This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: The Beacon very seldom reviews one-evening concerts. By the time the review would appear, the chance for a person to see the show is gone. So a review either reinforces the experience for those who were there or tells many others that they missed an opportunity.
But what should never be forgotten is the importance of music. Associate editor Robert Duffy has written eloquently about the ability of music, usually opera or classical concerts, to elevate the mind and touch the soul.
Two recent concerts reinforced for me the emotional release a listener can enjoy. Members of the St. Louis Symphony and the jazz trio The Bad Plus performed works by Stravinsky – or its version of them – at the Skip Viragh Center at Chaminade. The Symphony had the first half and started in electrifying fashion with trumpets sounding off stage. The musicians moved quickly through solo clarinet, a bassoon duet and a chamber set – the works’ intensity tempered by the fact that the women players were barefoot – how fun!
That fun, that joy, was magnified in the second half as The Bad Plus took the Rite of Spring and made it its own. At some point, I realized I was grinning. The music had chased away clouds of stress.
The warmth lasted through the next morning. When I mentioned the concert, someone else who was there agreed that it was wonderful. But his reaction: “I was exhausted.” Exhilaration. Exhaustion. The reaction was completely different, but the depth of the connection was equaled.
And the ability to reach a listener and engage the emotions is not limited to classical music. Judy Collins played the 560 Music Center on behalf of the Edison Education Endowment Saturday night. Though the folk icon of the ‘60s is now 74, the clear soprano that can glide between octaves has not diminished. And the healing power of music was in full effect.
Saturday had been a trial. At least four things had to be done before leaving for lunch with my mother at the nursing home. Movers were to meet me at her home that afternoon so I could get some precious pieces of furniture to my home. But the window for those movers extended to 5:30 p.m., and I had pushed others to see Collins. Would I mess things up for them? No. The men and the truck were actually early, meaning I had to rush lunch.
The rest of the afternoon was a blur: Furniture wrapped carefully, driven safely and put in place, Cardinals win a tense game; we get to a restaurant with no extra time but make it to the venue.
Not too far into the concert -- certainly before she sang Diamonds and Rust, a Joan Baez song I love -- I could feel the tension melting. Even the shoulder that tightens with the slightest aggravation was calm. Or maybe all the applauding loosened it. Mentally and even physically, the music had had a healing effect.
This isn’t a review. This is an appeal: Find the music that touches you and enjoy it. (Note: You have no excuse; the Symphony concert was free.)