Euro Trip Back in Time

It's hard to — sorry, if you could just pause the PSP, thanks — it's difficult to conceive of — no, sure, sync up your BlackBerry. Where were we? Oh, yes: It's almost impossible to comprehend — let it ring, the voicemail will get it! It'd be a miracle if, for one day, we could experience what it was like to live in a world lit only by fire. A world without the gewgaws and accoutrements of our technologically driven lifestyle, a world where darkness fell and work stopped, and there was only the soundtrack of nature and neighbors to fill the night. A world like the Middle Ages.

What did they do in the torch-lit hours of this far-ago time? They dreamed of music and art and their immortal souls, the same as we do. The only difference was that back then, it was actually quiet enough to fully contemplate these topics. We may not have the peace, but we still have the fruits of our forbears' labor, in the form of various manuscripts and pieces of music. Tonight, members of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra present a program of Early European Music that represents this alien world. Performances begin at 7 p.m. in the Grigg Gallery at the Saint Louis Art Museum in Forest Park. Admission is free.
Fri., Sept. 22