ASO adds a contemporary flavor to Mozart & Haydn at Troy Music Hall
Classical music, like every other arts organization relies on superstars to attract an audience.
This weekend’s Albany Symphony Orchestra program at the Troy Saving Bank Music Hall, features two works by Mozart. One features selections from his popular opera “The Marriage of Figaro.” The other is his “Piano Concerto No. 19”.
Adding to the superstar lure of the concert is the final piece on the program, Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Symphony No. 80.”
But, the ASO being the ASO and David Alan Miller being one of the country’s greatest advocates of contemporary composers there is also a world premiere by Harriet Steinke. “The Slow Movement,” a composition about 8-10-minutes long, will be the bridge from Mozart to Hayden.
In a recent telephone interview, Steinke said when commissioned for the piece, she put in a lot of thought as to what would best fit the program. She opted to offer something in contrast to what she describes as “the bubbly, rhythmically intense” of the masters.
“The Slow Movement” is a thoughtful and introspective work. Steinke says, “I find small simple things very beautiful. I love the challenge of making four chords repeated over and over in symphonic form sound new, different and engaging. Ten minutes of nothingness can feel as if you are moving and standing still at the same time.”
Without sounding bold, she compares her piece to the others on the program saying, “Haydn’s and Mozart’s music has so much going on it can be hard to get everything the first time you hear it. It’s so theatrical. Slow movements give you time to breath and think. They force you to look under the hood to see what is really going on.”
She makes another comparison between her and the other composers on the program. She happily points out that at one time they were also unknown. “Composers who are still alive are no different than those that came before. What all successful composers must have is the joy of developing music in all forms.”
As for David Alan Miller’s commitment to new work, she says, “Living and dead composers are equal at the Albany Symphony
Orchestra.”
Steinke is not only a living composer; she’s only 29 years old. If that sounds young, keep in mind Mozart was 29 when he composed “The Marriage of Figaro.” Local audiences might be familiar with her skills, as the ASO performed her composition, “Harrietlehre,” last season.
Academically, she has both a graduate degree in musical composition from Yale School of Music and well as a degree in English. She is now living in New Haven, Connecticut considering whether to pursue he doctorate in musical composition at Yale.
Too, her career is booming. She has remarkable credentials for a young,
American composer. Later this year, Steinke’s composition, “Rituals,” will be presented in Australia, Detroit and New York City. Also during 2024, she is having work premiered by Voyager Reed Quintet and the Civic Orchestra of New Haven.
Beyond being a composer, Steinke thinks of herself as a poet, saying her greatest joy comes from marrying words and music. Indeed, she has put Alessandra Lynch’s evocative poem “Hymnal” to music. It is a 50-minute, 10-song cycle that is scheduled to be performed several times this year.
A modest, thoughtful individual, Steinke recognizes the rarity of success at a young age. Perhaps, because of that viewpoint she sees the future as uncertain. She’s a realist and calls having a career as a modern classical composer “a tricky thing.”
She adds, “It’s not an easy career. It’s a unique calling in that music has to be your whole life. Like Mozart and Haydn, you must believe in yourself. Obviously, I cannot control how people hear my music. I have to have faith and trust in my abilities to touch others with my creations.”
“Steinke & Mozart & More From 1784” plays at the Troy Music Hall Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. For tickets and program information go to albanysymphony.com.