Update on February 18, 2023: It would appear that all the links for these notes are dead or broken, unfortunately. I haven’t lost the pieces (I still have everything on my various drives and backups), but I need to figure out the best way to archive these annotations. At any rate, please consider this page Under Construction, and please don’t expect any of the links to work. If you are a prospective client and would like to review any of these notes in the meantime, for possible reprint purposes, send me an email at rene.saller@att.net, and I’ll send you a pdf. If you like, we can discuss rates.
For the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
On Beethoven’s “Egmont” Overture, Schumann’s Piano Concerto, and Nielsen’s Symphony No. 3 (October 23 & 24). Beginning on p. 26.
On Wagner’s Parsifal and Beethoven’s Ninth (Oct. 9-11). Beginning on p. 25.
On Richard Strauss (September 25 & 26, 2015). Beginning on p. 26.
http://tinyurl.com/qbwkr3z
On Elgar, Glanert, Brahms (April 25 & 26, 2015). Beginning on p. 26
On Fauré, Wagner, and Bruckner (March 6 & 7, 2015). Beginning on p. 26
Click to access sls-march15-insert1-3-final.pdf
Unusual All-Beethoven Program (January 23 & January 24). Beginning on p. 26.
Click to access sls-jan15-insert2-4-final.pdf
On Brahms/Glanert and Brahms (October 4 & 5, 2014). Beginning on p. 26.
Click to access sls-oct14-insert1-4-final.pdf
On Brahms, Vaughan Williams, and Nielsen (September 12 & 13, 2014). Beginning on p. 26.
On Brahms, Wagner, and Schoenberg (March 28 & 29, 2014). Beginning on p. 26. http://www.stlsymphony.org/media/production/notes/3933.pdf
On Mendelssohn and Brahms (February 7-9, 2014). Beginning on p. 26. http://www.stlsymphony.org/media/production/notes/3928.pdf
On S. Berg, Nielsen, and Beethoven (January 10 and 11, 2014). Beginning on p. 26. http://www.stlsymphony.org/media/production/notes/3924.pdf
On Smetana, Sibelius, Dvorák, and Rautavaara (Joshua Bell Returns: November 29, November 30, and December 1, 2013/2014). Beginning on p. 26.
On Rossini, Paganini, and Berlioz (April 12-14, 2013). Beginning on p. 22. http://www.stlsymphony.org/media/production/notes/3516.pdf
On Sibelius, Prokofiev, and Sibelius (February 1-2, 2013). Beginning on p. 26. http://www.stlsymphony.org/media/production/notes/3497.pdf
For the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra
On Adam Schoenberg, Copland, Mahler, and Respighi (June 1, 2014)
On Wagner, Elgar, and Tchaikovsky (March 23, 2014) http://www.stlsymphony.org/media/production/notes/4304.pdf
On Buxtehude/Chávez, Pärt, Britten, and Dvórak (November 24, 2013). http://www.stlsymphony.org/media/production/notes/4303.pdf
On Kabalevsky, Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Shostakovich http://www.stlsymphony.org/media/production/notes/3789.pdf
On Bizet, Marshall, Brahms (March 10, 2013). Beginning on p. 31. http://www.stlsymphony.org/media/production/notes/3788.pdf
On Schubert, Glière, Rachmaninoff (May 20, 2012) http://www.stlsymphony.org/media/pdf/notes/1112/20120520.pdf
On Mozart, Stravinsky, Debussy, Rimsky-Korsakov (March 9, 2012). http://www.stlsymphony.org/media/pdf/notes/1112/20120309.pdf
For the Dallas Symphony
On Piazzolla and Schumann (Remix concert) (March 7 & 8, 2014) https://www.dallassymphony.com/blog/2014/3/4/program-notes-tango-to-argentina-(march-7-8).aspx
On the music of the Cotton Club (November 8-10, 2013) https://www.dallassymphony.com/media/255565/insert_8_cottonclub_final.pdf
On the music of Hitchcock (October 25 & 26, 2013) https://www.dallassymphony.com/media/252920/hitchcock_-_insert_6_final.pdf
For PlaybillArts (classical music site)
On the premiere of John Adams’s Doctor Atomic Symphony by the SLSO (February 2008) http://www.playbillarts.com/features/article/7556.html
A Passion for Piston (January 2007)
http://www.playbillarts.com/features/article/5853.html
http://www.playbillarts.com/features/article/4242.html
Miscellaneous Writing
On Emily Hahn (guest post on St. Louis Public Library Scribbler) http://slplscribbler.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/guest-post-rene-saller-on-emily-hahns-no-hurry-to-get-home/
On the death of Vic Chesnutt (guest post on Boogie Woogie Flu) http://boogiewoogieflu.blogspot.com/2009/12/of-loss-and-longing-and-sloppy-satori.html
On spending Christmas as a fille au pair (for the Illinois Times)
http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-4682-lost-in-translation.html
On Fiona Apple’s Extraordinary Machine
http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/dramatic-re-entry/content?oid=44417
Many, many music reviews for the Illinois Times (2004-2008)
http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/by-author-126-1.html
http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-4025-the-brain-of-bird.html
Many, many music articles, reviews, and features for Riverfront Times and sister papers (1998-2003) http://www.riverfronttimes.com/authors/ren-spencer-saller/
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2000-09-06/music/calling-from-home/
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2001-12-05/music/minstrel-tension/
http://www.dallasobserver.com/2002-11-14/music/mann-power/
http://www.dallasobserver.com/2002-10-03/music/slugging-it-out/
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2001-09-20/music/band-aid/
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2001-07-11/music/pew-fellowship/
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2001-10-17/music/berry-berry-good/
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/childss-play/Content?oid=1066606
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/1999-12-15/music/sally-timms/
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/1998-12-09/music/the-rolling-stones/
A couple of short record reviews for The Boston Phoenix
http://thephoenix.com/authors/rené-spencer-saller/
Award-Winning Music Essays
Association of Alternative Weeklies, 2005 MUSIC CRITICISM Circulation < 50,000 First Place: Sound Patrol: Reviews of Ike Turner’s “His Woman, Her Man”; Wilco’s “A Ghost Is Born,” and Eminem’s “Encore.”
http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-1177-flashback-to-iconic-.html http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-1211-haunted-by-high-expectations-wilco-produces-a-minor-ghost.html http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-1640-sound-patrol-12-9-04.html
http://illinoistimes.com/article-1640-sound-patrol-12-9-04.html
Interview regarding AAN award:
Other AAN awards:
http://www.altweeklies.com/aan/rene-spencer-saller/Person?oid=7882 http://www.altweeklies.com/files/ILTIMESsaller.pdf
http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-2985-case-of-the-missing-heart.html http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-3031-the-stuff-that-dreams-are-made-of.html http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-2763-rediscovering-kate-bush.html
René Spencer Saller 
I knew your writing career has been impressive. But – I did not know how extensive. You are so insightful and deep into the meaning of your subjects, be they people, literature, music, or everyday life events. So much consideration! I am impressed!
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Aw, thank you so much, Lecil. That is very kind of you to say. I’m glad you enjoyed dipping into it. I plan to start posting more of my Dallas annotations soon; the vast majority of my program notes aren’t online, only published in the printed programs.
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