The Summons: A World Premiere
The Summons is a work of hope, optimism, and humanity.
The work is inspired by the Islamic archangel Israfil who signals the coming of Judgment Day, or the Day of the Resurrection, by blowing a trumpet. The first sounding of the trumpet is like a roar in the heavens which causes all of creation to be destroyed. Terror and confusion overwhelm the whole of creation. The second sounding of the trumpet summons the dead to awake. Israfil's trumpet has two principle symbolic meanings, one of universal death and the other of universal revival. This composition is not motivated by religious fervor, by any means, but is a commentary on today’s social, political and religious climates. It's a time when a universal summons must bring the world's people together to form new goals towards peace and prosperity.
Due to the intense week of residency activities, I will be unable to respond to follow-up blog comments regarding The Summons. However, I will be at the concerts so please feel free to approach me and chat.
Mark Grey
Music Alive Composer-in-Residence
7 Comments:
Congratulations Mark Grey on your world premiere realization of The Summons.
This Cat must be color-blind. I did not experience any sensation of color as you described it. The piece to me was all about "atmosphere." Very dense. Starting with the disparate sounds throughout the orchestra, it felt uncertain with dissonances, but without any unnecessary explosiveness. Then I heard more and more high pitched percussion leading the way to bright sunshine in the finale. It was somewhat reminiscent of Kaija Saariaho's music.
I look forward to seeing your Navajo Oratorio build through the coming months. The programs at the Heard Museum and ASU look great. This will be a one-of-a-kind experience for all of us.
The Summons was a nice way to start a concert. Sorry I didnt read your message until AFTER listening, but I did enjoy it -- so I guess your message got to me thru your music! Thanks for blogging about it.
I want to take issue with the logic of the review in the Republic. He said something to the effect that there was no reason to write this piece. By very definition, there is a reason on this website. Even if there were no description for the inspiration for the piece, a commission is reason enough. The reviewer also said the composer had more competence than inspiration. As a player, I would have to reject that statment. I think the composer's ideas are much more sincere than his skills at this point. His wrtiting is still quite awkward but I have no doubt it will improve.
Also his comments about the soloist. I am unclear about his logic when in the article he posts the names of 1sr tier major soloists like Yo Yo Ma, Midori, and Zukerman that have been with us recently and then suggests that we will not be able to afford this pianist when or if he gets big. As a student I played with major solists with orchestras that payed $50.00 a service. These guys(soloists) will go wherever they are paid. If the reviewer is so so concerned about the economics of top talent, maybe he could ask why it is seemingly impossible for us to afford any top guest conductors.
Instead of asking why the Phoenix Symphony can't afford any top guest conductors, as a previous poster did, I would instead ask why the general salary level for orchestra players is so low. For comparisons, see: http://www.icsom.org/settlement.html
If I had the means to make a multi-million dollar donation to the group, that's where I'd want the money spent. Soloists come and go, so do guest conductors, and so do music directors. The soul of the orchestra is in its players. (I am a subscriber, not an orchestra member.)
I have to admit that I was horrified by the review of The Summons. Apart from whether one instinctively enjoys a piece it is very exciting that we are positioning ourselves as creative partners working with composers and exciting soloists. I thought Mr. Nilsen's comments were completely out of line. Rude and crude.
Yes, the media should be observing what we are doing in the moment but also be aware of the larger picture and how we are positioning ourselves for growth going into the future. It seems quite inspired to me allowing our audience the opportunity to experience a composer's work apart from one piece. Will the Navajo Oratorio be similar or different? We don't know yet, but we do know a little more about Mr. Grey and I think our audience was intrigued by his language and shaping of music. Personally, I'm thrilled to be involved with a rising talent. He has tremendous connections throughout the musical world and is drawing on his vast experience to create music specifically for us, for our community. That's inspiration if you ask me.
I hope it is becoming obvious that I seek to gradually pull away from the comfort and gravity of provincialism and reshape our artistic profile. In so many ways we are on the verge. Here's to a dynamic and 'inspired' future.
I agree with comment #4. The pay for our orchestra is still below where it needs to be in order to retain and recruit the necessary talent for our bold vision of the future. The link provided is very interesting but requires a deeper understanding of each orchestra's unique history and current funding mechanism. Unfortunately, not all orchestras are cut from the same cloth. Many of our sister orchestras have exponentially larger endowments than we do at the moment. Take Nashville and San Diego as examples. San Diego was the beneficiary of the enormously generous founder of Qualcomm communications. Nashville's campaign was more broadly based and involved the construction of a new hall. The larger orchestras in the group, Boston, Chicago and New York have enormous endowments. Boston has $400 million and is seeking an additional $400 million with the goal of having close to $1 billion in endowment! Compare that to our $7.7 million. Don't forget however the long history of the Boston Symphony, the corporate wealth and resident "old money" that was geared toward these types of institutions.
I think many people in our community agree that if they had the resources they would help deal with this issue. If you fit into this category, I would encourage you to consider bringing friends, business associates and family to the orchestra and acting as an advocate for us. One never knows who may have the resources to make an epic gift that would change the whole story here in Phoenix. What we do need is a community that is excited and committed to the orchestra, giving those who can make those types of gifts the feeling they will be backing an important winning home team.
As Michael Christie points out, orchestras differ enormously in their success at raising funds, including endowments. What I find most disappointing is that Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the U.S., which ought to mean that we could support the arts much more effectively than many smaller cities. We are also assaulted weekly by the local newspaper's reports of sales of multimillion-dollar homes, often for cash. Thus the area seems to have the potential for major underwriting of arts organizations.
It would appear, however, that our major disadvantages in terms of fund raising are the lack of corporate headquarters (where major corporate donation decisions are usually made), the lack of a tradition of support for cultural institutions such as the symphony, and the fact that so much of the population consists of recent arrivals. Is it really possible to support a top-flight orchestra when these significant disadvantages exist? If so, how can these disadvantages be overcome?
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