FEATURE: Three Modern-Day Muses
Three Modern-Day Muses and the Composers They’ve Inspired by KEN SMITH
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“So that’s how we wound up with these three irst of all, says CSO Music Director Louis amazing women—each of whom we would love Langrée, there was never a grand plan to invite back under any circumstances—all to turn this season into a mini showcase performing music written during the for contemporary violin concertos. It challenges of Covid,” says Langrée. all started with a single (if much“It’s so inspiring to see such anticipated) event: the world wonderful performers dedipremiere of CSO Creative cating so much of their time Partner Matthias Pintscher’s and energy to promote the Assonaza, written for violinmusic of today. Instead ist Leila Josefowicz. of putting music in the But then came composer museum box of tradition, Mark Simpson, who’d made they are active in creata big impression at the ing the repertoire of the 2019 May Festival with the future.” U.S. premiere of his oratorio Josefowicz, who last apThe Immortal. In early 2020, peared in Cincinnati with while concert halls in the U.K. Langrée in Thomas Adès’s Violin were still shuttered, the one-time Concerto, Concentric Paths, in BBC Young Musician of the Year 2019, is also no stranger to working made yet another splash with his Violin directly with composers, having also come to Concerto, a monumental five-movement work the CSO in 2015 with John Adams’ “dramatic premiered by Nicola Benedetti and the London symphony” Scheherazade.2 for violin and orSymphony Orchestra (LSO). “During Mark’s time chestra with Adams himself on the podium. Her in Cincinnati, the orchestra, the audience and appearance at Music Hall on January 28 and 29 the whole administration team just fell in love will feature Pintscher conducting the premiere with him,” Langrée admits. “The opportunity to of his Assonaza along with present another U.S. premiere the Symphonic Dances of of his music was too good to “Instead of putting music Rachmaninoff. pass up.” “Matthias is more than And then came violinist in the museum box of just a composer who conJennifer Koh, another longtradition, they are active ducts,” says Langrée. “He’s time Langrée collaborator with a large Cincinnati presin creating the repertoire an amazing conductor in his own right, who also happens ence, who’d spent much of the future.” to be a superb composer of her pandemic time in —Louis Langrée and teacher. Whether he’s the company of composers conducting a new piece or a generating new works. Her classic, the results are on another level entirely.” reunion with Langrée this spring will feature Pintscher, for his part, throws credit back a highlight of Koh’s New American Concerto to the orchestra. “Ever since I first came here project: a new Violin Concerto by Musical five years ago, I’ve found the CSO to have an America 2022 Composer of the Year (and incredibly open mind,” he says. “They tackle Koh’s sometime recital partner) Missy Mazzoli, a Bach orchestral suite with the same energy co-commissioned by the CSO. they give to Ligeti, or a world premiere. As Above: Louis Langrée opened this season with Johannes a collaborator, it’s hard not to be inspired. Brahms’ Symphony No. 3. Credit: Hannah Kenney, October 2021
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