathedral in Europe as well as the tallest structure in the world, and the Schumanns were completely taken by it.
- 1:19:12SPEAKER_06: Clara noted in her diary, we were enchanted above all by the sight of the magnificent cathedral, which even on close inspection exceeded our expectations.
- 1:19:22SPEAKER_06: It's likely that it was on this excursion that Schumann conceived the final of his four symphonies.
- 1:19:27SPEAKER_06: It should be noted that although this work was published as his third symphony, the one now known as the fourth was actually written in 1841, but was withheld from publication for more than a decade.
- 1:19:39SPEAKER_06: Also, before the end of the year, Schumann visited the cathedral again for a solemn ceremony elevating the Archbishop of Cologne to the rank of cardinal, and it is this ceremony that is thought to be the inspiration for the work's fourth movement.
- 1:19:52SPEAKER_06: Schumann conducted the first performance of the symphony on February 6, 1851, in Dusseldorf.
- 1:19:59SPEAKER_06: One of the violinists in his orchestra thought he heard the flowing of the Rhine in the work and suggested that its title should pay homage to the river.
- 1:20:07SPEAKER_06: The title Rhenish was attached to the work and it has remained ever since.
- 1:20:12SPEAKER_06: The symphony opens without introduction, with an exultant, energetic theme marked by its contrasting rhythms.
- 1:20:19SPEAKER_06: The Scherzo's second movement originally was given the title Morning on the Rhone, but resembles a Lindler, the folk dance that is a precursor of the waltz.
- 1:20:29SPEAKER_06: The third movement is a slow, graceful intermezzo that shows Schumann's skill as a songwriter.
- 1:20:35SPEAKER_06: Schumann originally titled the fourth movement in the character of the accompaniment to a solemn ceremony, but later changed the title to Fearlich or Solemnly.
- 1:20:45SPEAKER_06: Nevertheless, the movement channels the grandeur of the Cologne Cathedral with an ethereal tone that reflects the building's soaring vaults and gothic arches.
- 1:20:54SPEAKER_06: The final movement opens with the mood of a folk festival.
- 1:20:58SPEAKER_06: The grandeur of the cathedral is again invoked before the brilliant conclusion.
- 1:21:03SPEAKER_01: A reminder that you can follow along at home with your own program notes by going to stlpr.org slash symphony.
- 1:21:10SPEAKER_01: You are listening to the St.
- 1:21:11SPEAKER_01: Louis Symphony Orchestra live from Powell Hall on St.
- 1:21:15SPEAKER_01: Louis Public Radio and online at stlpr.org.
- 1:21:20SPEAKER_01: And concertmaster David Halen is standing and the orchestra is tuning as we're awaiting the entrance of Christina Posca, our guest conductor, and the final work of this evening's concert, Robert Schumann's Symphony No.
- 1:21:33SPEAKER_01: 3 in E-Flat Major, Opus 97, Rhenish.
- 1:21:39SPEAKER_01: And we're waiting for our conductor to return to the podium to conclude this work.
- 1:21:45SPEAKER_01: A theme opening and closing of water.
- 1:21:48SPEAKER_01: We opened with a piece about a Greek myth and a water god, and now we're closing with Reflections on the Rhine via Robert Schumann.
- 1:21:56SPEAKER_01: Christina Poska is at the podium, bowing before the audience as the orchestra stands, as we're going to conclude this night's concert with Robert Schumann's Symphony No.
- 1:22:04SPEAKER_01: 3 in E flat major, Opus 97.
- 1:54:04SPEAKER_01: You've just heard Robert Schumann's symphony number three in E-Flat Major, Opus 97, Rhenish.
- 1:54:11unknown: The St.
- 1:54:11SPEAKER_01: Louis Symphony Orchestra was led by Christina Posca.
- 1:54:15SPEAKER_06: And guest conductor Christina Poska has descended from the podium after inviting the entire orchestra to rise and embrace concertmaster David Halen as well as Associate Concertmaster Aaron Striver.
- 1:54:29SPEAKER_06: She is now exiting the stage, but likely not for long as the audience is on their feet.
- 1:54:43SPEAKER_01: The theme for tonight's concert, very water-based as well.
- 1:54:47SPEAKER_06: And now Guest Conductor Posca is back out with some acknowledgments.
- 1:54:53SPEAKER_06: First, the principal horn player and then the entire horn section.
- 1:55:01SPEAKER_01: Now acknowledging the woodwinds.
- 1:55:07SPEAKER_06: And some love for the trombones.
- 1:55:12SPEAKER_06: Making sure that each and every one of them is standing.
- 1:55:17SPEAKER_06: As well as principal tympanists Shannon Wood.
- 1:55:22SPEAKER_06: And the trumpet.
- 1:55:24SPEAKER_01: Interesting.
- 1:55:25SPEAKER_01: She's doing this acknowledgement from kind of inside the orchestra.
- 1:55:28SPEAKER_01: And now she's back up on the podium to acknowledge the entire ensemble in each section of the strings from the basses, cellos, violas, second violins, and first violence.
- 1:55:53SPEAKER_06: And she is once again exiting the stage.
- 1:55:59SPEAKER_01: You're listening to the St.
- 1:56:00SPEAKER_01: Louis Symphony Orchestra live from Paul Hall on St.
- 1:56:03SPEAKER_01: Louis Public Radio, simulcast on Classic 1073 and online at stlpr.org.
- 1:56:10SPEAKER_01: Tonight we heard the following works Robert Schumann's Symphony No.
- 1:56:13SPEAKER_01: 3 in E Flat Major, Opus 97, Rhenish.
- 1:56:17SPEAKER_01: Before that, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's piano concerto number 21 in C major, Herschel 467, featuring pianist Marie Ange Nagucci.
- 1:56:26SPEAKER_01: And we began the evening with Ulo Kriegel's Proteus Pulse.
- 1:56:30SPEAKER_06: You're invited to join St.
- 1:56:31SPEAKER_06: Louis Public Radio two weeks from tonight for the next live broadcast of the St.
- 1:56:36SPEAKER_06: Louis Symphony Orchestra.
- 1:56:37SPEAKER_06: Music director Stefan Deneve will lead the orchestra in George Walker's Folk Songs for Orchestra, Samuel Barber's Knoxville Summer of 1915, Opus 24, featuring Soprano Julia Bullock, and Ludwig von Beethoven's Symphony No.
- 1:56:54SPEAKER_06: 6 and F major, Opus 68, Pastoral.
- 1:56:57SPEAKER_06: That's the next live broadcast of the St.
- 1:56:59SPEAKER_06: Louis Symphony Orchestra, two weeks from tonight at 7 30 p.m.
- 1:57:03SPEAKER_06: on St.
- 1:57:03SPEAKER_06: Louis Public Radio.
- 1:57:05SPEAKER_01: We invite you to share your thoughts about our live broadcasts of the St.
- 1:57:08SPEAKER_01: Louis Symphony Orchestra season.
- 1:57:10SPEAKER_01: You can find us online at stlpr.org and on social media to search for and like the St.
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- 1:57:19SPEAKER_01: The St.
- 1:57:19SPEAKER_01: Louis Symphony Orchestra broadcast is produced by Mary Edwards, with audio engineered by Kyle Pike.
- 1:57:26SPEAKER_01: Additional assistance is provided by Paul Schiavo, Skylar Dykes, Ian Shaw, Greg Monteneau, Eric Dundan, Maggie Bailey, Rachel Madison, Calvin Hinton, Geno Belosi, Madeline Painter Kala, and Alex Rice.
- 1:57:40SPEAKER_01: Also, a special thank you goes to all the musicians of the St.
- 1:57:43SPEAKER_01: Louis Symphony Orchestra and local two one nine seven.
- 1:57:47SPEAKER_01: Live broadcasts of the St.
- 1:57:48SPEAKER_01: Louis Symphony Orchestra are a production of St.
- 1:57:51SPEAKER_01: Louis Public Radio.
- 1:57:52SPEAKER_06: I am Lauren Elder, and I'm Jonathan Hall.
- 1:57:55SPEAKER_01: Please join us again in two weeks.