“The Seattle Symphony gave a special one-off concert last weekend, part of its Sonic Evolution series,” writes Thomas May on Tuesday (6/10) at his blog Memeteria. “A trio of young (or youngish) composers”— Luís Tinoco, Du Yun, and Gabriel Prokofiev—“was commissioned to write original orchestral pieces responding in some way … to musical figures linked culturally or biographically with Seattle.… The pairing of [rapper] Sir Mix-A-Lot and [Music Director Ludovic] Morlot represents a rare moment of cultural credibility that you don’t get with business as usual.… So why have some people gotten so riled up over the orchestra sharing the stage with Sir Mix-A-Lot and a bevy of eagerly dancing women? This was one part of the program, and the spirit overall seemed genuinely joyful; certainly the musicians appeared to be having fun with the playfulness of it…. I admire the Seattle Symphony and Morlot’s willingness to take these kinds of risks.… They honestly are walking the talk, putting into action the themes that had just been discussed at this year’s League of American Orchestras Conference, which had wrapped up earlier that day in Seattle: the need to rethink how our orchestras can connect with their local audiences and how the concert experience itself can be innovated, can become an event that leaves a mark.”
Posted June 11, 2014
