Violinist Scott St. John and conductor Keith Lockhart have collaborated together off and on for about a decade now — back to Lockhart's days with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. Next weekend, the two will be reunited once again, when St. John comes to Salt Lake City to perform Alban Berg's Violin Concerto with the Utah Symphony.
For St. John, the Berg concerto has become a central part of his repertoire over the years. "I've done it many times now," he said by phone from his home in Toronto. "I've done it more than some of the standard repertoire."
It was Lockhart who suggested that St. John play the Berg with him. That was several years ago, before Lockhart came to Salt Lake City. And St. John doesn't turn down an opportunity to play it. "The first thing about it, is that it is incredibly searing. And it has a lot of passion, despite it being 12-tone."
On another level, the concerto is filled with hidden references. "Berg had all of these secret messages that alluded to people who were important to him," St. John said. "There are a lot of references to various women in his life."
St. John almost prefers playing concertos that haven't found a place yet in the standard repertoire. Besides the Berg, he also plays the Korngold and Dvorak concertos. "I tend to look at these works with more enthusiasm," he said. "There are a lot of fabulous people playing the standard works. I feel that I have more to offer with this other repertoire."
Along with his violin playing, St. John is also an accomplished violist. He doesn't play the viola very frequently, though. "Only about 20 per cent of my playing is on the viola." This mostly revolves around chamber-music projects.
He would, however, like to increase that percentage and delve into the solo repertoire. "I would love to explore the literature. I've done the Bartok (Viola Concerto) but not the Hindemith ('Der Schwanendreher')."
Even though the violin was his first instrument, St. John said a lack of violists in his hometown was the reason he also took up that instrument. "Like many violists, I was encouraged to switch when I was around 10." But unlike many violists, St. John never gave up the violin. "I keep telling my students that playing both instruments is a good way to increase your popularity."
At Friday's performance, St. John's audience in Abravanel Hall will include a special guest. "My first teacher, Richard Lawrence, lives in Ogden now," St. John said. "He does music therapy now, but he started off a big crew of us who have gone off to successful careers. It'll be wonderful to see him again."
Besides the Berg Violin Concerto, Lockhart and the Utah Symphony will also play Mozart's Symphony No. 31 in D major ("Paris") and Brahms' Serenade No. 1 in D major, op. 11.
If you go . . .
What: Scott St. John, violin; Keith Lockhart, conductor; Utah Symphony
Where: Abravanel Hall
When: Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.
How much: $12-$50
Phone: 355-2787 or 888-451-2787
E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com