Some of the most important work at Powell Symphony Hall goes on behind the scenes.

As soon as the last audience members and the musicians left for the summer in June, the backstage work speeded up. The ticket department started the massive job of sorting and sending out fall orders. In the office, new strategies were mapped out by orchestra president Fred Bronstein and his staff. Out in the public areas, construction workers redid bathrooms, replaced the carpeting, even moved doors.

There's a new logo, too, with a cleaner, more contemporary typeface, and a new "brand" for nonsymphonic concerts: "SLSO Presents" is now "Live at Powell Hall." There's a new home for the live Saturday night radio broadcasts on KWMU (90.7 FM), and a new host in Christian Cudnick.

The sound of saws and hammers has ended; the sound of tuning now begins. The musicians return this week from their summer hiatus and start their rehearsals, listening to each other and music director David Robertson, producing great sounds for the 131st season of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Some familiar faces will be missing from the stage, including longtime principal trumpet Susan Slaughter and principal bassoon George Berry, both retired. There will be new players, too, finding their place in the sound.

"You're constantly juggling that," Robertson said by phone from his home in New York, over an occasional obbligato provided by his twins Alex and Nathan, who are almost 3. "The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has nearly 100 individual artists, striving with their own aspirations and the demands of a world-class" ensemble. It's part of his job to make it all work.

Beginning his sixth season as music director, Robertson said he's excited about a festival of Russian music that dominates the first few weeks and continues through the year.

"There are certain works the audience absolutely adores, but they don't necessarily know the context from which they have sprung," he said. "Over the course of the season, we're giving some great concerts that give the context of some of the works they know and love."

The opening weekend sets an unfamiliar but beautiful Russian work, Vasily Sergeyevich Kalinnikov's Symphony No. 1 in G minor, alongside Prokofiev's "Lieutenant Kije" Suite and the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto.

Kalinnikov (1866-1901), a contemporary of Tchaikovsky, was poor and died young of tuberculosis, but his music is beloved in his native country.

It won't be all Russian music all the time in the orchestral series, of course.

"I didn't want to give everyone a Russian meal every week," Robertson says. "Lyonnaise cooking is great, but after a couple of months, give me a taco."

There will be some spicy music at the first Live at Powell Hall event: "Hot! Hot! Hot! A Night at the Copa," conducted by Victor Vanacore on Friday night. For something completely different, Saturday night brings an ABBA tribute band, for the dancing queen in you.

The popular SLSO Family Concerts kick off Sept. 26 with an all-Tchaikovsky program. Recommended for children ages 5 to 12 and select grown-ups, the program is led by resident conductor Ward Stare and features St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra violinist Jecoliah Wang as soloist, in music from "Sleeping Beauty," "Swan Lake" and other popular works.

There's a lot to look forward to, from the return of violinist Anne Akiko Meyers (Sept. 24 and 25) to the gala, starring diva Renee Fleming (Oct. 2); Chaplin's "City Lights" (Dec. 29 and 30); music of Mahler and Beethoven; a sprinkling of new works; Brahms' Requiem (Jan. 21 and 22); the ever-popular "Carmina Burana" (May 5 through 8); and much more.

The season begins, and Powell Hall comes alive with music again.