Last year, I interviewed composer Julian Grant for an article in the Princeton weekly, U.S. 1, but when the related concert was cancelled, thanks to Covid, the article never ran. So now I’m saving it to be spruced up for a future date.
In the meantime, Grant has a new piece, scheduled to receive its world premiere this evening, on a streamed concert of Boston-based Emmanuel Music, presented by the Harvard Musical Association. Grant’s “Salt” is an HMA commission.
The composer characterizes the work as “a rollicking vocal chamber music premiere which may be masquerading as an opera, or vice versa. It could either be staged, or performed, as here, in concert.
“Based on a Russian folk-tale, collected by Alexandr Afanas’ev (1826-71) who was Russia’s equivalent to the Brothers Grimm. I have changed the tale slightly, transforming the ne’er-do-well son into a daughter, which gives the story – which also involves a king who won’t eat, a crew of schoolboys, a spoilt princess, a rampaging giant and treacherous siblings – more of a 21st century vibe.
“This piece, written in lockdown, is a piece of pure escapism, which is what I felt I most needed during this past, most difficult of years for us all.”
The remainder of the program will be devoted to works by Beethoven, including selections from his Scottish and Irish folksongs, the song cycle “An die ferne Geliebte” (“To the Distant Beloved”), and the Presto movement from the Piano Trio, Op. 1, No. 1.
The concert is FREE. Watch it online, tonight, live, at 7 pm EDT, or catch it later on the HMA YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC72tpsQe-XZMWrmNLWgZ0GA
For more about Julian Grant, visit:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=julian+grant+composer