To dedicate its new pipe organ in Verizon Hall in May 2006, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center held an organ marathon.

One of the participants was Cameron Carpenter, whose calculatedly bad-boy pose came through even in the balcony. Clad all in white — tight white t-shirt, white jeans, white shoes — he assaulted the organ with hands, feet, and what might be termed distinctly original approaches to some standard works.

Carpenter’s playing was actually surprisingly messy, but he did make his mark, working the pedals so hard that he broke a mechanical part. The recital had to be suspended while emergency repairs were made.

The attitude is still in place in his new recording, “Revolutionary,” to be released this month, and some of the interpretations are still, ah, unique, but the playing’s a whole lot better.

Carpenter makes imaginative use of the (controversial) new digital organ at Trinity Episcopal Church on Wall Street (which could certainly have afforded a pipe organ to replace the one destroyed in 9/11), with registrations that are sometimes wildly effective, and sometimes just wild. It’s an interesting program, from his own compositions to Bach, from Duke Ellington to Liszt, sometimes exciting and sometimes merely overblown.

There’s a bonus DVD, with music videos of Carpenter performing passionately in another white ensemble with rhinestones.

Another bonus, of sorts, is the often-snotty Q&A that appears with the program notes. He’s got enough attitude to be a rock star; here’s hoping he’ll decide to direct his considerable talents to his serious musical side instead.

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, and now Cathedral Concerts have all suggested to their patrons that a) stock makes a good gift, and b) there’s no time like the present to give such a present.

Cathedral Concerts founder and artistic director John Romeri makes the case:

Have you ever considered donating stock to St. Louis Cathedral Concerts?

If the answer is no, then perhaps now is the time to consider making a donation using stock that has been held for over one year. With the imminent sale of Anheuser-Busch Companies to In-Bev, A-B investors stand to face an unexpected tax cost with the forced sale of A-B stock, or perhaps you have planned the sale of other stock and would like to lessen the expected tax cost.

If you are considering making a donation, donating the stock you have held over a year allows you to give the total value of the stock to the charity. For example, if you sell $5,000 of stock at a $3,000 profit, you will pay an estimated federal and state tax of 35% or $1,050 and only be able to donate $3,950.00. If you donate the stock directly to the charity, you get a $5,000.00 deduction AND you don’t have to pay ANY income tax.

While lessening this tax burden for yourself, you can help Cathedral Concerts continue its mission of presenting affordable live concerts in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis featuring world-class musicians and the finest repertoire of sacred and classical music for the cultural enrichment, education, and enjoyment of the entire region.

Check with your CPA, Financial Planner or Stockbroker to get the advantages of giving long-term appreciated stock.

Sincerely,
John Romeri
Executive & Artistic Director

Other presenters and ensembles, including the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus, are also interested in taking advantage of the timing on InBev’s purchase.

As usual — and understandably — the nominations are on the Anglocentric side.

Here’s the press release, complete with a Q&A with editor-in-chief James Jolly:

GRAMOPHONE ANNOUNCES THE SHORT LIST FOR CLASSIC FM GRAMOPHONE AWARDS 2008

WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED AT GRAMOPHONE AWARDS CEREMONY AT LONDON’S DORCHESTER HOTEL ON SEPTEMBER 25

LONDON, August 30, 2008 – Gramophone, the world’s leading classical music magazine, has announced the final 45 recordings vying for the Classic FM Gramophone Awards 2008 – three CDs shortlisted in each of 15 categories. The final winners in those 15 categories will be chosen from the lists below and revealed at a glittering industry gathering at London’s Dorchester Hotel on Thursday, September 25. The annual Gramophone Awards are widely regarded as the Oscars of the classical recording industry.

As well as presenting the winners in these categories, the ceremony will also feature the announcement of several important special awards, including Editor’s Choice, Artist of the Year, Young Artist of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Label of the Year and the coveted Record of the Year. Gramophone’s ten Artist of the Year nominees are currently listed at the magazine’s web site; it is the only category in which the winner is selected directly by the voting public.

Gramophone’s 31st annual awards will take a special look back at the winners of the previous 30 Records of the Year in an attempt to identify the Gold Disc: the very greatest recording issued in the past three decades.

Gramophone editor-in-chief James Jolly discusses this year’s awards in the brief Q & A that follows.

Q: Can you believe it’s that time of year already? We’re talking, of course, about the 31st annual Gramophone Awards.

James Jolly: And what an extraordinary year it has been! It really has been a vintage year despite the continued wailing about the state of the recording industry. A glance through the short list of discs in the running this year reveals one of the strongest fields we’ve had in a long while, evenly matched between the major labels and the indie labels. You can think of it, in fact, as a year that defines what separates a major from an independent. Just look, for example, at the final three recordings in the opera category: we have the hot opera couple of our time – Rolando Villazon and Anna Netrebko – on a new recording of Puccini’s La bohème for DG, Janacek’s Kat’a Kabanová from Chandos, and also a rare Janacek opera on DG. All of these are very strong in their respective ways. And as has become the norm, the independents dominate the early and Baroque categories.

Q: Are you personally excited by particular categories or recordings this year?

JJ: The Baroque categories are very compelling; the L’Orfeo recording is absolutely wonderful and Trevor Pinnock’s return to Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos is music-making at its most generous and elegant. I’ve greatly enjoyed the Belcea’s Bartók cycle, as well as the Artemis Quartet with Leif Ove Andsnes in piano quintets by Brahms and Schumann. In the choral category I’ve hardly stopped playing the Polyphony recording of Poulenc’s Gloria. In that same category, I heard the Haydn Creation performance before the recording and it was stupendous. It’s also quite impressive that one singer, Gerald Finley, has two discs in the running in the recital category; both are programs of American songs, one focusing on Barber, the other on Ives!

Q: Any special surprises happening this year in terms of new or unusual awards?

JJ: We took all the previous Records of the Year (from 1978 to 2007) and we got a group of critics to take the list of 30 down to ten. We then put together a special panel of music-lovers – Armando Iannucci, the satirical writer who has a column for the magazine; violinist Tasmin Little; and TV personality Alistair Appleton – and they brought the list down to five. During the first week of September there will be articles about each of the five nominees in London’s Times. Then, the following week, Universal will issue an album featuring samples of all 30 Records of the Year. We’re calling this the Gold Disc award – the best from the past 30 years.

Q: That’s an incredible amount of music to listen to and think about!

JJ: There are so many classic recordings: Harnoncourt’s Beethoven cycle, the Emerson Quartet’s Bartok cycle, Karajan’s Mahler 9, Mackerras’s Janacek, Rattle’s Mahler 2 and 10, complete Haydn Trios by the Beaux Art, the Saint-Säens piano concertos from Hough, and Vaughan Williams conducted by Hickox. These really are the cornerstones of any record collection. Picking the very best is nearly impossible to do, but it will be fun. The idea behind this all is very simple: we want to encourage people to go out and buy some fantastic records.

Q: Speaking of annual events, you are also spearheading the publication of Gramophone’s annual Classical Music Guide.

JJ: That’s right – The Guide will come out in September. It really is a gargantuan task! In one volume we encapsulate classical music in its broadest terms from the Middle Ages to last year. Every year when I work on the The Guide it strikes me once again what an unbelievably rich catalog classical music has. It’s astounding what you can hear on record – every permutation of style and approach. Just looking at the entries for Beethoven or Bach will leave you breathless! It’s amazing, but the other day I got a disc of Beethoven’s Third and Fourth Symphonies with the Basel Chamber Orchestra and Giovanni Antonini and one featuring Lisa Batiashvilli playing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. Some people might think, oh no, why do we need more Beethoven. But thrilling young artists revisiting the great standards works – this is what keeps us all in business and reminds us that great music simply never goes out of style!

THE FIVE DISCS SHORT-LISTED FOR THE GOLD DISC AWARD
Five nominees chosen from the best Records of the Year from 1978-2007:

Beethoven: Symphonies — COE / Harnoncourt (Teldec/Warner Classics)
Haydn: Piano Trios — Beaux Arts Trio (Philips)
Mahler: Symphony No 9 — BPO / Karajan (DG)
Saint-Säens: Piano Concertos — Hough; CBSO / Oramo (Hyperion)
Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony — LSO / Hickox (Chandos)

THE SHORT LIST FOR CLASSIC FM GRAMOPHONE AWARDS 2008
The list that follows includes the three “short-listed” recordings in each of 15 award categories; one winner from each category will be named on September 25.

BAROQUE INSTRUMENTAL

Abel: Mr Abel’s Fine Airs
Susanne Heinrich viola da gamba
Hyperion CDA67628 (1/08)

Bach: Brandenburg Concertos
European Brandenburg Ensemble / Trevor Pinnock
Avie AV2119 (3/08)

Handel: Organ Concertos, Op 4
Academy of Ancient Music / Richard Egarr organ
Harmonia Mundi HMU80 7446 (8/08)

BAROQUE VOCAL

Bach: Mass in B minor
Bach Collegium Japan / Masaaki Suzuki
BIS BIS-SACD1701/2 (2/08)

Lully: Thésée
Boston Early Music Festival / Stephen Stubbs; Paul O’Dette
CPO CPO777 240-2 (1/08)

Monteverdi: Orfeo
La Venexiana / Claudio Cavina
Glossa GES920913-E (11/07)

CHAMBER

Bartók: Complete string quartets
Belcea Quartet
EMI 394400-2 (5/08)

Brahms/Schumann: Piano quintets
Leif Ove Andsnes piano; Artemis Quartet
Virgin 395143-2 (A/07)

Haas/Janacek: String Quartets, Vol 2
Pavel Haas Quartet
Supraphon SU3922-2 (4/08)

CHORAL

Dyson: Nebuchadnezzar
Soloists; BBC Symphony Chorus and Orchestra / Richard Hickox
Chandos CHAN10439

Haydn: The Creation (sung in English)
Sandrine Piau, Miah Persson sopranos; Ruth Massey contralto; Mark Padmore tenor; Peter Harvey baritone; Neal Davies bass; Gabrieli Consort and Players / Paul McCreesh
Archiv 477 7361AH2 (3/08)

Poulenc: Gloria. Motets
Susan Gritton soprano; Polyphony; Trinity College Choir, Cambridge; Britten Sinfonia /
Stephen Layton
Hyperion CDA67623 (4/08)

CONCERTO

Elgar: Violin Concerto
James Ehnes violin; Philharmonia Orchestra / Sir Andrew Davis
Onyx ONYX4025 (1/08)

Rubbra/Walton: Viola Concertos
Lawrence Power viola; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Ilan Volkov
Hyperion CDA67587 (7/07)

Tippett: Piano Concerto, Piano Sonatas
Steven Osborne piano; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Martyn Brabbins
Hyperion CDA67461/2 (12/07)

CONTEMPORARY

Harvey: Body Mandala
Anu Komsi soprano; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Ilan Volkov
NMC NMCD141

Lindberg. Sibelius Violin Concertos
Lisa Batiashvili violin; Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra / Sakari Oramo
Sony Classical 88697 12936-2 (11/07)

Tüür: Magma, etc
Evelyn Glennie percussion; Estonian National Symphony Orchestra / Paavo Järvi
Virgin 385785-2 (10/07)

DVD

Donizetti La fille du régiment
Royal Opera / Bruno Campanella; directed by Laurent Pelly
Virgin 519002-9 (5/08)

Mozart Le nozze di Figaro
Royal Opera / Antonio Pappano; directed by David McVicar
Opus Arte OA0990D (8/08)

O Thou Transcendent – The Life of Vaughan Williams
A film by Tony Palmer
Tony Palmer Films TPDVD106

EARLY MUSIC

Gombert :Tribulatio et angustia
Brabant Ensemble / Stephen Rice
Hyperion CDA67614 (A/07)

Ludford: Missa Benedicta
New College Choir, Oxford / Edward Higginbottom
K617 K617 206 (8/08)

De Monte: Missa Ultimi miei sospiri
Cinquecento
Hyperion CDA67658 (9/08)

HISTORIC ARCHIVE

Mahler Symphony No 3
Kathleen Ferrier contralto; BBC Symphony Orchestra / Sir Adrian Boult
Testament SBT2 1422 (9/08)

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No 5. Dona nobis pacem
Ralph Vaughan Williams conducts the LPO and BBC Symphony Orchestra
Somm SOMMCD071 (4/08)

Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen
Royal Opera / Rudolf Kempe
Testament SBT13 1426 (8/08)

HISTORIC REISSUE

Sibelius Songs
Kim Borg bass; Erik Werba piano
DG 477 6612GM

R Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier excerpts
Richard Strauss conducts various orchestras
Dutton CDBP9785 (5/08)

Various Composers: New York Town Hall recitals
1959/60 Cesare Valletti tenor; Leo Taubman piano
Testament SBT2 1413 (6/08)

INSTRUMENTAL

Alkan: Concerto for Solo Piano
Marc-André Hamelin piano
Hyperion CDA67569 (A/07)

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 4
Paul Lewis piano
Harmonia Mundi HMC90 1909/11 (6/08)

Debussy Piano Works, Vol. 2
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet piano
Chandos CHAN10443 (1/08)

OPERA

Janacek: Katya Kabanova
Welsh National Opera / Carlo Rizzi
Chandos CHAN3145 (12/07)

Janacek: The Excursions of Mr. Broucek
BBC Symphony Orchestra / Jiri Belohlavek
DG 477 7387GH2 (4/08)

Puccini: La bohème
Anna Netrebko soprano; Rolando Villazón tenor
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra / Bertrand de Billy
DG 477 6600GH2 (6/08)

ORCHESTRAL

Beethoven: Complete Symphonies
Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Philharmonia Orchestra / Sir Charles Mackerras
Hyperion CDS44301/5 (A/07)

Myaskovsky: Complete Symphonies
USSR State Symphony Orchestra;
Russian Federation Symphony Orchestra / Evgeny Svetlanov
Warner Classics 2564 69689-8

“Fiesta” – Latin-American Orchestral Music
Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela / Gustavo Dudamel
DG 477 7457GH (8/08)

RECITAL

Offenbach: Entre nous
Various Singers; London Philharmonic Orchestra / David Parry
Opera Rara ORR243 (11/07)

“Maria” – Music inspired by Maria Malibran
Cecilia Bartoli mezzo; Orchestra La Scintilla / Adám Fischer
Decca 475 9077DH (12/07)

“Romantic Arias”
Jonas Kaufmann tenor; Prague Philharmonic Orchestra / Marco Armiliato
Decca 475 9966DH (4/08)

SOLO VOCAL

Barber: Songs
Gerald Finley baritone; Julius Drake piano
Hyperion CDA67528 (1/08)

Ives: Romanzo di Central Park
Gerald Finley baritone; Julius Drake piano
Hyperion CDA67644 (4/08)

Vaughan Williams: On Wenlock Edge, etc.
James Gilchrist tenor and friends
Linn CKD296

The number of broadcasts is larger than last season. So is the number of local venues; The Esquire, 6706 Clayton, has been added to the list. That makes a total of six in the region, with the Chesterfield 14, the St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Mills in Hazelwood, the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts at McKendree University in Lebanon and the Edwardsville Showplace all returning.

The gala features soprano Renée Fleming in three fully-staged acts from different operas: the second act of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” Act III of Massenet’s Manon and the conclusion of Richard Strauss’s “Capriccio.” The conductors are music director James Levine and Marco Armiliato; tenor Ramón Vargas and baritones Thomas Hampson and Dwayne Croft will also take part.

The other performances are all on Saturday afternoons: Strauss’ “Salome,” with Karita Mattila, Oct. 11; a new production of John Adams’ “Doctor Atomic,” Nov. 8; Berlioz’s “La Damnation de Faust,” starring Susan Graham, Nov. 22; Massenet’s “Thaïs,” with Fleming, on Dec. 20; the Puccini rarity “La Rondine,” starring real-life marrieds Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna on Jan. 10; Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice,” with the amazing Stephanie Blythe as Orfeo, Jan. 24; Anna Netrebko in “Lucia di Lammermoor,” Feb. 7; Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly,” in the Anthony Mingella production, March 7; Bellini’s “La Sonnambula,” with Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Flórez, March 21; and Elina Garanca in Rossini’s version of the Cinderella story, “La Cenerentola,” May 9.

The offerings strike a good balance of old, new, classic and rarity, and the Met’s star power is scheduled to be at a high level of candlepower. The performances are more spread out than in 2007-08, taking a break during the company’s schedule trio of “Ring” cycles. (Too bad they’re not broadcasting the “Ring,” particularly with St. Louis-based soprano Christine Brewer taking on Brunnhilde.) (SBM)

So many CDs, so little time…. but every once in a while a disc arrives for review that grabs me so thoroughly that I find myself listening to it over and over.

I’ve got one now in Canary Classics’ new release of the Tchaikovsky Piano Trio in A minor. This is an irresistible recording, performed by three outstanding soloists who collaborate here like a dream: pianist Yefim Bronfman, violinist Gil Shaham (brother of pianist Orli Shaham, who’s married to St. Louis Symphony Orchestra music director David Robertson), and cellist Truls Mork.

The Trio isn’t written in the standard form. Instead, Tchaikovsky took a lilting Russian folk melody, wrote a long first movement based on that theme, and then a series of 14 variations, ringing all the changes — in terms of harmonies, tempos, and who’s-on-first — for this combination of instruments. It’s a wonderful piece of chamber music.

The performers seem to be having a terrific time, and it’s infectious. Don’t miss this one.

Powell Hall damaged by semi

From staff reports

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

08/27/2008

A semi tractor trailer crashed into the concrete awning in front of Powell Symphony Hall at 718 North Grand Boulevard at 8:30 tonight, police said.

There was no immediate word on how extensive the damage was or what caused the accident.

Here’s further word, from new St. Louis Symphony Orchestra spokesman Adam Crane:

The security officer working at the 634 N Grand building happened to be outside and witnessed the truck hitting the edge of the marquee, so he reported it to police and provided a description of the truck. The police located the truck and driver a few blocks away and then came to the hall and notified our security guard of the incident. No one was hurt; only minor damage to the marquee.

The only people in the building were the chorus members rehearsing on stage (and a crew member supporting them) and our security guard at the backstage guard desk.

Mark’s father was an Episcopal priest; I sang with him (when he was a bass) at his father’s then-parish, St. Simon’s/Arlington Heights, Illinois. He was a ferociously gifted man.

Mark studied at Indiana University with the late Margaret Harshaw, and eventually found his true metier as a dramatic tenor. His roles included Samson in Samson et Dalila and Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos. His death is a real loss to the world of opera.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/20/arts/NA-US-Obit-Lundberg.php

Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra concertmaster David Halen is the artistic director, and it’s an association that seems to be working well for all concerned. He recruits musicians from St. Louis (especially from the SLSO) and elsewhere to take part in performances in the jewel box Thespian Hall, built in 1858, beautifully restored in 1976, and possessed of a warm, attractive acoustic.

Friday night’s concert, which I attended, was a chamber music evening, with music by Beethoven, Chopin, Faure, Paganini, and Brahms. Halen performed, along with three younger colleagues, pianist Ching-Wen Hsiao, cellist Jacob Braun, and violinist Erin Schreiber (recently named the SLSO’s assistant concertmaster).

Halen, not surprisingly, was the standout, giving rather dramatic but effective readings of Beethoven’s Sonata No. 5 in F major, “Spring,” and the violin part in the evening’s highlight, the Brahms Trio in B major, Op. 8.

Braun plays with a gorgeous dark tone; he had some technical issues at one point, but his interpretational skills were exceptional. Schreiber had some sloppy moments in Paganini’s Caprice No. 24, but she’s clearly very talented, and it was a pleasure to hear her before she takes up her post in St. Louis. Ching-Wen Hsiao was a fine collaborator and accompanist; she was less impressive as a soloist in Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata.

Boonville itself has historic significance and some gorgeous parks and buildings, including the Friends of Historic Boonville’s Hain House (site of an art exhibit, also a part of the festival, by a gifted plein air painter Stephen Rust ; it’s also a good place to pick up the Katy Trail.

http://www.friendsofhistoricboonville.org

Chris Craker, an English record producer and friend of mine didn’t know the book, but he responded to the music and, as a businessman, was attracted to the book sales. He owned a small record company, which was bought by a bigger company, which was bought by a bigger company, which was subsequently bought by an even bigger one.

Finally, after all those big fish/little fish mergers and acquisitions, Chris ended up head of Sony/BMG Classical for the UK. And that’s when he was able to give the go ahead for the Royal Philharmonic.

Despite Chris’s exalted position, there was still no budget for an orchestra rehearsal. I had to hear the entire concerto in my head in NYC, e-mail the music to the Royal Phil in London, and then have the producer push the red button to record the piece for posterity.

Even the greatest composers like/need to change certain things after hearing a piece played for the first time, but budgetary constraints denied me that luxury. I was, however, able to hear the score spit out by my computer program, so I had had a high-tech preview of the piece. Not perfect, but beggars and composers can’t be choosers and I was, at least, able to correct some wrong notes.

However, nothing really prepared me for the glorious sound of an orchestra, especially the Royal Phil playing my music. Live! Not in my head. In between takes, I frantically made some slight alterations, even though the clock was ticking. And I did make further revisions for the Carnegie performance. By that time, I had heard the piece performed, counting the Royal Phil performance, once!

The first time I had heard the Concerto played on the radio, I was shell-shocked and honestly, tearing up. I couldn’t respond. It was a dream come true. Having the Bunny hop out of my head and reach all those people was more than I could bear.

Glen Roven is an Emmy award-winning composer whose new musical The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T opens on Broadway next September. At the moment, the score sounds terrific in his head.