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St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Plays Tribute to the Music of John Williams in Sept. 13th-15th Concerts – We Are Movie Geeks

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St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Plays Tribute to the Music of John Williams in Sept. 13th-15th Concerts

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Music Director Stéphane Denève and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra will take audiences on a tour-de-force journey through some of Hollywood’s most thrilling movies in the first concerts of the 2019/2020 season: The Music of John Williams. Concerts are 7:00pm Friday and Saturday, September 13-14, and 2:30pm Sunday, September 15.

A bedrock of film music, John Williams redefined the American music landscape with his work on some of Hollywood’s biggest films, including Indiana JonesJawsE.T. – The ExtraterrestrialClose Encounters of the Third Kind, and Harry Potter. The SLSO plays Williams’ most memorable themes, along with music from lesser-known films including Memoirs of a Geisha and The Book Thief. SLSO Principal Cello Daniel Lee and Assistant Concertmaster Erin Schreiber take center stage on the program, performing selections from Memoirs of a Geisha and Schindler’s List, respectively.

A collaborator and personal friend of Denève’s, the SLSO will perform unpublished works from Memoirs of a Geisha and Dracula, borrowed from Williams’ personal library specifically for these concerts. Denève and Williams will provide their insights to the music through video clips played during the concert.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting www.slso.org.

Denève returns the following week, September 21-22, to lead the SLSO’s opening weekend of classical concerts, a signature program celebrating musical friendships that blends American and French repertoire, established favorites and works by composers of today, and two works for piano with the SLSO’s first titled artist since the 1990s – the Jean-Paul and Isabelle Montupet Artist-in-Residence Jean-Yves Thibaudet. The concert culminates with a performance of Gershwin’s beloved piece, An American in Paris.

THE MUSIC OF JOHN WILLIAMS

Friday, September 13, 2019, 7:00pm

Saturday, September 14, 2019, 7:00pm

Sunday, September 15, 2019, 2:30pm

Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO


Stéphane Denève, conductor

Daniel Lee, cello

Erin Schreiber, violin


John WILLIAMS Superman March

John WILLIAMS Excerpts from Close Encounters of the Third Kind

John WILLIAMS Selections from Memoirs of a Geisha Suite for Cello and Orchestra

                Daniel Lee, cello

John WILLIAMS “Adventures on Earth” from E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial

John WILLIAMS “Hedwig’s Theme“ from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

John WILLIAMS “Harry’s Wondrous World” from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

John WILLIAMS The Book Thief

John WILLIAMS “Night Journeys” from Dracula

John WILLIAMS Theme from Schindler’s List for Violin and Orchestra

                Erin Schreiber, violin

John WILLIAMS “The Barrel Chase” from Jaws

John WILLIAMS “Raiders March” from Raiders of the Lost Ark

The 19/20 SLSO Classical Season is presented by World Wide Technology and the Steward Family Foundation and runs through May 9, 2020. 

About Stéphane Denève, SLSO Music Director

Stéphane Denève is the 13th Music Director for the 140-year-old St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, beginning his tenure in the 2019/2020 season. He also serves as Music Director of the Brussels Philharmonic, Principal Guest Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra, and Director of the Centre for Future Orchestral Repertoire (CffOR).

Recognized internationally for the exceptional quality of his performances and programming, Denève regularly appears at major concert venues with the world’s greatest orchestras and soloists. He has a special affinity for the music of his native France and is a passionate advocate for music of the 21st century. A gifted communicator and educator, he is committed to inspiring the next generation of musicians and listeners, and has worked regularly with young people in the programs such as those of the Tanglewood Music Center, New World Symphony, the Colburn School, and the Music Academy of the West.

He is a frequent guest with leading orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, The Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Orchestre National de France, Vienna Symphony, DSO Berlin and NHK Symphony. Last season, he led a major U.S. tour with the Brussels Philharmonic.

In the field of opera, Denève has led productions at the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne Festival, La Scala, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Saito Kinen Festival, Gran Teatro de Liceu, Netherlands Opera, La Monnaie, Deutsche Oper Am Rhein, and at the Opéra National de Paris.

As a recording artist, he has won critical acclaim for his recordings of the works of Poulenc, Debussy, Ravel, Roussel, Franck and Honegger. He is a triple winner of the Diapason d’Or of the Year, has been shortlisted for Gramophone’s Artist of the Year Award, and has won the prize for symphonic music at the International Classical Music Awards. His most recent releases include Lost Horizon, a two-disc set of music by Guillaume Connesson with the Brussels Philharmonic, saxophonist Timothy McAllister, and violinist Renaud Capuçon on Deutsche Grammophon;Honegger’s Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on its label; and Cinema with violinist Renaud Capuçon and the Brussels Philharmonic on Erato/Warner Classics featuring some of the most memorable melodies from the silver screen.

For further information, please visit slso.org/deneve.

About the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

Celebrated as one of today’s most exciting and enduring orchestras, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest orchestra in the country, marking its 140th year with the 2019/2020 season and its first with Music Director Stéphane Denève. Widely considered one of the world’s finest orchestras, the SLSO maintains its commitment to artistic excellence, educational impact, and community connections – all in service to its mission of enriching lives through the power of music.

In addition to its regular concert performances at Powell Hall, which has been the permanent home of the SLSO for more than 50 years, the orchestra is an integral part of the diverse and vibrant St. Louis community, presenting dozens of free education and community programs and performances throughout the region each year. It has an ongoing commitment to championing music of our time, through commissions, a collaboration with the Mizzou New Music Initiative, and its popular St. Louis Symphony Live at the Pulitzer. The SLSO also serves as the resident orchestra for Opera Theatre Saint Louis, with the upcoming season marking the 43rd year of this unique partnership.

The Grammy Award-winning SLSO’s impact beyond the St. Louis region is realized through weekly Saturday night concert broadcasts on St. Louis Public Radio, acclaimed recordings, and regular touring activity. A sought-after artistic partner by preeminent musicians and composers from across the globe, as well as by local and national organizations, the SLSO enjoys a long history of robust and enduring artistic collaborations that have developed and deepened over the years.

Today, the SLSO builds on the institution’s current momentum on all fronts, including artistic, financial, audience growth, and community impact, and looks toward the future with Stéphane Denève. For more information, visit slso.org.