Leonard Slatkin. Photo by Nico Rodamel.
In last Thursday’s (10/24) St. Louis Public Radio, Jeremy D. Goodwin writes, “A celebratory concert by a famed conductor might include a few greatest hits from the repertory … But not when the famed conductor in question is Leonard Slatkin. St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s ‘Slatkin’s Legacy: A Birthday Celebration’ on Friday and Sunday will include work by two living composers, the world premiere for Slatkin’s arrangement of work by a Baroque composer and just one familiar masterwork, by Tchaikovsky. It reflects the SLSO composer laureate’s longtime advocacy for contemporary music and his love for the work of Russian composers. The contemporary composers in question happen to be his son Daniel Slatkin and his wife, Cindy McTee…. Concerts Friday and Sunday … feature Slatkin leading the SLSO through its first performance of Cindy McTee’s ‘Timepiece,’ the U.S. premiere of Daniel Slatkin’s ‘Voyager 130,’ the world premiere of Slatkin’s arrangement of Domenico Scarlatti’s ‘Five Sonatas for Orchestral Wind Ensemble’ and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. Slatkin will also discuss his life and career in a Friday night talk … Slatkin’s birthday season includes performances at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra, two organizations he led as music director after departing the SLSO.”
