In Friday’s (11/27) Salt Lake Tribune (Utah), Catherine Reese Newton previews Nico Muhly’s Control: Five Landscapes for Orchestra, “which the Utah Symphony and music director Thierry Fischer will premiere and record Dec. 4 and 5 as part of an initiative spotlighting American composers…. Utah’s landscapes and their relationship with its people fascinate the Vermont-born Muhly. His first impression of the Beehive State [at age 11] was the cover photo on a recording of Olivier Messiaen’s ‘From the Canyons to the Stars,’ which was inspired by the French composer’s visit to Bryce Canyon…. Muhly attended several Utah Symphony rehearsals and performances…. He admired … the playing of [Utah Symphony] principal cellist Rainer Eudeikis, so he made sure to give Eudeikis a solo moment; he noticed that ‘the percussionists are all super outdoorsy,’ so he wrote athletic passages for percussion…. The upcoming performances in Abravanel Hall will incorporate a visual presentation created by Joshua Higgason…. ‘Control’ is in five sections: ‘Landform,’ which depicts large geologic structures; ‘Mountain,’ a mountain landscape in summer; ‘Beehive,’ Muhly’s nod to the state symbol and the industriousness it represents; ‘Petroglyph & Tobacco,’ the harsh environment where the region’s indigenous people have thrived; and ‘Red Dust.’ ”
Posted December 1, 2015
