Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto: Radiant Vision

Composer Kevin Puts joins Assistant Conductor Sam Hollister to discuss his Concerto for Orchestra and his ongoing relationship with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Puts reflects on his roots in St. Louis and the experience of writing for a specific ensemble. He also shares insights into the inspiration behind his music and the collaborative journey of bringing a new work to life alongside Beethoven and Jasmine Guo on this program.

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SPEAKER_00 0:06

Welcome to today's episode of Noted, a podcast that offers a quick look at the personal stories and perspectives behind each SLSO classical program. I'm Sam Hollister, assistant conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Led by music director Stefan Deneve, this program features music by Ludwig van Beethoven, including the Consecration of the House overture and the piano concerto number five, nicknamed The Emperor, with pianist Vikinger Olafsen. It also includes a new SLSO co-commission from Jasmine Guo called The Sound of Where I Came From. A highlight of this program is Concerto for Orchestra, written for Stefan Deneve and the SLSO in 2023 by our composer in residence, Kevin Putz, who joins me today to talk about the piece and his connection to the orchestra. Kevin, thank you so much for being here. Pleasure to be here, Sam. So you're originally from St. Louis. How did growing up here shape you as a musician? Are there particular sounds or musical memories that stay with you?

SPEAKER_01 1:14

We're listening to records of Beethoven and Devorjak and, you know, whatever my parents had. And I remember, you know, living in West County and in these apartments where we lived and playing these records over and over again, and then going to my grandmother's house, who lived near the airport, and playing her records on 78 speed records, which were even older than the 33 RPMs that we had, but then also playing her piano and uh making up my own music as a pretty young kid. So I really think of my origins and music as being uh, you know, in St. Louis. So I really connect music and my first memories about music with St. Louis.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Do you remember anything about what the music that you improvised as a kid in St. Louis was like? Do you remember any of that? The kind of the soundscapes that you were inventing?

SPEAKER_01 2:04

I mean, it was probably imitations of John Williams scores, you know, because I would go to the movies, uh, Star Wars and these, you know, early John Williams scores, and come home and try to remember the music on the piano, um, because you know, you couldn't get the soundtrack right away back then. This is in the late 70s and 80s. So I imagine it had a real cinematic quality to it. And then I probably also imitated Beethoven and uh, you know, other composers whose symphonic works I was listening to.

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Now, you've written several works for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. When you're writing for this ensemble, are there qualities or strengths you find yourself drawing on?

SPEAKER_01 2:44

Well, you know, the thing is it's so um the strengths are so vast in the St. Louis Symphony and well-rounded. So it's not like I think, well, you know, I just better focus on the string section or the wind section or even particular players sometimes. You know, when you think of certain orchestras that I've worked with, I think, oh, I love this clarinetist plane or this oboeus plane. I feel like with the St. Louis Symphony, it's just such a strong group all around that I'm often thinking about the way the different sections of the orchestra can um can interplay, you know, with with each other orchestrally. So I think that's how the concerto for orchestra came to me, really, um, through my experiences with the orchestra and my imagining of how they would handle it. And and so it was very exciting when I first heard them play it.

SPEAKER_00 3:32

Yeah, I can imagine. So when many people hear the word concerto, they probably think of a single soloist with orchestra. But this is a concerto for orchestra, and there are other examples of that in the repertoire, of course. But what does it mean to write a concerto for orchestra and how does that play out in your composition?

SPEAKER_01 3:51

I think it's just kind of, I think of it anyway, as putting a spotlight on all the different sections and even different players, you know, soloists or principal players in some cases. Um, so it's really kind of a celebration of everybody in the orchestra and everybody, everybody's talents. Um, so I think uh the in the way that you write a concerto to, you know, highlight the talents of a soloist and the different kinds of things they can do. I thought of the orchestra as an instrument and I thought of all the things it could do as I wrote this piece.

SPEAKER_00 4:21

Were there particular moments in this composition, you know, where you you had to get kind of creative to think about how do I feature all of the different components of the orchestra so that it isn't just a feature for the violins or something like that?

SPEAKER_01 4:36

I didn't try to force it too much. I kind of let it happen naturally. You know, if it seemed a good moment to have a tuba solo, then I I let it happen. I tried to clear out as much other stuff as I could so that you could hear the tuba well in these moments and there are little moments for for the bassoons and you know, the instruments that sometimes can get very sort of covered up um by the rest of the orchestra if you're not careful. But I really uh, you know, I I think I was just aware of the need to feature various sections and instruments. And so as I wrote the piece, I just had that awareness. So, you know, there's a moment actually in the one of the slow movements, the Sicilian, where I found that the piano, it was really what I wanted to hear, a piano solo. And then I found a way to have the piano interact with the harp in a way that was that's really accompanimental, actually. They're sort of accompanying the strings and the and the woodwind solos, but they're doing so in a more virtuoso way than I would normally do. Because it's a concerto for orchestra, I thought I could challenge them in this way. Oh, sorry. I'm getting a call from guess who I'm getting the call from Stephon Deneuf. Interesting. Oh, no way. Uh yeah. It was fulfilling and kind of a different experience. You know, I think that's that's what I I want as a composer. I want to have different challenges. I want to find myself doing different things. And as a composer, that's what keeps me going and keeps me interested in in making new music. And so um putting myself into a situation that I hadn't been in before creatively was just interesting.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

Now, you wrote this piece three years ago for Stefan and for the SLSO, who gave the premiere and recorded it. Tell us a little bit about what that premiere experience was like.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

It was thrilling. And I, you know, I have to admit, it was thrilling because the orchestra responded so well to it, but also the audience. They really uh seemed to respond. I mean, I think they gave us a big standing ovation. And I guess I I wanted a piece like that. It certainly ends in a very exciting way. And but you know, you're just never sure. Um, you're never sure how things are gonna play out in the concert hall. You know, how will the audience respond? Will they feel connected throughout? And I think so. I felt very satisfied by the experience for those two reasons. I felt like the orchestra was challenged, I think. Um, I felt a warmth coming from them and conversations I had with them, and just the general feeling in rehearsal was really fantastic. And then when we finally presented it to the audience, uh, I felt the same kind of warmth. So it was it was a completely positive experience, and I'm looking forward to hearing it again.

SPEAKER_00 7:09

In just a couple of weeks, the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra will be playing your piece, Hymn to the Sun. Now, a few weeks ago, you actually held a QA over Zoom with the students, and I remember you saying that as a composer, it's important not to fight your own creative voice, but rather to lean into and use what excites you. So, what would you say are those threads of inspiration that excite you the most?

SPEAKER_01 7:34

I think that um I'm always trying to make things as direct and simple as possible. And, you know, some of the first ideas I have for pieces can be very complex. And often I feel like I can't continue composing because I'm not convinced by them. But when I finally get to something which I think is pared down to the essential thing it needs to be, like a very simple idea. Um Beethoven did this, you know, the openings of Beethoven pieces where you sense that it's just like just raw material that's coming at you completely unadulterated. And uh and I think I strive for that kind of directness. And if I find that I have an idea that's simple but compelling, and I feel like there's a lot of stuff I can do with it. You know, I I can maneuver it in certain ways musically and I can develop it. And I so I think, you know, when I'm composing and I sense that I've come up with something that's that's really direct and might communicate really directly to the audience, that's what gets me excited. But, you know, for a lot of composers, that's just not the case. You know, they're interested in more ambiguity and kind of mystery, and and I totally understand that as well. But really, I think it's when I'm doing something that I feel is uh quite clear and simple at its core, and that I'm not doing things for the sake of complexity. Maybe there are complex things, but out of necessity, um, because the music needs to do that.

SPEAKER_00 8:56

Kevin, thank you so much for sharing your perspective and giving us a deeper look into your music. It's been a real pleasure talking with you.

SPEAKER_01 9:03

My pleasure too.

SPEAKER_00 9:04

Thanks so much for having me, Sam. And to our listeners, thank you as always for joining us for this episode of Noted. We'll be back with another episode very soon, so stay tuned. And I'll see you at Powell Hall.