I scored the cover story in this month’s Princton Echo! Yes, it’s the same article that ran this week in the Princeton weekly U.S. 1, but there I got bumped from the cover by the indisputably more compelling subject of summer camps. Julian Grant’s new harpsichord concerto, “Vaudeville in Teal,” will receive its world premiere, with Mahan Esfahani the soloist, on concerts of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra at Richardson Auditorium this weekend (Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 4:00).
Tickets and information at princetonsymphony.org
Much more information in my article at https://www.communitynews.org/princetoninfo/artsandentertainment/grant-goes-for-baroque-in-new-harpsichord-concerto/article_94cf66e3-ae6b-4c7f-b193-2dc7fcdc2592.html
Tag: Julian Grant
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Julian Grant Goes for Baroque with New Harpsichord Concerto in Princeton
As Director of Music at London’s St. Paul’s Girls’ School, Julian Grant was the successor of some rather estimable composers. “I had an office which had a big plaque right in from of my desk, saying, ‘In this room Gustav Holst wrote ‘The Planets’’ — which was not helpful,” he says with a laugh.
Grant, who is probably most notable for his 20 operas, has since settled in Princeton. His harpsichord concerto, “Vaudeville in Teal,” will receive its world premiere this weekend, on two concerts of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4:00, at Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium. Mahan Esfahani, one of the foremost proponents of the instrument, will be the soloist.
Also on the program will be two works indebted to music of the 18th century: a genuinely fun concerto for two oboes and orchestra, “Extra(ordinarily) Fancy),” by Princeton alumnus Viet Cuong (who also studied at Curtis), and the pseudo-Pergolesi ballet “Pulcinella,” by Igor Stravinsky. The latter will be played complete, as opposed to in its more familiar guise as a concert suite. The work is sunny, tuneful, and memorable, Stravinsky for people who think they don’t like Stravinsky. Rossen Milanov will conduct.
On a related note, Grant and Esfahani will discuss Grant’s harpsichord concerto, their creative partnership, and the process of shepherding a new work from written score to actual performance, at Princeton Public Library tomorrow evening at 6:30. The event is free. Attendees will have the opportunity to enter a drawing for tickets to the weekend concerts.
To learn more, visit princetonsymphony.org.
Oh, yeah! I also hope you’ll read my article in the Princeton weekly newspaper U.S. 1, out today.
https://www.communitynews.org/princetoninfo/artsandentertainment/grant-goes-for-baroque-in-new-harpsichord-concerto/article_94cf66e3-ae6b-4c7f-b193-2dc7fcdc2592.html -
Propelled by Enthusiasm – and Deadlines
Ordinarily, I think I’m a pretty laid-back guy. When I’m not explosively angry, that is. But something happens to me when I write. Give me a word count and a deadline, and I’m like a lackadaisical Seabiscuit until he catches another horse coming up out of the corner of his eye. Word counts are shredded, the fabric of time is tested, and editors despair.
I just submitted 1600 words on Julian Grant’s new harpsichord concerto, “Vaudeville in Teal,” to be given its premiere by Mahan Esfahani and the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, March 7 & 8. On the same program with Stravinsky’s “Pulcinella?” You know I’ve got plenty to say.
The article is scheduled to appear in the community newspapers U.S. 1 and Princeton Echo next week. But it might just as easily be taking up all the memory in somebody’s inbox, crippling their account.
princetonsymphony.org -
Local Music Events to Brighten a Rainy Day
Looking for a little musical cheer on a rainy Sunday? Here are four musical events with local connections to enjoy.
The Bucks County-based ensemble La Fiocco – directed by Dr. Lewis Baratz, host of WWFM’s “Well-Tempered Baroque” – will host Early Music keyboard virtuoso Corina Marti. Marti will perform on a reconstruction of a hand-pumped portative organ, the clavisimbalum, and an early 16th century-type harpsichord. The program will include works by Francesco Landini, istampittas from anonymous English, Italian, and French sources, intabulations from the 15th century Faenza Codex, and pieces from the 16th century Amerbach Codex. The concert will be streamed from the neo-Romanesque St. Marienkirche in Basel, Switzerland. LINKS TO THE CONCERT AND ZOOM RECEPTION WILL BE SENT PRIOR TO THE PERFORMANCE, so if you’re interested, register ASAP! The concert will debut this afternoon at 3:00 EDT, and will be available on-demand through 4/17. For more information, visit lafiocco.org.
During an ordinary, Covid-free season, La Fiocco would be performing at 1867 Sanctuary Arts and Culture Center, in Ewing, NJ, or at Trinity Episcopal Church, Solebury, PA (near New Hope). Another ensemble that makes Solebury its home is Concordia Chamber Players. The ensemble’s artistic director, cellist Michelle Djokic, will be joined by violinist Siwoo Kim and violist Milena Pajaro-vande Stadt, in a concert filmed at ArtYard in Frenchtown, NJ. On the program will be works by Carlos Simon, Milad Yousufi, Igor Stravinsky, Johann Sebastian Bach, Zoltan Kodaly, Erno Dohnanyi, and Georges Enescu. The video will premiere at 5:00 EDT, and remain posted for your viewing and listening pleasure, at concordiaplayers.org.
On Friday, Princeton composer Julian Grant’s latest, a vocal chamber music work/pocket opera on the subject of a Russian folk tale, received its world premiere, courtesy of Harvard Musical Association. Grant’s “Salt” forms the centerpiece of a concert by Emmanuel Music that also includes plenty of Beethoven: 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 video is now posted. Grant’s piece begins about 48 minutes in, but, by all means, start at the beginning of the concert and enjoy the entire program! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCTXlzq_6Zk
Finally, if you’re in need of a lift, Princeton Symphony Orchestra brass provide a surge of hope and nobility via Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man.” The performance was recorded in Princeton’s Palmer Square. Watch it now, and turn that frown upside down, at princetonsymphony.org.
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Julian Grant’s “Salt” Premieres Online Free Concert
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
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