Kosmos (For Karlheinz Stockhausen)

T. Renner, "Kosmos (For Karlheinz Stockhausen) #1," 2009, acrylic on coated card stock, 6" x 5".


T. Renner, "Kosmos (For Karlheinz Stockhausen) #2," 2009, acrylic on coated card stock, 6" x 5".

Speaking of Stockhausen, here's some exciting news:

The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts will host a program of chamber music by Anton Webern, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Morton Feldman, and David Lang on Tuesday, November 1st at 7:30pm (doors open at 7:00pm). The concert is part of an ongoing collaboration with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.

This series explores with musical means the unique possibilities the Pulitzer building provides: an intimate setting to experience music, art and architecture. Chamber works are selected by David Robertson, SLSO Music Director, and relate to installations on view at the Pulitzer.

The works to be performed include Concerto for Nine Instruments, op. 24 by Webern; Kreuzspiel (or Crossplay), by Stockhausen; The Viola in My Life, by Feldman; and Cheating Lying, Stealing, by Lang. They coincide with the Pulitzer’s newly opened installation, Minimalism and Beyond, which focuses on artists working in the 1960s, as well as those of a younger generation who have both redefined and continued the legacy of Minimalism.

Webern’s Concerto is a work of sparse, angular textures, reductive in method, which is constructed of variations on a 12-note theme. Although pre-minimalist, Webern’s concerns parallel those of the artistic generation to come. Stockhausen, who has influenced popular artists such at Brian Eno and Björk, is an explorer of musical space and his piece, Kreuzspiel, calls for an unusual arrangement of instruments along with amplified sound. Feldman’s The Viola in My Life investigates soft dynamics, blurred colors and soft textures. Finally, Lang’s provocatively titled Cheating, Lying, Stealing makes use of small amounts of musical material, which are varied on an intricate scale.

Tickets are available through the Powell Symphony Hall box office at 314-534-1700 or through their website, www.slso.org. Tickets for the event are $20.00. Availability is limited due to venue size (100 tickets). Visit www.pulitzerarts.org for more information on the exhibition and concert series.

Chamber Music Program

David Robertson, conductor

Karlheinz STOCKHAUSEN Kreuzspiel

Barbara Orland, oboe
Jim Meyer, bass clarinet
Molly Morkoski, piano
John Kasica, Tom Stubbs, Henry Claude, percussion