I reverse hibernate. Summertime is when I hole up in my studio to complete composing projects, with far fewer appearances during the busy symphonic season. It’s a pleasant respite from travel and performing, offering time for reflection as I put the finishing touches on pieces that have been in process for a year or more, but by summer’s end I’m eager to reengage with the world – either to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where I continue my stint as composer-in-residence, or at orchestras and opera houses around the country.
From this hibernation emerges a pair of new cubs this season – two symphonic premieres exploring big subjects – along with continuing performances of recent and popular works, including my opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Here’s a overview of highlights for the coming season:
Premieres: Art of War and Resurrexit
Two premieres debut this season: Art of War, a large-scale exploration of human conflict; and Resurrexit, a theatrical and fast-paced conjuring of the classic biblical narrative. The symphonic medium continues to inspire me to examine big topics in dramatic ways, enhanced with the addition of electronic sounds or new symphonic effects.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra kicks off its new season with the September premiere of Resurrexit, in celebration of the 60th birthday of Manfred Honneck. He challenged me to write a “spiritual opener,” which seems almost an oxymoron: how can the lightning-quick character of an opener coexist with something more meditative? While these days I focus on larger works than openers, I was intrigued by the audaciousness of the challenge and the supernatural elements of the story. I had long wanted to explore the ‘dusty’ mystery of Middle Eastern scales and exotic sonorities, so I dreamed up piece that animates the classic Resurrection narrative with propulsion and drama, rising from a biblical darkness into an exhilarating finale.
My largest musical event of the season is the December premiere by the National Symphony Orchestra under Gianandrea Noseda of Art of War, a symphony exploring the drama of human conflict from the perspectives of soldiers, weaponry, and human loss. Animating a three-movement symphonic structure are original field recordings of weapons tests and the printing presses of the US Treasury. For my first large commission for the Kennedy Center, I wanted to deliver something of a political nature and a darker soundworld than I’ve ever explored.
The drama is heightened with the inclusion of astonishing sounds, such as field recordings of munitions tests (artillery and mortars) I made with the US Marines. I always felt the canon fire in the 1812 Overture could be further explored. So after a lengthy application process and, yes, the donning of a helmet and flak jacket, I was driven as close to the impact zone of a 50 caliber canon as you ever want to be. There’s also the sound of a different kind of weapon in the opening “Money As a Weapons System.” Based on an actual US military handbook describing the use of money to achieve military goals, the movement integrates actual recordings of the US Mint’s printing presses into quicksilver, caffeinated musical textures that glitter like coins from a slot machine – only to spin wildly out of control over the course of the movement. The soulful heart of the piece, “Two Worlds,” explores the perspective of an American soldier and an Iraqi soldier through a synthesis American blues and Persian flute music — a musical evocation of the larger message of “stronger together.”
T
he (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Carnegie Hall, and beyond
Following its sold-out premiere at Santa Fe Opera and this summer’s release on CD, my first opera continues appearing around the country, with productions this season at Seattle Opera and Indiana University. It’s thrilling to see new casts and audiences discover the work, with the stunning premiere production going to very different opera houses. As Steve Jobs’ legacy continues to resonate in our lives – with Apple now valued at a trillion dollars – the work offers a window into his complex inner life.
On the symphonic stage, performances of recent and popular works continue around the US and the world. Under visionary maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Philadelphia Orchestra brings Anthology of Fantastic Zoology to Carnegie Hall after performances in Philadelphia. Previously recorded by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Riccardo Muti, the work explores the dark, surrealist fantasy of Jorge Luis-Borges.
My concertos continue to be performed by their amazing soloists. Joshua Roman performs the Cello Concerto in a variety of places, from Chicago to Malaysia to Denver (where the Colorado Symphony also performs my baroque thriller Auditorium). Anne Akiko Meyers brings my Violin Concerto to the Helsinki Philharmonic for a live-streamed event in December. And the stunning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, who performs the role of Laurene Jobs at Seattle Opera, continues to perform Passage, which weaves fragments of JFK’s moonshot speech into a celebration of American exploration.
Curating: The Kennedy Center, KC Jukebox, Mercury Soul…
In my third season as composer-in-residence at the Kennedy Center, I’m continually astonished at the vast possibilities of making art in such a magnificent place. While I work with a variety of institutions within the Center, from the National Symphony to the Jazz Center, the primary focus of my curating is the KC Jukebox series, which presents new music in new formats – featuring immersive production and ambient information to educate the audience, as well as post-parties with DJs to allow people to debrief in a casual setting.
This season, the series presents the renown analogue synth duo Kyle Dixon and Michael Klein, of the band Survive, known for their distinctive score to the hit Netflix show Stranger Things. The duo headlines a show that also pays tribute to Icelandic composer Johann Johannson, who also brought the sounds of analogue synths to a wide audience. Also appearing on KC Jukebox is Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw on a show featuring the Scottish balladier King Creosote; and as part of the Kennedy Center’s Direct Current festival, the series brings the beloved chorus Chanticleer back for a concert of new vocal music.
My classical-club hybrid Mercury Soul continues to build a strong following in San Francisco, having recently completed a year that climaxed with Thievery Corporation’s Rob Garza headlining our show at The Great Northern. The project has become something of a showcase for musicians of the entire Bay Area, from Philarhmonia Baroque to the DJ collective Housepitality. As I’ve focused my DJ performances on large shows integrating live musicians within sets of electronica, I’ve found Mercury Soul to offer a unique experience that continues to challenge me as a DJ and composer. Stay tuned here for an announcement of our upcoming season.