St Louis Symphony Orchestra Concert
Drew McManus, March 2005, Artsjournal.com
Posted: 2005-03-23 09:30:25
On Sunday, March 13, 2005 the musicians of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra along with colleagues from 14 orchestras* joined together to present a free concert to the greater St. Louis community. In all, there were 109 musicians led by Maestro Benjamin Zander in a performance of works by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, and Elgar**.
The musicians gathered for a single, two hour rehearsal and then performed to an overflow audience at the Manchester United Methodist church. Anxious to get good seats for this historic live event, the 1300+ who attended started to arrive in sizeable numbers 90 minutes before the concert was scheduled to begin at 4:00PM.
I don’t enjoy using flowery language and lofty words to describe concert events, but this unique performance qualifies for a special exemption. After leaving this concert, I was filled with tremendous sense of purpose and inspiration. I haven’t felt this hopeful about the future of classical music in a very long time.
Everyone fortunate enough to attend participated in a unique event that transcended a typical high quality live concert event. They were able to share in that singular, inextricable experience which drives most musicians to perform. It’s a spiritual, emotional, and professional high which only appears on the rarest of occasions. This concert may very well go down in musical history as a sincerely unique benchmark experience.
You can begin to see how this happened when you look at how the pieces were selected. I had the opportunity to talk to Maestro Zander before the performance and asked him why he preferred to conduct these pieces. When referring to the Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture, he said,
“Beethoven is an ideal selection because he represents the ultimate struggle of life. He was deaf, cut off from humanity, and had few personal relationships so he poured everything into his music. So he taught us that however difficult the struggles and however relenting the opposition we can always move through to triumph.”
It would be easy to say that Maestro Zander was referring to the recent labor strife the SLSO has experienced since January but I didn’t get the impression that was what he was talking about.
The struggle can represent the difficulty classical music endures on every level; internally and externally. Furthermore, his statements weren’t about assigning blame or responsibility for recent problems, it was about the trials this art form endures in order to survive and what we all need to do to become a sort of healer.
Toward the end of the concert, Maestro Zander mentioned a few words about the healing power of music; how it transcends time, beliefs, and even the deepest of wounds. It softens a cold man’s heart and can bring together those who struggle against one another. It defies a fundamental law of nature and creates something which exceeds the sum of its parts.
The concert contained a spiritual essence; the fact that the concert was performed in a church wasn’t lost on my perception of events. Hanging over the orchestra was a large cross and the combination of noticing that religious image while listening to the glorious music brought a quote to my mind from one of history’s most famous rebels,
I have no pleasure in any man who despises music. It is no invention of ours: it is a gift of God. I place it next to theology. Satan hates music: he knows how it drives the evil spirit out of us. - Martin Luther
Music isn’t about spreadsheets and budgets any more than it’s about base pay or benefits. Music is what connects people together in a way that can only be described as pure goodness; the connection is simultaneously timeless and priceless.
Maestro Zander concluded the evening’s concert by saying,
“There is not one person in this room who should leave with a single doubt as to why this symphony should exist. If everyone in this room told ten others about what they experienced here this evening, then there would be no problems.”
He’s absolutely right.
Music isn’t concrete; it’s gone the moment after the sound waves dissipate. All that’s left is what it created inside each one of us. Without others to share and build this connection, the evil Luther referred to can grow to consume us all.
Tomorrow’s article will share some more insight from Benjamin Zander in addition to a great deal of reactions from the musicians who perform in the SLSO and those who traveled from near and far to selflessly contribute their time and talent in order to make this extraordinary event the success that it was.
*Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Chicago symphony Orchestra
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Louisville Orchestra
Nashville Symphony Orchestra
New York Philharmonic
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Cleveland Orchestra
Houston Symphony
Kansas City Symphony
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
Florida Philharmonic Orchestra
**Beethoven Coriolan Overture Tchaikovsky Romeo & Juliet, Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, Elgar Enigma Variations, Nimrod.
Something Special In St. Louis Part 2
Part 1 left off with the promise of examining how the musicians from 14 American orchestras performed a grand concert to thank the St. Louis community for their support over the recent months. The best way to fully understand just how much of an impact this concert had, you will need to hear from the musicians.
In Their Own Words
Nicolae Bica, Violinist, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (pictured right in the blue tie) Q. How do you feel after having played the concert compared to beforehand? A. Exhausted and really happy that it happened. I’m blown away at what we were able to do in just one rehearsal. I thought it was interesting how we were adjusting to each other throughout the rehearsal and it made the concert great.
Q. Was it everything you thought it was going to be? A. For me, yes. But I would love to know what the audience members thought and what they walked away with.
Ilya Finkelshteyn, Principal Cello, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (pictured left, wearing the red sweater)
Q. What sort of feelings did you have coming to this concert and how do you feel now after playing the rehearsal with your old orchestra? A. It was something that I just had to do and it felt like I was home again.
Tage Larsen, Trumpet, Chicago Symphony Orchestra (pictured right, top row, second from the left) Q. What made you want to come down from Chicago and be a part of this? A. I played here from 2000-2002 so I wanted to show my support for my former SLSO colleague Susan Slaughter (pictured to Tage’s left) and the entire orchestra here.
Q. How did it feel coming back? A. The spirit shared among my colleagues makes it a very special place; it’s an honor to be back. I look forward to every opportunity I’ve had to come back and spend time with everybody here; it’s been a wonderful, wonderful time.
Q. Did you have any expectations about what the concert would be like? A. I knew it was going to be emotional and there was going to be a lot of excitement with everyone coming in from a number of orchestras.
Q. Did everything end up like you thought it would? A. Oh yes, it was amazing. It was just fantastic to work with everybody, see everyone, and have the opportunity to play great music in a great place like St. Louis. I think the impact of this concert will remain with me for a long, long time.
John Koen, Cello, Philadelphia Orchestra (pictured left in the white shirt) Q. Did you have any expectations about what this was going to be like when you arrived? A. We had a big strike of our own in 1996 that lasted nine weeks and when something like that it over there’s a lot of resentment and bad feelings while the musicians just want to get back to playing concerts.
I think part of the reason I wanted to visit and participate, as I’m sure many of us came, was because I wanted to help my colleagues get back on the right track and play music so they can forget about some of the hurt feelings they’ve had. I was really looking forward to everything this morning. You have to play warhorse material that we can all do in one rehearsal and I found myself wondering what it was going to be like. In the end it was a lot of fun. After a big strike like this, you need as much support as you can get and I’m glad I could be a part of it.
Steve Lange, Assistant Principal Trombone, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (pictured right, far left) Q. What sort of impact do you think that concert had? A. I think the impact from the concert will never be forgotten. The concert itself was almost indescribable in words – hearing the music itself painted the picture perfectly. This was the first time musicians have come from other orchestras to show their support for us in this fashion. If this happens again in another orchestra, you can certainly bet I’ll be there in support.
To me, this was really a moving experience; everyone played fabulously, but the point was that everyone came from far and wide to be a part of this. We really do have something special in St. Louis, and I believe this experience showed us what kind of team we are.
David sheets, Double Bass, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (pictured left, front row, third stand) Q. Why did you want to participate in this concert? A. St. Louis has one of the best attitudes of an orchestra to play in, there isn’t an ego; it’s down to earth but they still play at a very high level. My season here with the orchestra really taught me a lot.
Q. Did you have any expectations coming into the concert? A. I really didn’t but I knew it was going to be good. After going through the concert I now know that if I did have any expectations this experience would have met and exceeded them. Overall it was a great time and this performance of Nimrod was one of the most passionate I’ve ever played. You could tell everyone was really happy to be playing together.
I’ve never experienced anything like this before, the last time I had a feeling which was something like this was when I played during my college days; everybody was really gung-ho and listened. It’s been a long time since I had a feeling like that; I wish it happened more often.
Brian Rood, Trumpet, Kansas City Symphony (pictured right, top row, far right) Q. Why did you come to be a part of this concert? A. One of the most important things we can do as musicians in ICSOM is show support and solidarity for each other in times of difficulty.
To do what we love doing the most and have the opportunity to show our communities that we are one with them and engaged with them; that is what music making is all about.
Amy Oshiro, Violin, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (pictured left, in the light colored top) Q. Did you have any expectations about the concert? A. Oh yeah, I felt that there was going to be a really great show of support. I was really hoping that it would be a strong message to our community that the St. Louis Symphony was recognized as important enough of an institution for all these colleagues to come out and show their support.
These musicians are coming from all over, they didn’t just drive a few hours, and they had to fly or drive a long distance so it’s a major effort these people to put out because they wanted to, voluntarily. I was so emotional I was a little overwhelmed and grateful at such a great show of support and such a wonderful concert.
Q. What was unique about this experience? A. I’ve been emotional at concerts before but it was so nice to know that all of these people were coming for us and, in a way; it even felt like they were coming for me.
Q. Do you think the orchestra will be able to carry on these feelings and this momentum? A. I don't know, we have to get past the events of these past months and that’s hard, especially for me, personally. I’m sorry to say that I do have a more cynical viewpoint now than I did three months ago but I do know that people won’t forget this evening and the tremendous gesture of goodwill from everyone who was here.
Michael Sanders, Tuba, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (pictured right, top row, second from the right) Q. What sort of expectations did you have coming into the concert? A. I’ve worked with Mr. Zander before during one of his seminar/lectures and when I heard that he was going to do this I had great expectations because I know how he can explain what we do. I was absolutely thrilled today with the message that was sent and I feel lucky to have been a part of it.
It would have been real easy to just crash at home with my family but it was just a wonderful experience. To play all of this wonderful music that had such a powerful message, and the Nimrod performance reached me on a spiritual level. Having my good friend and tuba colleague, Tony Kniffen (pictured above, sitting to Michael’s right) come over from Indianapolis was very special and I was happy we had him here today.
I think all of this just goes to prove what kind of people we are to come together and share an experience like this and have all of the great players from the other orchestras join in. It feels like we made music history today.
Q. Do you think this is something the SLSO will be able to perpetuate? A. Yes, I think so. A lot of people say we’re like a family here and I think this experience has made us even closer.
Barbara Liberman, Principal Keyboard, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (pictured left, standing behind piano) Q. What are your feelings about this concert and all of the musicians coming in from other orchestras? A. I’m so excited because ever since I started playing with orchestras in 1968 I’ve wondered what it would be like to have so many extra players from other orchestras come here to play. I’m also thrilled about the spirituality of it, that music ties us together and this is a chance to experience that.
If you’re a musician in our orchestra what I’ve found during this period of dispute is that even though we didn’t have a stage the orchestra was still a symphony through our words. Somebody would make a suggestion and others would pick up on it and start to develop it into something bigger. Even without our instruments or a stage we still communicated and sounded together, which to me is so thrilling. This concert is the culmination of sounding together, so for me this is just great.
Felicia Foland, Bassoon, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (pictured right, sitting to the right) Q. How did you feel before and after the concert? A. I felt the concert created an adjustment that helped to soften us to the place that instrumentalists need to be in to reach the audience in the making of music. The teamwork with the visiting musicians was fantastic, and the event helped us all be together in a healing way. The making of music in these conditions provided a kind of alchemy that has opened the door to our future as an orchestra."
I feel as if we have closed the last chapter of a book. There may still be an epilogue. Never the less, it will only satisfy us having gone through this chapter, as it were, if it opens to another book. This concert has helped me to move ahead.
Benjamin Zander, Music Director, Boston Philharmonic Orchestra
Q. Why did you select Tchaikovsky’s Romeo & Juliet and Shostakovich’s symphony No. 5? A. Tchaikovsky suffered deeply and desperately in his life as a homosexual person in a society that wouldn’t accept it and as such suffered agonizing alienation. He poured all of that into his music and asked us to suffer with him.
As for Shostakovich, he was unable to speak freely in a society that wouldn’t allow it. It was too dangerous; he had his suitcase packed and ready by the door in case the secret police arrived to carry him away. When he wrote this piece he poured his heart and soul into it.
Q. How did you find your way here, to conduct this concert? A. A former student of mine wrote a very passionate letter to me and asked if I would participate and there’s no way I could refuse for this good of a reason.
Do you see that priest over there (he gestured to Dr. Carl L. Schenck, Manchester United Methodist Church senior pastor)? He comes up before this congregation every week to tell the people about God and to reach people with a spiritual connection. We’re all here to do the same thing with music.
St. Louis deserves to hear from this orchestra and all the great people who have come from around the country. This is really unbelievable and unique, it’s never happened before.
Conclusions
I was struck by the sheer variety of passion and intensity displayed by each musician I spoke with. Some players, such as violinist Nicolae Bica, were full of so much excited energy they could hardly slow down enough to get all of the words out. Others, like cellist Ilya Finkelshteyn, emanated a soft spoken demeanor but his words were wrapped with intense passion.
Regardless of how each musician showed their feelings, each of them shared a sense of release, and intense delight that they were all playing together again. However, behind some of the smiles you could still see various shades of cold grey emotion, the result of the darkness from the past several weeks.
It will take time for those wounds to heal, but with the right leadership and mutual support it’s something which lies within their grasp.
During the concert, Maestro Zander mentioned to the audience that he wasn’t really only a conductor at all but he was also a healer,
"The best review I ever got was not from a music critic, but from my father. He was 94 years old at the time and completely blind. He attended a Master Class I gave in London and sat there in his wheelchair for about three hours. When it was over, I went to speak with him. He lifted up his finger in his characteristic way and said, "I see that you are actually a member of the healing profession." It seemed to me the highest accolade."
And that's really the lesson to be learned with this experience, isn’t it?
Postscript: I’d like to take a moment to offer my heartfelt and sincere thanks to two individuals who were kind enough to offer an invitation to experience this meaningful event I couldn’t refuse; SLSO bassoonist Felicia Foland and musician and SLSO supporter Kati Guerra. They care deeply about their orchestra, community, and all that is classical music.
Something Special In St. Louis Part 3
In order to round out this series of articles about the uniquely special grand concert in St. Louis on March 13th, 2005 it seems fitting to allow the last voice to come from those who participated in the event as patrons. If you missed the earlier installments, here are Part 1 and Part 2.
Karen Coulter, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Patron
My friend, Mary Parks, told me about the concert and although I haven’t been to a SLSO concert in years I never realized how much I missed it until after I learned we may lose them. I think the community has taken them for granted and this was a real wake up call for us.
I haven’t been exposed to music for a long time and now I feel like I’m learning all over again and as such, Benjamin Zander’s comments helped me really get more out of the concert. I really felt like I was part of a feeling of love between the musicians and the audience, it was like there was a great sense of healing and hope. Now that we’ve all been tested by this I hope we all realize what we have and never lose it.
I ran into a neighbor at the concert I had not seen in 30 years so it was wonderful to make those connections again. This has all started to bring back something that was important to me but I lost, so now I will continue to go.
Mary Brunstrom, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Patron
I knew that there were musicians from all over the country so there would be this tremendous sense of camaraderie. However, I was still surprised by the sheer numbers of musicians and although I knew about Maestro Benjamin Zander’s excellent reputation I wasn’t expecting the experience to be as profound as it was.
I did interact with the musicians afterward and I detected that they understood something quite incredible had just happened. Nevertheless, I noticed a tremendous amount of strain etched on their faces as I suspect the events over the last few months have impacted them.
That made me think about Zander’s words about music being a healing component. I still think there’s a great deal of work to do with the healing of the organization. Since the concert, I have written letters to the SLSO board and mangers expressing that I hope they attended the concert. I suggested that they bring Benjamin Zander out to help with the process.
I was so moved by the process that I came home that evening and wrote an Op-Ed piece and sent it to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Even though I was greatly relieved when the Saint Louis Symphony management and the musicians came to agreement on labor issues two weeks ago, I am one of scores of Saint Louis Symphony supporters still smarting from wounds inflicted on the orchestra's musicians by a tone-deaf management during the two-month long dispute. But help is on the way! The musicians have devised a remedy for all of us: music! On Sunday evening, they invited the esteemed conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Benjamin Zander, to lead them along with some thirty of their colleagues from fourteen orchestras including the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the symphonies of Chicago, Cleveland, and Philadelphia, in an unforgettable concert at Manchester United Methodist Church.
The Maestro had an agenda: he laid out a musical model for reconciliation, making the case for why our orchestra is essential to the lifeblood of our community. Exhorting the audience to bring their own travails to the higher plane opened up in the music, Maestro Zander conducted from the heart, guided by a prodigious, humanist intelligence. Rarely, if ever, have we heard Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Elgar rendered so exquisitely and with such poignant relevance to the current fractured trust between the players and management. As reported by Michele Munz in Monday's (March 14) St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "During the performance, people did not cough, whisper or fidget. When it ended, the audience leapt to its feet…"
The musicians clearly know that this expansive public gesture serves as a catalyst in the process of healing. Their genius lies in understanding that healing is necessary if they are to proceed in unity towards achieving the orchestra's potential on all levels. What, then, is the counterpoint remedy for management and the Symphony Board of Trustees? This was a two-sided dispute after all. Cultural leadership involves more than a bottom line preoccupation with swelling the endowment. Some have complained in reports in this newspaper that better management communication with the musicians, and with the public, was needed. As a minimum, the Board needs to rectify their one-sided support for management and make some public gesture of solidarity with the musicians, following Maestro Zander's lead and spelling out the value of this great orchestra as a dynamo in our cultural life. Until that happens, we are left with the sickening spectacle of management intimidating and publicly humiliating musicians through suspension of healthcare and other insurance benefits.
The symphony's development office says it would like us to move on. We should. But you cannot paper over significant ruptures in the fabric of trust built up over the years between a public that loves music, the musicians who provide it, and the management into whose care we entrust them through our support, financial and otherwise. The management and the Board must take on the difficult, soul-searching task of paying more than lip service to the notion of respecting their employees. They are our musicians and we admire and value them. The audience made that abundantly clear at Sunday's concert.
Why, we might wonder, did some thirty distinguished musicians and a renowned conductor travel to St. Louis at their own expense to play alongside their St. Louis Symphony colleagues? "Solidarity," said Maestro Zander. He did emphasize that this particular configuration of musicians had never happened before. What is clear in this profound gesture of individual musicians is that when one orchestra is threatened, all orchestras experience a collective vision of decline and eventual extinction. The audience, too, glimpsed that vision on Sunday. The musicians were playing for their lives as artists, and our hearts opened up.
