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Albany Symphony Receives Grammy Nomination

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Albany Symphony
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Albany Symphony
The Albany Symphony put out a record with two Christopher Theofanidis concertos — one for violin, and one for viola — earlier this year.";s:

In a challenging year for the performing arts, the Albany Symphony Orchestra got some good news this fall. It has been nominated for a Grammy for the fifth time in seven years. 

It’s a sound – and feeling – that a lot of us haven’t experienced in a while. In a year that has largely stifled the music industry, the ASO was nominated for its newly-released performance of Christopher Theofanidis’ “Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra” – a performance recorded way back in 2018, in a livelier Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.

Music Director David Alan Miller says he’s thrilled by the nomination (for “Best Classical Instrumental Solo”), particularly because it showcases new work.

“The famous works have been recorded so many times that it’s not really that critical for us to put those pieces out – but a new piece, unless we make it available, people won’t hear [it] or know it’s available," says Miller. 

Well, technically, Theofanidis wrote the concerto roughly 20 years ago – but the ASO version marks its first recording. It’s an occasionally sparse piece, with pregnant pauses and a quiet, steady drumbeat, but it brings a sense of tumultuous grandeur. Theofanidis says the initial inspiration came from a collection of Navajo poetry given to him by American violist Kim Kashkashian around 2001 – pieces filled with stark depictions of nature, from sweeping landscapes to powerful storms.

He figured that imagery would get lighter as the piece went on – but three movements in, life took Theofanidis in another direction: he was living in midtown Manhattan during 9/11, and says it left a palpable mark on the piece. He took a break from writing for a while, and when he came back, it became more about balance.  

"There are very few viola concertos in the world...And so it really was kind of like this great celebration of this somewhat underappreciated solo instrument."

"There was a service at Yankee Stadium [after 9/11]. There was this Sikh singer who sang this beautiful melody which sounded neither positive nor negative," he explains, stopping to sing a phrase. “It’s something that kind of stays centered in the middle of a range. It’s kinda still, in a way…I used that tune as basis for the third movement of the piece, and kind of tried to find balance in the middle of this storm.”

The third movement, “The Center of the Sky,” provides the closest thing to levity in the 31-minute piece, a brief period of reflection before the ASO and Korean-American violist Richard O’Neill dive back into the storm. While the piece was originally written for Kashkashian, Miller says he was thrilled to work with O’Neill, something of a classical “movie star” in South Korea.  

“He’s incredibly dramatic, occasionally savage. He just rips into the instrument and plays it with such virtuosity, and impetuously, in a way," says Miller. "You know, you look at a piece, and depending on who’s playing it, it can sound hot or it can sound sort of medium — and he just turned up the heat.” 

This isn’t the first time the ASO has been nominated for “Best Classical Instrumental Solo” — in fact, the symphony won in 2013 for its recording of John Corigliano’s “Concerto for Percussionist and String Orchestra.” This year, Miller says the ASO is up against some of the greatest orchestras in the world, including the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Boston Symphony. It’s an honor to be nominated, for sure, but Miller says the piece already stands out by putting the viola front and center.

“I think because of that middle range, composers seldom gravitate to it as a solo instrument. So there are very few viola concertos in the world, there are really only two or three really famous ones from the 20th century," Miller explains. "And so it really was kind of like this great celebration of this somewhat underappreciated solo instrument.”  

Despite the pandemic, the Albany Symphony has been keeping busy. In addition to releasing this performance, the ASO’s “Dogs of Desire” ensemble premiered 10 new pieces over the summer. Most recently, the symphony has been recording scaled-back performances from Saratoga Springs’ Universal Preservation Hall and airing them online.

As for Theofanidis, he’s writing about another tumultuous period in American history.

“I’ve been writing music which has a certain intensity to it, I would say – and then the other half of what I do, is I teach composition," he adds. "That has been really rewarding, because it’s also about connecting with other people’s artistic experience, and trying to figure out where the sparks are in this period.”

The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards are set for January 31. You can check out the rest of the nominees here

 

Other nominees for "Best Classical Instrumental Solo" include: 

Jesse King is the host of WAMC's national program on women's issues, "51%," and the station's bureau chief in the Hudson Valley. She has also produced episodes of the WAMC podcast "A New York Minute In History."
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