The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s Stéphane Denève is launching his inaugural season as music director by conducting next month’s free concert at Forest Park – SLSO’s musical gift to the city, now in its 50th year.
“St. Louis is a luminous city and its people are warm and friendly. I’m excited to learn more about my new musical home,” Denève said. “Music is one of the world’s best connectors. It’s important to me that not only myself, but our entire orchestra, is a visible part of the community as we continue to build bridges through music.”
This year’s concert is on Thursday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m. on Art Hill, where approximately 15,000 people are expected to converge to enjoy a broad range of music from the symphony. The concert, which serves as the launch of SLSO’s season, is a 50-year tradition dating back to 1968. This year, Denève invited members from the full SLSO family to join the performance: The St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus will perform on two pieces, and members of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and brass and percussion players from the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra will perform alongside Denève and the SLSO in Tchaikovsky’s rousing 1812 Overture. The celebration ends with a show-stopping fireworks display following Sousa’s patriotic anthem The Stars and Stripes Forever.
The performance, Denève’s first concert as music director, will echo the themes of his inaugural season: a Franco-American arch of shared musical cultures, music of our time, and making music accessible to all. He programmed works by French composers Berlioz and Bizet, complemented with works by American composers Bernstein and Sousa. Recognizable works from film and St. Louis-themed pieces enhance the festive spirit of the program, which is as follows:
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Members of the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus | Kevin McBeth, director
Members of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus | Amy Kaiser, director
Members of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra | Gemma New, music director
SMITH (arr. Sousa/Damrosch) The Star-Spangled Banner
J. WILLIAMS Olympic Fanfare and Theme
MILLS / TRADITIONAL (arr. Hayman / Maness) “Meet Me in St. Louis” / “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”
BERNSTEIN Candide Overture
BERNSTEIN “Mambo” from West Side Story
BIZET Selections from Carmen Suite No. 1
BIZET “Farandole” from L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2
TRADITIONAL (arr. Hayes) “Ain’t That Good News”
St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus
BERLIOZ “Hungarian March” from The Damnation of Faust
HANDY (arr. Hayman) St. Louis Blues March
J. WILLIAMS “Main Title” from Star Wars
TCHAIKOVSKY 1812 Overture, op. 49
St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus
St. Louis Symphony Chorus
St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra
SOUSA The Stars and Stripes Forever
The Forest Park concert is the first in a series of diverse performances Denève leads in September to open his tenure as music director. He and the SLSO return to Powell Hall September 13 to 15 to perform a concert of film music composed by his friend and collaborator, John Williams. On Sept. 21 to 22, he leads the SLSO in a signature program of classical works that includes a world premiere, three works by composers of our time and beloved classical pillars, culminating in Gershwin’s An American in Paris. On Sept. 27 to 28, he leads the SLSO and the St. Louis Symphony Chorus in performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, a massive and moving work that explores themes related to life and the afterlife. Denève and the SLSO also open the Lied Center for Performing Arts‘ 30th anniversary season in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Sept. 19.
“I hope that all of my concerts will reflect on what I am and what I have achieved during my eight visits to the SLSO before becoming music director, ” he said. “I think the audience can expect is to see a continuation of what I built with the orchestra – which is very good. Since 2003, I have really built a relationship with them of trust and mutual love.”
The free Sept. 12 concert in Forest Park will be performed in memory of longtime SLSO supporter Mary Ann Lee.
Attendees are encouraged to come early, bring chairs and blankets, and enjoy food trucks on site.
For more information on tickets for the 2019/2020 season. Visit slso.org.
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