The Pulitzer citation called it "a deeply engaging piece that combines flowing lyricism with dazzling virtuosity". On the surface, it appears to be a simple formula: Higdon writes music that audiences like to hear and musicians find gratifying to play. The Concerto for Orchestra put the composer on the musical map and serves as a thrilling link to the mid-century masterworks that inspired it. Violin Concerto: II - Jennifer Higdon 3. Pulitzer Prize- and three-time Grammy Award-winning composer Jennifer Higdon is one of America's most frequently performed living composers. Jimnez, Alexander (committee member) 12:06 AM Symphony Composer: Luigi Boccherini . Piano Concerto #2 (1963) - Leon Kirchner 6. The concerto was co-commissioned by the Indianapolis Symphony and debuted in 2009 with the orchestra and Hilary Hahn as the soloist. Composer Jennifer Higdon has won the Pulitzer Prize for music for her Violin Concerto, making her one of the few women to have won the country's top classical music prize. Gramophone is brought to you by Mark Allen Group Not jarring juxtapositions of slow and fast but with smooth but very noticeable slowing down at times which, as he put it, preserve a steady rhythm without a steady tempo. This colourful, ever-changing instrumental panoply is doubtless one reason why the work makes an instant impression Higdon's work is traditionally rooted yet imbued with integrity, freshness and a desire to entertain. Higdon, who holds a teaching post at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, has received commissions from major orchestras around the country, including the Atlanta Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony.This has been an especially rewarding year for the composer. The good news is that the different voices can be heard without drowning one another out, which is one of the exciting things about this piece. She loved both Hahn's low and high notes. 157 ("Ich lasse dich nicht, du segnest mich denn") for a funeral service in Leipzig; 1813 - Rossini: opera "Tancredi," in Venice at the Teatro La Fenice; 1851 - R. Schumann: Symphony No. At times at least the concerto also struck me as not unlike music of the English pastoral school (think Vaughan Williams' 8th symphony, for example but not as though she were quoting and when I said this to Higdon she did not blanch. [6] She also often uses scalar passages to add melodic or harmonic context to the music. Lets start with melody, and the understanding that her music is not, in fact, chock-a-block with hummable tunes (though she certainly knows how to write those). The composer recalls hearing almost no classical music in her childhood; instead, her musical diet consisted of The Beatles, Bob Marley, folk and bluegrass. This is Higdons runaway hit; since its premiere at Curtis in 2000, it has been performed more than 500 times. I basically started from the very, very beginning. The work was jointly commissioned by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Curtis Institute of Music. Higdon makes her living from commissions and her music is . Lawdon Press is pleased to announce this new recording of Concerto 4-3. Jennifer Higdon (b. Jennifer Higdon (b. Higdon has won three GRAMMY awards for Best Contemporary Classical Composition: first for her Percussion Concerto in 2010, in 2018 for her Viola Concerto, and in 2020 for her Harp Concerto. Christina L. Reitz, "Jennifer Higdon", The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012). This is very much a concerto for violin and (large) orchestra, in that the woodwinds, brass, percussion and other strings all have interesting things to say, often at the same time the line of the soloist is presenting something else. I turned on my cellphone and I had all these messages and I thought that was unusual, she said. [13] Her most popular work is blue cathedral, a one-movement tone poem which she wrote in memory of her brother, who died of cancer in 1998. 1726 happens to be the street address of The Curtis Institute of Music. Jennifer Koh, violin (soloist). Violin Concerto 4 Gyrgy Ligeti Violin Concerto 1990 Play 16. See About archive blog posts. Which American composer is associated with neo-Romanticism? 1962) Violin Concerto (Hilary Hahn, vn; Royal Liverpool Philharmonic; Vasily Petrenko, cond.) The solo part/piano reduction set for Higdon's newest flute work is available now. Find Jennifer Higdon composition information on AllMusic AllMusic. "Jennifer Higdon's vivid, attractive works have made her a hot commodity lately," wrote Steve Smith of the New York Times. February 28, 2023 Mannes Orchestra Performs at Alice Tully Hall and More Events This March at The New School. true Jennifer Higdon's title blue cathedral refers to Higdon's younger brother's name Atlanta Symphony Orchestra / Robert Spano. Listen to music by Jennifer Higdon on Apple Music. Find top songs and albums by Jennifer Higdon, including Barcarole (Seven Mad Gods Who Rule the Sea): III. In its citation, the Pulitzer board described the piece as deeply engaging and said that it combines flowing lyricism with dazzling virtuosity., Higdon said she wrote the concerto with Hahn in mind and that the piece is meant to show off her gifts.. Her orchestral work Blue Cathedral is one of the most performed contemporary orchestral works in the U.S. [1], She wrote her first opera based on Charles Frazier's 1997 novel, Cold Mountain with a libretto by Gene Scheer. It is available for streaming on Amazon Music and Apple Music. Jennifer Higdon : James Button, oboe Giancarlo Guerrero / Nashville Symphony : Naxos 8.559823 : Buy 10:13 pm : The Dharma at Big Sur : John Adams : Tracy Silverman, electric violin John Adams / BBC Symphony Orchestra : Nonesuch 79857 : Buy 10:00 pm : Les Moutons de Panurge : Frederic Rzewski : Eighth Blackbird : Cedille 84 : Buy Jennifer Higdon 's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra was written in 2008. Jennifer Higdon (born December 31, 1962) is an American composer of classical music and composition teacher. (I must add that while some critics discern Coplands influence in this movement, I hear Debussy as channelled through Joni Mitchell; odd, yes, but it works beautifully.) Her early background in percussion likely influenced her rhythmic style; her music often features complex, intricate rhythmic passages, even when melodies are lyrical. 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She has explained her philosophy partly as a reaction to the anything-goes happenings she experienced through her fathers artistic interests, her grounding in the steady rhythms of popular music, and also the dogged determination she felt she needed in order to make up for her own late start. Higdon earned an Artist's Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with David Loeb and Ned Rorem and taught the future virtuoso Hilary Hahn. Contents Its unmissable in Exaltation of Larks (2005) for string quartet, though dabbed with French Impressionist colours, and also in parts of The Singing Rooms (2007) for violin, chorus, and orchestra, one of the composers most affecting works. The first movement of this concerto, written for the violinist, Hilary Hahn, carries a somewhat enigmatic title of 1726. This number represents an important aspect of such a journey of discovery, for both the composer and the soloist. 2023 GRAMMY WINNER! Jennifer Higdon's style, however, is direct and imaginative, filled with unique harmonic colors, solid thematic development, and a subtle and intimate lyricism. Indeed, the climaxes are carefully placed, not just within the individual movements but in the work as a whole, which forms a shapely and satisfying dramatic arc. Jennifer Higdon. At about the same time, she picked up a flute her mother had bought, and she began teaching herself to play using an old flute method book. . Higdon won the annual Pulitzer Prize for Music for her Violin Concerto (Lawdon Press), which premiered February 6, 2009, in Indianapolis. Pulitzer Prize and three-time Grammy-winner Jennifer Higdon (b. Brooklyn, NY, December 31, 1962) taught herself to play flute at the age of 15 and began formal musical studies at 18, with an even later start in composition at the age of 21. Starting a piece is the worst, says Higdon, and that can stretch from one day to three weeks of agony. Sonorities at first familiar . The excitement of the first movements intensity certainly deserves the calm and pensive relaxation of the second movement. Higdon is one of five composers commissioned by violinist Joshua Bell for a five-movement suite for violin and orchestra. Reviewing the New York City premiere, Allan Kozinn of The New York Times wrote, "Its big, exploratory opening movement is packed with quick, insistent solo lines and dialogues between the violin and either the full orchestra or individual sections or players; its lush, slow movement (here in the form of a chaconne) exploits the violin's lyrical qualities, and its finale is driven by daredevil speediness. Many of her works begin with a sparse orchestration, and build in performing forces as a piece continues, creating variety and interest throughout a given piece of music. Harmonically, Higdon's music tends to use tonal structures, but eschews traditional harmonic progressions in favor of more open intervals. Higdon makes her living from commissions and her music is known for its technical skill and audience appeal. Williams, M. B. H. (2010). From 1994 to 2021, Higdon was a professor of composition at the Curtis Institute of Music, where she held the Milton L. Rock Chair in Compositional Studies. [1] The second movement, entitled 'Chaconni', has a pastoral feel, vaguely reminiscent of Vaughan Williams but with the lark ascending into a more unsettled sky. Check out this recent article in the New York Times. Part concerto, part choral song-cycle,The Singing Roomis one of Higdons most ingenious and affecting creations. Violin Concerto: I - Jennifer Higdon 2. Higdon was born in Brooklyn, New York. Please see the Use and Reproduction field in this objects record below for more information about re-use of this item. Higdon says she found out that she had won the Pulitzer after noticing that she suddenly had a lot of messages on her cell phone. The piece stands as a major contribution to the violin concerto repertoire and, although it is . "[9] While at Bowling Green, she met Robert Spano, who was teaching a conducting course there and who became one of the champions of Higdon's music in the American orchestral community. Higdon received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin Concerto, with the committee citing the work as "a deeply engaging piece that combines flowing lyricism with dazzling virtuosity." This song sets a text by Walt Whitman, from When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd. Spiral bound score, 14 p. . The opening of the concerto uses harmonics, a technique Higdon heard while listening to Hahn's recording of the Violin Concerto by Arnold Schoenberg. In the latter work, Higdon goes to great lengths to provide the soloist with long stretches of soft, melodic music (mostly for vibraphone and marimba) which acts as a welcome foil for the obligatory, drum-heavy fireworks one (rightly) expects in a percussion extravaganza. Congratulations, Jennifer!" Higdon's Violin Concerto is the first orchestral score by a self-published composer to receive this accolade which also includes a cash prize of ten thousand dollars. Because of her lack of formal training at an early age, Higdon struggled to catch up early in her college career. explore; Pierrot ensemble chamber ensemble comprising flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano, often percussion and sometimes with voice named after Schoenberg's pioneering work . Composer: Jennifer Higdon Soloists: Jennifer Koh - violin , Reiko Uchida - piano Cedille 103. Her music is published exclusively by Lawdon Press. Jennifer Higdon's musical background has influenced her in many unique ways. 35 4 Karol Szymanowski Violin Concerto 1916 Play 15. On the occasions where she has set non-English texts, she tends to use both the text and translation in the piece, allowing the piece to more effectively communicate its message. "I jumped up and down a little," confesses Higdon - and that probably scared her cats, too. I was not alert enough to clock time to note the duration of the concerto accurately, but my estimate is a bit longer than half an hour. Rene Orth's "10 Days in a Madhouse" will be given its world premiere on Sept. 21 in the opening of the company's O23 Festival, and Jennifer Higdon's "Woman with Eyes Closed" has been . 35. Violin ConcertoII. Jennifer Higdon's Violin Concerto, addressing concerns of linear and contrapuntal development, along with the harmonic language employed in this movement, to prove that these traits are at the heart of Higdon's compositional voice and are what make her works accessible, yet engaging. Shes won a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy Award. [1] It was composed for the violinist Hilary Hahn and was given its world premiere by Hahn and . Ones never really sure what might come next, though at the same time, the various ideas are woven together expertly theres a strong feeling of structural integrity. The piece stands as a major contribution to the violin concerto repertoire and, although it is impossible to predict so early into the twenty-first century, has the makings of becoming a landmark work for the instrument. Violin ConcertoI. In 2018, Higdon received the Eddie Medora King Award from the University of Texas at Austin. 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