The finale of the St. Louis Symphony season will present Beethoven’s “9th Symphony, Ode to Joy” as its dramatic finish. To get there, Robertson, the symphony, the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and soloists will begin with Anton Bruckner’s Motet: “Christus factus est” and Act III of Alban Berg’s opera “Wozzeck.”
“Mozart was writing things that he could play but that would be very difficult for most human beings,” Andrew said. “This is arguably the most difficult music for a clarinet player.” The concerts include two other works by the enduringly popular composer.
That the Concerto No. 1 is one of the most challenging violin pieces to play brings in audiences. But that is not necessarily what brings them to their feet. For that the soloist making his St. Louis debut says, “It has the emotion of an Italian opera" and it ensnares the listener's fantasy.
It is fitting that The Matrix and the St. Louis Symphony share that same enigmatic quality, as well the Powell Hall stage, this weekend. Because both defy explanation and both promise a better experience when encountered together. We talk with composer Don Davis who will lead the performance.
On Sunday afternoon, people are offered not only a talented presentation of interesting music but the performance is free. On the bill are Bizet, Brahms and Ingram Marshall's "Kingdom Come." Several of the student musicians comment on the haunting nature of this modern work.
Phipps' stirring renditions of Amazing Grace have celebrated presidential inaugurations and a visit from Mother Theresa. Now he comes to Powell Symphony Hall to celebrate the 50th anniversary year of the The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech."
Inspired by W.H. Auden, Leonard Bernstein borrowed the structure of the poem, but created his own interpretation of the work. And that is where complications arise, for Bernstein’s symphony, which was written for piano and orchestra, has a structural complexity that is unusual and profound in its form, according to pianist Shaham.
The exhibit at the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts will serve as a fitting setting to mezzo-soprano Debby Lennon and members of the St. Louis Symphony as they perform an intimate concert that explores relationships through unique and unexpected perspectives.
Mussorgsky’s most famous work, “Pictures at an Exhibition — A Remembrance of Viktor Hartmann,” was inspired by Hartmann’s works and by the artist’s untimely death in 1873. When the St. Louis Symphony plays that piece this weekend, visual art works inspired by an earlier rehearsal will be on display.
The St. Louis Symphony’s Gospel Christmas concert could not be a more fitting and beautiful way to mark 2012’s holiday season. It brings together three outstanding ensembles on one stage -- the orchestra, the a capella group Take 6 and the In Unison chorus.
David Robertson · Fred Bronstein · Patti Wolff · Susan Graham · A. Dennis Sparger · Wynton Marsalis · Anthony "Redd" Williams · William Watson · Jessica Ingraham · Stephen Morscheck
St. Louis Symphony · IN UNISON Chorus · Pulitzer Foundation For The Arts · St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra · Circus Flora · Bach Society Of St. Louis · Stray Rescue's Animal Companion Center · COCA
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Meeting in St. Louis next week, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious will have its first opportunity as an assembled group to consider what to do after the Vatican issued a mandate for change this spring. It calls on the conference to reorganize and more strictly observe church teachings.
When a family of four goes to the St. Louis Zoo, they can be forgiven for not knowing it will cost them $60, $72 if they park. If they can't pay, the alternative is to tell the kids they can't do what kids do at the zoo.
Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley gave reporters less than a half-hour’s notice today when he announced that conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh’s sculptured bust will be formally installed in the Capitol at 1 p.m.
The world seems eager to learn more about Pope Francis, so learning that he admires St. Philippine Duchesne and her spiritual daughters — Argentinean nuns who have been under Francis' spiritual direction as they live among the poor — adds to understanding.
The celebration in Sikeston will reunite residents of the community which was destroyed in May 2011 when the Army Corps of Engineers opened the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway to alleviate flooding on the Mississippi. Residents are still hoping for a FEMA buyout so they can relocate their village.
The Newman Money Museum at Washington University has a quirky pseudo-robot Ben Franklin in the basement that is essentially a TV screen projected into a plastic shell head.
The Beacon's Mary Delach Leonard and Rob Koenig extensively covered flooding in 2011 in Missouri. Now this coverage is compiled in an iBook. Read the stories.
"Lost Egypt," at the St. Louis Science Center, combines real images shot in Egypt with art and artifacts as well as interactive and family-friendly features and explanations of the science used to uncover the ancient world. The exhibit will run through Sept. 2.
Opera is for snobs. Country music is for rednecks. Everybody loves Chuck Berry now that he's been around for a few decades, but what about Nelly? Why can't we simply respond to what's before us without dragging preconceptions and prejudices into play?
Organizers aren't trying to replace the rib fest, but music lovers will be able to find tangy sustenance as they listen to such greats as Mavis Staples (pictured), Big George Brock, Trombone Shorty, Kim Massie and Marquise Knox take the stage.
Donna Korando is the Beacon's arts and features editor. You can contact her at dkorando@stlbeacon.org.
Developers on the south side come in all shapes and sizes, with ambitions that vary from single buildings to entire city blocks. In the first of a two-part story, Jason Deem talks about building community.
Speaking to reporters at Monsanto, Howard Buffett warned that future generations would foot the bill for irresponsible soil use. He urged leaders to address thorny issues such as malnutrition and environmental destruction.
Twenty winners will split a million dollars and a wide array of professional services after this year's Arch Grants competition. Victors will also see one-on-one business mentoring in their prize package. The diverse group includes everything from biotech concerns to fashion enterprises.
Innovation and entrepreneurial activity are on the rise in St. Louis, especially in bioscience, technology and alternative energy. The Beacon's InnovationSTL section focuses on the people who are part of this wave, what they're doing and how this is shaping our future. To many St. Louisans, this wave is not yet visible. InnovationSTL aims to change that. We welcome you to share your knowledge, learn more about this vibrant trend and discuss its impact.
The Academy of Science-St. Louis hosts tours of EarthDance, an organic farm, and the Monsanto Agronomics and Breeding Facility May 21-22. The workshop is meant to prompt discussion and answer questions about these two competing philosophies of food production.
Speaking to reporters at Monsanto, Howard Buffett warned that future generations would foot the bill for irresponsible soil use. He urged leaders to address thorny issues such as malnutrition and environmental destruction.
Vernon Bowman's challenge to Monsanto Co.'s patent on its Roundup Ready soybean seeds was billed as a David vs. Goliath contest. Goliath won and won big. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that an Indiana soybean farmer had violated Monsanto's patent on its genetically engineered soybean seeds.
Sally Altman is the Beacon's Health and Science editor. You can contact her at saltman@stlbeacon.org.
Opera is for snobs. Country music is for rednecks. Everybody loves Chuck Berry now that he's been around for a few decades, but what about Nelly? Why can't we simply respond to what's before us without dragging preconceptions and prejudices into play?
You have to know your audience: McDonald's regulars don't need free-range chicken or a certain breed of beef; a second-chance high school needs personally motivated students as opposed to people ordered to attend and low-income Democrats by and large don't want a cigarette tax.
Last week, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura sacrificed his crown as the King of America. He faced an individual decision to play against the best in the nation or the best on the planet. Find out what happened at that world-level tournament.
Donna Korando is the Beacon's Voices editor. You can contact her and submit opinion pieces for possible publication at dkorando@stlbeacon.org.