The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra opens this weekend’s program with the St. Louis premiere of a piece that deserves a place in the regular repertory wherever it is performed. To say Agnegram by Michael Tilson Thomas comes with all the bells and whistles of contemporary classical music would be to undercount its surface charms. It comes with all the bells, whistles, thrills, giggles and whatever that instrument is called where you crank your hand in a circle and it makes a sort of stick-in-the-spokes sound.
To say Agnegram has surface charms does not discount its substance. The composition honors symphony patron Agnes Albert, a premise that likely appeals to orchestras increasingly dependent on a shrinking pool of major supporters. Thomas played musical games with the name “Agnes,” choosing keys and emphasizing notes that correspond with the letters in her name.
As a march, Agnegram has that uptempo overture vibe audiences love to hear at the beginning of a program. In the pastiche of quotes from music cherished by Albert, Thomas included the 1812 Overture, perhaps the most recognizable fanfare in the tradition, composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, the Russian genius whose Sixth Symphony l...