St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Stéphane Denève to give world premiere performances of Anna Clyne’s concerto for Augmented Orchestra, PALETTE, February 14-15

(December 5, 2024, St. Louis, MO) – The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Stéphane Denève will give the world premiere of a new concerto for Augmented Orchestra by composer Anna Clyne, PALETTE, at its February 14-15, 2025, concerts.

Stéphane Denève, The Joseph and Emily Rauh Pulitzer Music Director of the SLSO, said, “Anna Clyne is a fantastic composer and a dear friend whose distinct and innovative musical voice pushes the boundaries of what an orchestra can achieve. Over the years, we have performed several of Anna’s works and I am delighted that our wonderful SLSO will give the world premiere of her new concerto for orchestra, a work that again broadens and redefines the concert experience in many ways. I am also pleased to welcome Luke Kritzeck and Jody Elff, whose work greatly enhances the experience of PALETTE, as well as Nikolai Lugansky, the extraordinary pianist, in his return to St. Louis for these performances.”

Anna Clyne, composer of PALETTE, said, “I am thrilled to be partnering with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Stéphane Denève for the world premiere of PALETTE—my new Concerto for Augmented Orchestra—in collaboration with sound designer Jody Elff and lighting designer Luke Kritzeck. Making art is best when taking risks and exploring new territory and I couldn’t imagine a more inspiring and committed team for this new sonic and visual venture.”

A 35-minute virtuosic showpiece for the entire orchestra, PALETTE explores the intersection of color, light, and music, reflecting Clyne’s deep interest in the dialogue between music and other forms of media and art—an interest shared by Denève. Clyne crafted each of the piece’s movements in conjunction with one of seven paintings she created, and the mood and emotions evoked by each. The piece’s title, PALETTE, is an acronym for the primary color used in one of each of the seven paintings—Plum, Amber, Lava, Ebony, Teal, Tangerine, and Emerald. Lighting design by Luke Kritzeck, former director of lighting for the New World Symphony in Miami, will add another layer. Kritzeck’s work spans genres including symphonic concerts, opera, dance, circus, and theater.

In addition to the conversation between music and art, the performance will feature the use of the Augmented Orchestra (AO), a sonic technique developed by Clyne and Jody Elff, the Grammy Award-winning audio engineer, sound artist, and designer. AO manipulates the sounds produced by the orchestra in real-time by computer-controlled processes, creating an augmented sonic experience perceived as a natural extension of the orchestra and a fundamental component of the composition. PALETTE is the third of Clyne’s compositions to utilize AO, and its most ambitious use to date. Clyne and Elff debuted AO with Wild Geese at the Cabrillo Festival in 2023, and at the BBC Proms in 2024 with The Gorgeous Nothings, which produced “a subtly atmospheric effect” that “heightened the fragile beauty of the music” (Bachtrack).

The SLSO is the lead commissioner of the piece. Co-commissioning institutions include the National Orchestra Institute, BBC Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, New World Symphony, and the Juilliard School.

The concerts are Friday, February 14, and Saturday, February 15, both at 7:30pm. In addition to PALETTE, the concerts also include Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Nikolai Lugansky, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture. Tickets start at $20 and may be purchased at slso.org or by calling the Box Office at 314-534-1700.

Since the start of Denève’s tenure as SLSO Music Director in 2019, Clyne has been one of the orchestra’s most-performed composers of today. Denève has led the orchestra in This Midnight Hour in 2020; the cello concerto, DANCE, in 2021 with cellist Inbal Segev and live dancers from the Saint Louis Dance Theatre (formerly Big Muddy Dance Company); and Within Her Arms in a 2021 digital concert and again live in November 2024. The orchestra also gave the U.S. premiere of Clyne’s PIVOT in 2021 with conductor David Danzmayr; “Rest These Hands” from The Violin at a 2021 Live at the Pulitzer chamber music concert; and will give its first performances of Masquerade with conductor Stephanie Childress on December 31.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Stéphane Denève give the world premiere of a new concerto for orchestra. Anna Clyne’s PALETTE explores the conversation between visual art and music, and utilizes emerging Augmented Orchestra technology, as well as lighting design, to enhance the experience. Nikolai Lugansky, among the most respected Rachmaninoff interpreters, is the soloist in Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto, described by Denève as “a pure expression of love.” The theme of love continues in Tchaikovsky’s celebration of passion and connection in Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy.

Friday, February 14, 7:30pm CST
Saturday, February 15, 7:30pm CST
Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis 
1 Touhill Circle, St. Louis, MO 63121 

Stéphane Denève, conductor
Nikolai Lugansky, piano
Jody Elff, sound design
Luke Kritzeck, lighting design

Anna Clyne PALETTE (World Premiere, SLSO commission)
Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano ConcertoNo. 2
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy

Audiences can attend the free Pre-Concert Conversation at 6:30pm Friday or Saturday in the auditorium. This weekend, the conversations are hosted by SLSO Principal Keyboardist Peter Henderson.

Tune in to St. Louis Public Radio on Saturday, February 15, at 7:30pm for a live broadcast of the performance. Listen on air (90.7 FM KWMU St. Louis, 88.5 KMST Rolla, 90.3 WQUB Quincy, Classic 107.3 FM St. Louis) or online at stlpr.org or classic1073.org.

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