Julian Grant has extended an invitation to dance at the edge of the volcano.
I interviewed the Princeton composer in advance of two scheduled performances by the Princeton Symphony Orchestra of his concert work 五代同堂, or “Wu Dai Tong Tang” (Chinese for “Five Generations, One House”), which were to have taken place at Richardson Auditorium on March 21 & 22. Sadly, COVID-19 swept through New Jersey before the concerts could be given, and before my preview article could be printed. So Mr. Grant and I both eagerly await the Princeton premiere of 五代同堂 on some future season.
Happily, this was not the first of Grant’s pieces to be taken up by the PSO. In 2016, the orchestra performed “Is It Enough? Perhaps It Is…,” with its roots in an influential chorale setting by Johann Sebastian Bach, and in 2014, it tackled “Dances in the Dark.”
“Dances in the Dark” is the featured work on this week’s “At Home with the PSO.” Hear Julian Grant introduce his own music, read the program note, and then listen to the Princeton Symphony Orchestra performance:
https://princetonsymphony.org/home-pso/music-play-it-forward
Grant serves on the boards of both the PSO and Trenton Music Makers. As a composer, he has written 20 operas, in all shapes and sizes, including “Hot House,” which was performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 2012. His opera “The Nefarious, Immoral and Highly Profitable Enterprise of Mr. Burke & Mr. Hare” – about the infamous “resurrection men” who provided cadavers for dissection at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh in the 1820s – was given its premiere by Boston Lyric Opera in 2017.
五代同堂 is informed by his years living in Hong Kong, Beijing, China, and Tokyo. From 2002 to 2007, he also served as music director at St. Paul’s Girls’ School in London, a post previously held by Gustav Holst, Herbert Howells, and other notables.
“At Home with the PSO” is a gateway to original online content – performance webcasts, musicians’ recipes, photo albums, and more – with fresh material being introduced weekly.
While you’re at the PSO website, be sure to check out the Virtual Gallery. Explore artwork and creative writing by student participants of the PSO Bravo program by navigating a 3-D space. Click on the speakers located throughout the gallery to hear Saad Haddad’s Clarinet Concerto, the PSO co-commission that inspired the works adorning the virtual walls.
https://princetonsymphony.org/
Also, search under “Cooking with the PSO” to learn how to cook “Mushroom Beef Barley Soup” with violinist Margaret Banks. (More recipes archived at the bottom of the page.)
You can learn more about Julian Grant by visiting his website, juliangrant.net.
Further examples of his music are posted on his YouTube channel, easily reached by following this link:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzcaUueh5wi_gR_BREJ_JO6ghvKn614t7
