Conception, Gestation, Labor, Birth: A Composer Delivers a Commission

August 30, 2006

Recording sessions for a new series of The Main Street Sessions are underway! There are some thrilling performances in store: A young classical guitarist pours himself into Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, a countertenor transports us back to the 16th century, a luxurious contralto voice delivers songs by Charles Ives in all their gorgeous quirkiness and a Julliard-trained composer deftly splits his time between concert halls and nightclubs. I’m especially excited about the recording session I have scheduled for tomorrow. There won’t be any music. That’s right. No music. See, there isn’t any… …yet. Charlotte-based composer, David Crowe, has been commissioned by Alan and Donna Black to write a piece for a First Tuesday Concert scheduled for January 2 as part of the Chamber Music at St. Peter’s 10th Anniversary Concert Series. David has agreed to let me follow him through the process from commission to performance. He is coming in tomorrow for the first in a series of interviews that will take us along with him as he composes. The music is to be based on paintings by Russian artist Nicholas Roerich–work David knows well, but work which, as he commented in a recent email to me, is presenting David with some unexpected challenges. What are those challenges? I can only imagine and can’t wait to find out. Have a look at the artist’s work and let me know what you think David might be up against (and what’s in here that might work to his advantage). A list of links to the specific paintings David’s considering is at the bottom of this entry. I’ll fill you in after our conversation. And of course, keep an ear out for The Main Street Sessions come the first of the year. You’ll be able to hear the piece from true start to finish. The Last Angel Bridge of Glory St. Panteleimon the Healer Star of the Morning Kanchenjunga Sergius the Builder (From here, click on “Series and Suites”, then “Banners of the East 1924-25” and scroll down.)