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Seattle Symphony's Made in America Festival To Feature Joseph Schwantner's September Canticle

May. 01, 2006

Joseph SchwantnerThe Seattle Symphony, under the music direction of Gerard Schwarz, has assembled a fascinating array of contemporary programming for their Made in America Festival: Part II, taking place from May 6-20, 2006. Joseph Schwantner's September Canticle, a poignant and searing reflection on the events of September 11, 2001, will be performed by the symphony on May 18. Gerard Schwarz notes:

I have known Joe Schwantner since the beginning of our respective careers, and I have always held great admiration for his marvelous compositions. I commissioned and premiered a work of his, and played numerous other pieces over the years. As we were planning our Made in America festival highlighting living American composers, my charge was to program musically significant pieces. During extensive research, I came across dozens of works, written with great craft, that I thought the audience would appreciate. But I was also looking for works that were personal, that had great musical insights and depth—works that I believed would have a long-lasting life. September Canticle is one such work. It is a masterpiece, not because of the subject matter, which in itself is very poignant, but because of the depth of the music itself. It is a great joy for me to conduct the work of Joseph Schwantner, and I'm especially excited about this magnificent opus.

When asked about the programming ideas behind this year's Made in America Festival, Schwarz continued:

Building on the artistic success of last year's festival which celebrated American symphonists, we're pushing the musical envelope even further this year, presenting the best in new American music. I've chosen works that I consider to be important works by living American composers, with George Perle being the elder statesman, and including six under the age of 40. Many have taken different creative paths but all with passion, imagination and depth.

For more information about the Seattle Symphony's Made in America Festival please visit www.seattlesymphony.org. For more information about September Canticle and Joseph Schwantner please visit www.schott-music.com. The recording of Joseph Schwantner's September Canticle (Hyperion CDA67493) can be found at music shops throughtout the country, as well as on www.amazon.com

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