ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) performs one of the great choral works in the repertoire, Brahms’ A German Requiem, in a concert that features conductor Nathalie Stutzmann and the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, and also includes the SLSO premiere of Stravinsky’s Funeral Song.
The concerts will take place at 8:00 pm, Saturday, March 9, and 3:00 pm, Sunday, March 10.
Stutzmann, a conductor/contralto, returns for her second engagement with the SLSO to lead the impressive orchestral and choral work. Brahms’ Requiem is unusual in that it is a non-liturgical work meant to offer comfort to the living; the Biblical text, sung in German, includes passages from the Old and New Testaments. The St. Louis Symphony Chorus, under the direction of Amy Kaiser, will be joined by two soloists for the performance. Soprano Siobhan Stagg makes her debut with the SLSO, while baritone Stephen Powell returns to St. Louis for the sixth time, most recently filling in on short notice for a February 2018 performance of Carmina burana.
The concert opens with the St. Louis premiere of Stravinsky’s Funeral Song. Written in 1908 to mark the death of Stravinsky‘s mentor – composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov – and premiered in 1909, the piece was considered lost until the score was re-discovered by archivists at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 2015. Since its re-discovery, Funeral Song has been widely performed. It is one of 12 pieces being performed by the SLSO for the first time this season.
Saturday, March 9, 2019, 8:00 pm
Sunday, March 10, 2019, 3:00 pm
Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO
Nathalie Stutzmann, conductor
Siobhan Stagg, soprano
Stephen Powell, baritone
St. Louis Symphony Chorus | Amy Kaiser, director
STRAVINSKY Funeral Song
BRAHMS A German Requiem
Audiences can attend the free Pre-Concert Conversation at 7:00 pm Saturday and 2:00 pm Sunday in the auditorium. This weekend, the conversations are hosted by St. Louis Symphony Chorus Director Amy Kaiser, with guests, Chorus Manager Susan Patterson and St. Louis Symphony Chorus member Tracy Baker.
Tune in to St. Louis Public Radio on Saturday, March 9, at 8:00 pm for the live broadcast of the performance, along with interviews of Stutzmann and Stagg during intermission. Listen on air (90.7 FM KWMU) or online.
The 18/19 SLSO Classical Season is presented by World Wide Technology and the Steward Family Foundation and runs through May 12, 2019. Tickets, including subscriptions for the 2019/2020 season, are on sale now and may be purchased at slso.org or by calling the Box Office at 314-534-1700.