Composer Pierre Jalbert has written a violin concerto to be performed for the first time on this live SPCO concert broadcast with Steven Copes as soloist. Jalbert says the specific challenges are daunting. Jalbert says:
"When you're writing for anything like this, whether it's a string quartet or concerto or a symphony that has such a long history, it's important to take that into account, but also to create some new things. Obviously, there's a lot of baggage there."
Baggage or not, Pierre Jalbert has carved a very successful niche writing classical music. he's won the Rome Prize, an award from Lincoln Center, has had his music performed all over the world and teaches young budding composers on how it's done at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music. In this concert, it might prove interesting to hear a composer of our time giving voice to an old form right next to a 19th century composer, who also pushed the bounds of classical music in his own time, Beethoven.
"Beethoven wrote concertos, symphonies, string quartets and had to find a way to forge a new path, to have his voice heard, and to expand music's future. In his seventh symphony, one he called his best - there is so much spontaneity and freedom. He increased the size of the orchestra and is not afraid to include a funeral march, a drinking song and even a nearly undanceable dance."
Pierre Jalbert also pushes the bounds — though within a framework you'll recognize — and perfect for this orchestra of chamber musicians.
"What I was hoping to create was a real interaction between the two and the soloist also uses some different kind of timber possibilities, there are harmonic tremolos that you wouldn't necessarily find in older music, some quarter tone pitch bending, things like that, but also, it's a concerto so there are a lot of virtuosic qualities to the piece as well with rapid figurations, glissandi, fast measured tremolos, various kinds of bowing so it has all of that in it as well."
It's a brand new violin concerto by Pierre Jalbert in its world premiere with Steven Copes as soloist along with Beethoven's Seventh and the SPCO live in concert on Classical MPR. We'll also celebrate the final concerts of the tenure of Artistic Partner Thomas Zehetmair.
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