Blue cathedral
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about". blue cathedral is an orchestral composition by the American composer Jennifer Higdon. The work was commissioned by the Curtis Institute of Music in 1999 to commemorate the conservatory's 75th anniversary.[1] It was first performed in 2000 by the Curtis Institute of Music Symphony Orchestra.[2] The piece is dedicated to the memory of Higdon's brother and is one of the composer's most performed works.[3][4][5][6]
Composition
blue cathedral has a duration of roughly 13 minutes and is composed in a single movement.
Background
The piece was written in memory of Higdon's younger brother, Andrew Blue Higdon, who died of skin cancer in June 1998. The composer wrote in the score program note:Template:Quote Higdon later described the process of composing blue cathedral as "the most cathartic thing [she] could have done."[3]
Instrumentation
The work is scored for an orchestra comprising two flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), oboe, cor anglais, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, harp, piano, celesta, timpani, three percussionists, and strings.[1]
Reception
blue cathedral has received a positive response from critics. Tim Smith of The Baltimore Sun lauded, "The music seems to emit and reflect light as it moves from stillness to exuberance and back again, tapering off ethereally. If you didn't know the personal story behind it, the music could still touch your heart; when you do know that story, it can touch your soul."[7] David Patrick Stearns of The Philadelphia Inquirer also praised the piece, writing:Template:Quote Travis Rivers of The Spokesman-Review similarly remarked:Template:Quote
Recording
A recording of blue cathedral, performed by Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, was released in 2003 through Telarc. The disk also featured Christopher Theofanidis's Rainbow Body, Samuel Barber's Symphony in One Movement, and Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring.[8][9]
See also
References
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- ^ a b Higdon, Jennifer (2000). blue cathedral: Program Note Script error: No such module "webarchive".. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Stearns, David Patrick (December 1, 2003). "Higdon's 'blue cathedral' still sounds fresh Grief and hope mingle in the Philadelphia composer's work, which had its orchestra debut". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Schweitzer, Vivien (April 21, 2010). "Despite Anxiety and Naysayers, Composer Wins Her Pulitzer". The New York Times. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lobb, Annelena (November 26, 2005). "Jennifer Higdon". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Druckenbrod, Andrew (November 2, 2005). "Higdon poured grief into 'blue cathedral'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Huizenga, Tom (September 18, 2012). "Why The Atlanta Symphony Matters: Five Recordings For The Lockout". Deceptive Cadence. NPR. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Smith, Tim (September 27, 2014). "Alsop, BSO make case for Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 1". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Freymann-Weyr, Jeffrey (July 8, 2003). "Christopher Theofanidis: 'Rainbow Body'". NPR. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Farach-Colton, Andrew (September 2003). "Rainbow Body: A vibrantly programmed and played mix of old and new that flatters all concerned". Gramophone. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
