MUSIC, SWEET MUSIC

The bandstand in Tower Grove Park, flanked by the busts of Beethoven and Wagner seen here recently. I've never been to a performance but there must be concerts sometimes since there are rows of benches to its left. Not likely that you would hear German heavyweights. Maybe more John Phillip Sousa or the style of The Music Man but definitely not Martha and the Vandellas.           

OLD SOURPUSS

A few steps from the pond and fake ruins in the picture I posted yesterday is an ornate octagonal bandstand. It is surrounded by six marble columns topped by busts of composers popular with the people who laid out the park: Wagner, Mozart, Rossini, Gounod, Tchaikovsky and this chap. The busts are a bit crude, possibly made of cement. 

While Beethoven had much hardship in his life, by no means was he always gloomy. Listen to the 7th Symphony, Op 92, the triumphant finale of the 5th Symphony, Op. 67, the "Spring" Sonata for violin and piano, Op. 24 or the ecstatic reunion duet of Floristan and Leonora in his only opera, Fidelio.            

CASH BAR, HEAVY HORS D'OEUVRES, BEETHOVEN

Mrs. C and I have been subscribers to the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for more than forty years. There was an evening open rehearsal (they are usually during the day) for subscribers on Thursday. They ask people to call if they are coming; when my wife did so she was told there would be a cash bar and "heavy hors d'oeuvres" [sic]. The staffer said that meant more than little finger food but not enough for dinner. A new term has been coined.

Our marvelous new music director, Stéphane Denève, is blowing out all the stops with the Beethoven 9th this weekend. Before the rehearsal started, he told us that the metronome was invented around the time of its composition by a friend and that L v B loved it. The work is full of these timing marks but few conductors follow them. Denève intended to do so and at times the result sounded quite odd, often a bit fast and a little stiff. But if the master says so... We will hear the final outcome at the performance tonight.

Above, a fuzzy low-light phone cam shot of our principal cello, Daniel Lee, starting to warm up.      

Ludwig

.

The glower. Beethoven is so often depicted this way. It's hard to read that stone visage. He could be grouchy, determined, tired or just annoyed at a hapless student. He does not look like he's working out the Ode To Joy in his mind.

This bust is in Tower Grove Park, an urban oasis that has a very 19th Century feel. There is a circle of these granite busts on marble columns surrounding an ornate gazebo. Beethoven is joined by other faves of the era, including Wagner, Verdi (those two don't get along very well), Mozart, Gounod, Tchaikovsky and Brahms. They don't get a lot of attention from most of the park's patrons but they do from me.

Mrs. C and I are getting away for a few days - there is a desperate need to clean out the closets of my brain. I apologize in advance for a lack of comments over the next few days. Need to pack tonight and tomorrow is a travel day. We get in pretty late Thursday so there may or may not be a post on Friday. But the destination has fabulous photo ops. All will be revealed soon.

The Glower

.

Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt? From this guy? Why does Beethoven glower in almost any depiction of him, lips pursed into a frown, chin downward? He had lofty ideals and unmatched art but still had a hard life. Imagine a musician of this caliber going stone deaf. He was a romantic, both with big and small R, and wanted very much to marry. Never found Fraulein Right. And even now, I don't think anyone really understands the late string quartets.

So there he is, still glowering from a pedestal in Tower Grove Park. Poor guy.

Today Downtown St. Louis 365 asks if our city is salvageable.

O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!

.
This weekend feels like spring in St. Louis, with temperatures of 20 - 21 C / low 70s F, but the colors are still those of autumn. At sunset in Tower Grove Park, Ludwig van Beethoven glowers in front of one of the candy apple gazebos. Let's cram a chorus and orchestra in there playing An Die Freude and make the scene even weirder.

YOUR ASSISTANCE PLEASE: It's almost time for the 2009 travel photo competition sponsored by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. I've won a couple of honorable mentions but never one of the top three prizes. This is a selection favorite photos from around the country and the world this year. Please leave me a comment and let me know which one you would submit. Remember, this is a general-interest daily newspaper so nothing too weird. Click here for the set.

Brother-Hood

Why the hyphen? I don't think this dealer is talking about Ode to Joy-type brotherhood, not that alle Menschen werden Brüder wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt * stuff. I think they are talking about selling cars to brothers in the hood, ya know what I mean? Warranty optional. What's your interpretation?

* All men will become brothers under thy gentle wing, referring to Joy. Ya know, Schiller can come across as pompous BS in the 21st Century.

TOMORROW: teaser