The St. Louis Symphony, having apparently recovered from its recent attempt at public hari-kari, has announced its first season under David Robertson, and it's a pleasure to behold. Everything from Josquin to Adams, in elegant groupings. Without trying to force thematic connections, the orchestra* has come up with neat titles for each event. I like "Radiance" as a catch-all for the Magic Flute Overture, Feldman's Coptic Light, and Das Lied von der Erde. Notice also that the orchestra now has its own blog. It'll be interesting to hear how the St. Louis plays for Robertson at Carnegie on Saturday. An all-American program: Ives' Unanswered Question and Second Symphony, Adams' Century Rolls, and Copland's Lincoln Portrait, with none other than Paul Newman as narrator. Will he wear the beard?
*Greg Sandow's handiwork, it turns out.
