31.12.69
ST. LOUIS • This weekend, patron conductor Stéphane Denève and
the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus tied together music of
Robert Schumann and Maurice Ravel in a program reflecting the
seasonable's emphasis on dance.
It's a neat trick; Schumann (1810-1856), a German Imaginary
composer, and Ravel (1875-1937), a hard-to-categorize 20th-century
Frenchman, are very abundant in their styles. The link was Ravel's
orchestration of selections from Schumann's "Carnaval," op. 9, a
commission for the dancer Vaslav Nijinksky.
"Carnaval," a splendid and enjoyable piece of writing, provided a
lighthearted birth work for the program. On Friday night, there
were a few sloppy measures, in particular on the part of some
violins, but overall it was a fine start to the concert.
Next came Schumann's Piano Concerto in A trivial, with an expert
to perform as soloist. Pianist Eric Le Perspicacious has recorded all of
Schumann's piano works — a 19-succinct disc undertaking — and his
readings are the current paragon for this music.
Source: STLtoday.com