TIME SIGNATURES
Composers have never shied from difficult subject matter or recent tragedies, but the period that began in March 2020 has been particularly challenging. There’s the pandemic itself, plus a surge of wildfires, floods, and other environmental disasters. The murders of Black Americans including George Floyd and too many others caused deep pain—and generated artistic responses. We asked five composers to share their experiences of how they are documenting, reflecting, and responding to this time with new orchestral works. By Hannah Edgar
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Science Festival, with talks by climate cellist Ifetayo Ali-Landing premiered hat is it like to create an researchers and filmed interviews that Joel Thompson’s breathe/burn, a cello orchestral work that responds Richman conducted with Maine scientists concerto written in remembrance of Breto the multiple traumas we’ve and researchers. onna Taylor, who was killed by Louisville lived through in the last two years—while Here, we profile five compospolice in her home in March 2020. This they’re ongoing, no less? ers who have created new works in past October saw the world premiere of For me, the idea of creating an response to recent tragedies, with results Jorge Martín’s El Paso Requiem by the El orchestral work responding to these trauthat will echo in concert halls in seasons Paso Symphony, El Paso Opera, and El mas is a bit like making an oil painting to come: Gabriela Lena Frank and her Paso Pro-Musica; the cantata was written of one’s living room going up in flames, Contested Eden for orchestra and dancin tribute to victims of the 2019 mass in real time. Of course, composers have ers, written in response to the wildfires shooting at a Walmart in that city. frequently taken on difficult and timely that ravaged California—again— subjects, writing and processing last year; Iman Habibi and his in the moment; take Shostakovich’s By any historical standard, our Jeder Baum spricht (Every tree Symphony No. 7 (“Leningrad”), speaks), which was originally which was written and first current period is a dark one. That scheduled to premiere the day of performed when the city’s resithe Philadelphia Orchestra’s pandents, including musicians, were has not stopped composers from demic shutdown in March 2020; starving. John Adams’s On the writing orchestral works that Adolphus Hailstork and his cantaTransmigration of Souls (2002), A Knee on the Neck in memory commissioned by the New York directly or circumstantially reflect ta of George Floyd; Missy Mazzoli Philharmonic and Lincoln Center’s and her “apocalyptic triptych” Great Performers shortly after recent events. exploring pandemic themes; the 9/11 terrorist attacks, sets, and bass-baritone Davóne Tines among other sources, text from and his collaboratively composed Vigil Many composers have responded to missing-person posters near Ground for Breonna Taylor, created with music climate change by creating new works: Zero. But by any historical standard, our producer/photographer/composer Igee to cite just one example, in March 2022, current period is a dark one. Dieudonné. Maine’s Bangor Symphony Orchestra None of this has stopped composAs these creators attest, the process will perform the pandemic-delayed ers from writing orchestral works that was never painless, nor was it necesin-person premiere of The Warming Sea, either directly or circumstantially reflect sarily cathartic. But for these artists, not composed by Lucas Richman, the orchesthe events of 2020. The theme of loss using their platform to say something tra’s music director. The work is being is central to many new works: in March was inconceivable. performed in conjunction with the Maine 2021, the Chicago Sinfonietta and
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WINTER 2022
