Customer Reviews
What You'll Get
Attempts to mix horror with orchestral music usually end in disaster, with zombie violinists unable to keep time due to decaying limbs and Frankenstein howling in terror at the sound of Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. View a true synthesis of terror and tunes with today's Groupon: for $20, you get a ticket to the St. Louis Symphony’s live accompaniment to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho at Powell Hall. Choose from the following seating and date options:
- Grand Circle seating on Friday, October 29, at 7:30 p.m. (a $35 value)
- Orchestra Left or Right seating on Friday, October 29, at 7:30 p.m. (a $40 value)
- Orchestra Left or Right seating on Saturday, October 30, at 7:30 p.m. (a $40 value)
- Grand Circle seating on Saturday, October 30, at 7:30 p.m. (a $35 value)
To celebrate both the 50th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic non-rocky horror picture show and the general pro-fear vibes of the Halloween season, conductor Ward Stare will lead the St. Louis Symphony through Oscar-winning composer Bernard Herrmann’s chilling score as the film is projected onto a screen overhead. The all-strings soundtrack is as much a character in the film as Norman Bates or his beloved mother. Opening the film is an unsettling overture punctuated by frantic pizzicatos and constantly shifting time signatures that seem to mirror the erratic thinking of a lunatic. As Marion Crane prepares to steal the money, the film seems to creep around the corners of the frame as if afraid of getting caught. Amid the cello’s relentless rumbles and viola’s increasingly hysterical screeches, a mournful melody rises and falls with the windshield wipers as Marion drives the lonely road to the Bates Motel. It all culminates in the legendary shower scene, as the violins violently stab your ears in time with each brutal plunge of the knife. No matter how often you’ve seen the film, the terrifying immediacy of the live music will make you remember why you never shower.
Audiophiles will enjoy the ear-haunting acoustics in the symphony's seasonal home at Powell Hall, and cinephiles will love how the performance itself hearkens back to the venue's original role as a vaudeville theatre and motion-picture house. Guests who arrive dressed as their favorite Hitchcockian character or the most homicidal member of their own family can take part in the costume contest held an hour before each performance.
Reviews
Conductor Ward Stare was featured by the New York Times, and the St. Louis Symphony received a five-star average from Yelpers:
- Mr. Stare also coaxed elegant phrasing and nuanced dynamic contrasts from the string players in the symphony – Vivien Schweitzer, New York Times
- Powell Hall is simply gorgeous, and the perfect setting for a show. There was plenty of parking nearby (we parked in a pay lot), and the staff was courteous and friendly. – David G., Yelp
The Fine Print
Expiration varies. Amount paid never expires. Limit 4 per person.Valid only for date and seating option purchased. Seating is first come first served. Groupon purchaser's name must match name on ID. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
About Powell Hall
Ornate chandeliers and a high-ceilinged auditorium are just two stunning features of Powell Hall, an opulent, Versailles-inspired concert venue built in 1925. Originally known as the Saint Louis Theatre, Powell Hall was bequeathed its new moniker after the Saint Louis Symphony Society won it during a heated card game with a band of ragtag vaudeville performers. With its marble-accented lobby and sprawling interior, Powell Hall continues to beckon visitors to take in its inimitable sights and classic sounds.