The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra announced that a set of four CD recordings featuring the Orchestra and former Music Director Hans Vonk are already available. These are the first four of eight new discs featuring the late Maestro Vonk to be introduced this season. The remaining four will be released in the Spring of 2008.
Vonk was music director of the SLSO for six years (1996-2002), before a neurological condition made conducting impossible and forced him to resign. He died two years later on August 29, 2004.
SLSO Concertmaster, David Halen, remarked, "In his final months, Hans listened extensively to all of our live recordings with this project in mind. The joy I saw in his face then, as he would listen to a favorite performance or a particular phrase, was immeasurable. This collection is without question some of Hans Vonk's finest collaborative work with the musicians of the Saint Louis Symphony. It is indeed a testament to the quality and depth of his music-making and to the lasting impact he made on the Orchestra and in the city of St. Louis".
The recordings, made during Vonk's tenure as Music Director, include a variety of classical styles. The four being released today include:
* Disc 1 Ludwig von Beethoven; Symphony No. 1 in C major, op. 21and Johannes Brahms; Symphony No. 4 in Eminor, op. 98
* Disc 2 Claude Debussy; La Mer; Maurice Ravel Valses nobles et sentimentales and La Valse; Albert Roussel; Suite No. 2 from Bacchus et Ariane, op. 43
* Disc 3 Olivier Messiaen; Turangalîla-symphonie, featuring Garrick Ohlsson, piano and Jean Laurendeau, onedes martenot
* Disc 4 Anton Bruckner; Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major, "Romantic"
Vonk considered his tenure at the SLSO the most satisfying in his life artistically -- the culmination of his musical development. With his meticulous style of conducting, he brought both rhythmical clarity and a lush and warm sound to the strings as well as a nuanced lyricism of the German-Austrian tradition.
Principal Trumpet, Susan Slaughter, said, "Maestro Vonk's attention to detail was incredible. He was passionate about his respect for the composer and made every effort to honor what the composer intended."
One of his rare remarks sheds light on his artistic approach: "To express yourself openly, it must be entirely in your head. The pulse, the tempo, is the same as it was yesterday. There is no 'I feel happy' or 'I feel sad'. I don't want to be affected by exterior things or my own feelings. There is only music in your head." -- www.slso.org
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