Teddy Abrams, composer, Musical America’s 2022 Conductor of the Year, and 2023 Grammy winner (with Yuja Wang for The American Project) will be captivating audiences this weekend at The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, with a program entitled New World Symphony.
As a multifaceted artist, Abrams sees his art forms as inextricably linked. “I would say that composition and conducting are very tightly linked for me, because they each provide a way into the task at hand,” said Abrams. “Composing gives you a deep insight into the creative process that generates the scores that you would then study as a conductor, and vice versa. Conducting gives you an insight into the way one needs to interpret a piece of music to make it successful for the players…As a conductor I’m constantly thinking as a composer, I’m analyzing scores, asking myself ‘Why are the notes arranged in the way that they are? Why is the structure generated in the manner that it is, and what was trying to be communicated?’…And then similarly, while I’m writing music, I’m asking, ‘As a conductor, how can I make this music most accessible to the musicians, so that it immediately sounds the way that I’m dreaming?’ Those two elements of music making are, for me, intricately linked.”
Abrams will lead the BPO in a compelling musical journey featuring two contrasting yet emotionally resonant pieces: Michael Tilson Thomas’s From the Diary of Anne Frank and Antonin Dvořák’s From the New World. “I would say that this is a perfectly balanced concert. This is the kind of concert that offers what actually Tilson Thomas would describe as the essential ingredients in a program, something exciting, something adventurous, and something reaffirming. And that doesn’t mean three pieces, that just means three ingredients, like the essential flavors or tastes that you would want to balance in a meal that you’re preparing.”
The first half of the program, From the Diary of Anne Frank, was composed by the aforementioned former BPO Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas. This evocative musical narration brings to life the poignant words of Anne Frank, offering a deeply moving tribute to her indomitable spirit and enduring legacy.
“Most of us have all read The Diary of Anne Frank, and understand the importance of that work from a literary perspective. What Tilson Thomas has done, by setting passages of the diary to music, is given the piece a dramatic life, where you feel the weight of history, [and] the heaviness of the circumstances behind her life and death are apparent and luminous. You also feel, perhaps even more strikingly than you might from just reading the text, the joy and life and energy of this young girl who was writing these powerful words…” Abrams adds,
It’s a very powerful piece of music that I think deserves to have a major place in the standard repertoire. This is a piece of music that that should be played regularly, especially when considering the challenges of the present day.
With its haunting melodies and powerful storytelling, From the Diary of Anne Frank serves as a reminder of the importance of remembrance and the resilience of the human spirit.
In stark contrast to the somber tones of Thomas’s composition, the BPO will also perform Dvořák’s From the New World. “From the New World Symphony is, of course, one of the great symphonies of all time,” shared Abrams. “It’s one of the most recognizable, most tuneful works. It has a powerful connection to our own country. It’s kind of rare that the European master composers of the Romantic era found inspiration in America.,
There are examples here and there, but this is the most prominent one, where Dvořák wrote this piece as a demonstration of what American composers might eventually do to use the music of their own people and and the music of their own communities as inspiration for a kind of national American sound, and he wrote this piece essentially as a gift to our country, guiding the way for composers to find unique voices. And you think about people like Dvořák that inspired generations like Gershwin, and Copeland, and Bernstein, leading up to people like Michael Tilson Thomas. So there’s this beautiful through line in this music where you find a person who comes to America, and tries to hold up a model of what American music might be with Dvořák and then with Tilson Thomas.
The combination of these two contrasting pieces highlights the breadth and depth of the human experience, from the darkest depths of tragedy to the soaring heights of hope and inspiration. “It’s a deeply inspiring program. It’s a program that is not afraid to confront the serious and profound issues of our time, but it’s also one that will leave you with tremendous melody and real joy…and I think that those are the kind of programs that we need right now. Real programs, serious programs, but also ones that they feel like they bind community and give everyone a sense of unity.”
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra presents New World Symphony at Kleinhans Music Hall on Saturday, February 17 at 7:30 PM and Sunday, February 18 at 2:30 PM. Tickets are available here.