St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Debussy and Liszt — Lyrical Daydreams

Music from poetry, and the poetry of music. Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun captures the hazy atmosphere of Mallarmé’s poem. Liszt’s Les preludes whips the orchestra into a frenzy to capture the four elements in dramatic interplay. Michael Spyres brings a chameleon-like voice to two passionate song cycles: Mahler’s lovelorn Songs of a Wayfarer and Britten’s hallucinatory Les Illuminations.

A few things to know: 

• Michael Spyres is an original. He can scale a three-octave range with ease and can sing 300 years of vocal repertoire with fluidity. His voice and artistry are sought across the globe, and this program shows off his infinite flexibility.
• Debussy’s music is a desert island choice for Music Director Stéphane Denève. “It's very close to my heart,” he says. “I love Debussy.” Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun begins with one of the most famous (and feared) flute solos in the whole orchestral repertoire. With so few notes, Debussy conjures a whole hazy world.

Mahler was in love. It was intense, it was stormy. He poured his feelings into Songs of a Wayfarer. In Mahler's folk-tinged song cycle, a man is obsessed with his lost love.