JOAN TOWER Uncommon Composer by Lara Pellegrinelli
JOAN TOWE R , one of America’s most celebrated living compos-
ers, is known for what The New York Times aptly describes as works that are “expertly wrought, full of character, and instantly communicative.” In many ways, they mirror the voice of their creator. Tower herself is undeniably gregarious and opinionated, not to mention downright funny. So it’s a bit surprising to discover that the 83-year-old espouses a minimalist philosophy when introducing audiences to her new pieces. TOWER
“The less I say the better,” she states with perfect seriousness.
After its world premiere in July, a brand-new cello concerto gets its first Cleveland Orchestra performances as part of the season’s opening weekend. Crafted by composer Joan Tower especially for cellist Alisa Weilerstein, A New Day reflects the dynamics of Tower’s own life.
When asked what if anything she would like people to know before they hear The Cleveland Orchestra’s first performances of A New Day (2021) on October 14 and 17, a cello concerto commissioned jointly for Alisa Weilerstein by Cleveland and three other orchestras, Tower refers to the note prefacing its score: “I wrote the music with love to Jeff, my partner for 48 years, who turned 94 in April of 2021. While composing this piece, I realized that our long time together was getting shorter, becoming more and more precious with each new day.” The dedication is both tender and weighty in its brevity. It reveals Tower’s own emotional vulnerability, which the concerto expresses perhaps more keenly than any of her previous works. It seems to wear its heart on its sleeve.
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Yet, if awards offer some measure of Tower’s ability to connect with listeners, she can rest assured that her music — with its rhythmic tenacity and assertive orchestration — speaks for itself. The first woman composer to win a Grawemeyer Award (a $100,000 cash prize), Tower recently received the League of American Orchestra’s Gold Baton, its highest honor, and was named Musical America’s Composer of the Year in 2020.
The Jeff of whom she writes is Jeff Litfin, a spouse who prefers to remain out of the public eye. She dedicated one previous work to him, Island Rhapsody (1989), “for something with love and sensuousness.” Tower shares only that he is a photographer, writer, and businessman,
