In Sunday’s (10/2) Grand Rapids Press (Michigan), John Phipps writes, “For the third straight year, the world premiere of original music with local roots recognizing ArtPrize will be a key feature in the season kickoff of the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Rising Stars series. ‘ArtPrize Triptych,’ a three-part work about 18 minutes long, was composed by three members of the symphony, each responsible for one movement to be inspired by artwork or a medium that could be part of the ArtPrize competition. … Along with Ottorino Respighi’s ‘Trittico Botticelliano’ (Three Botticelli Pictures) and Schubert’s Symphony No. 3, the Triptych completes a strong lineup of colorful, aurally interesting works. … The first movement, ‘A Teapot,’ could be described as a ‘tone-photo,’ said clarinetist [Joel] Schekman. He set out to render as sound the many colors, shapes, textures and even emotions surrounding his shooting of a photograph in New York City. Oboist [Alexander] Miller’s second movement, ‘Encaustic for Solo Clarinet and Orchestra,’ uses the warm tones of the clarinet—played in the premiere by principal clarinetist Suzanna Bratton—to represent encaustic, a process of painting with hot, colored wax. … The final movement is ‘Taking Shape,’ by principal timpanist [Shannon] Wood, inspired by the use of water as an art medium.”
Posted October 4, 2011
