Concert Review: The Phoenix Force

The St. Louis Symphony returns to Carnegie Hall. 

by Paul Pelkonen

The "Phoenix Force" from Classic X-Men No. 8. 
Art by John Bolton. © 1988 Marvel Comics. 
Licensed through Wikipedia.

Founded in 1880, the  St. Louis Symphony is the second-oldest major American orchestra. But in today's classical music world, the accolades and exposure enjoyed by the "Big Five" continues to elude the ensemble from the Gateway City. 

On Saturday night, the orchestra made its annual visit to Carnegie Hall, under the baton of current music director David Robertson. The program featured early works by Claude Debussy and Igor Stravinsky, and the New York premiere of Quatre Instants, (Four Instances) a song cycle by current Carnegie Hall composer-in-residence Kaija Saariaho. 

The concert opened with Printemps, an early example of Debussy's innovative approach to tonality. This 15-minute tone poem (originally created for the piano) finds the young composer trying to shrug off the effect of the flowery perfumes of Wagner's Parsifal. With mysterious, minor-key ninth chords and a solo flute that presages the latter adventures of a certain faun, the composer succeeded. 

Ms. Saariaho's song cycle uses French texts (instead of her native Finnish) to paint four images of the different stages of a relationship. The songs, with words by Amin Maalouf, were sung to thrilling effect by Karita Mattila, the Finnish soprano whose searing delivery and magnetic stage presence made each chanson a probing, psychological journey. Attente used water imagery to project the coming instability. Doleur was a picture of self-castigation. And Parfum de l'instant had a smoky, atmospheric texture of need and regret.

The sparse orchestral textures and innovative accompaniment built to a climax with Résonances, the last of the four songs. Here, soprano, poet and composer brought back themes from the three previous songs, creating a tragic portrait of a shattered heart. Mr. Robertson proved an expert collaborator, working closely with the singer to deliver the maximum emotional impact of each piece.

The second half of the concert featured a full performance of The Firebird, the ballet score that made Igor Stravinsky a household name. Mr. Robertson led a slow, atmospheric account of the score, letting the instrumental textures shimmer and the woodwinds pop out for the occasional solo. This was Stravinsky's music at its most romantic, with the influence of his teacher Rimsky-Korsakov clearly heard.

With its fortissimo sections--particularly the two frenzied dances of Katschei the Immortal--this Firebird spread its wings and burst into full flame. The dances were played with rude, primal energy. Offstage brass (placed in the lower balcony) added to the enveloping wall of sonic power. The bright acoustic of Carnegie Hall seemed to surround and engulf the listener.

The famous final section, where Stravinsky resolves plot and tonality with a simple, descending figure for French horn, swelled with redemptive power. Mr. Robertson brought in the strings, creating an upswelling of emotion. As the final chords crashed down, the audience rose in a ten-minute standing ovation. This superb orchestra had earned it.

Concert Review: When Orchestras Attack!

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall

David Robertson, music director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

Saturday night at Carnegie Hall featured the annual visit of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Founded in 1880, the St. Louis forces are America's second-oldest orchestra, and as conductor David Robertson demonstrated, they are one of the most underrated.

The evening opened with an effervescent performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. One of the most enduring examples of 20th century British music, the Tallis Fantasia features three ensembles: a full string orchestra, a smaller ensemble playing in antiphon, and a string quartet--in this case drawn from the SLSO's principal players.

David Robertson led the piece with just the right amount of attaca, producing clean, well-cut phrases from the billowing fabric of the score. He did not allow the meaning of Vaughan Williams' cathedral-like sonic structure to diminish in a wash of pretty sound. The and violin solos were phrased eloquently, and the antiphonal balance was maintained despite having all the musicians packed together on the Carnegie stage.

Thomas Ades' violin concerto Concentric Paths is a muscular, three-movement work. Soloist Leila Josefowicz opened up a dialogue with the full orchestra, playing her instrument with an angry, razor-sharp tone. The first movement featured Bach-like arpeggios led by Ms. Josefowicz.

In the slow second movement, the solo part bobbed and weaved, ducking block-like explosions of percussion and tuba that went off like sonic bombs. The finale featured a dance rhythm not unlike contemporary club or "house" music, but played by the orchestra as contrast to the soaring violin part. This was a tight, well-played, exciting concerto and a good argument for Mr. Ades, an exciting cutting-edge British composer.


Mr. Robertson brought the full force of his orchestra to bear on Tchaikovsky's final symphony, the Pathetique. To that end, he even changed out the principal horns, ensuring that the players would have the necessary resources to make the third-movement march come off without a hitch. The opening movement, with its memorable, descending theme was played with lyricism and longing. The courtly slow movement evoked the glitter of Tchaikovsky's social circle and the composer's own inner doubts.

The famous march featured the best playing of the evening, as the St. Louis brass and horns made the case for the manic side of Tchaikovsky's personality. After allowing the audience to applaud (a tradition at performances of this symphony), Mr. Robertson launched into a passionate, angst-ridden performance of the final slow movement.

This is the the famous cry of despair that seemed to predict both the composer's death and the middle symphonies of Gustav Mahler. It was a compelling finish, and made a case that the St. Louis band deserves a place alongside the "Big Five" American orchestras. "Big Six," perhaps?