Daugherty: Harp of Ages. Courtney Hershey Bress, harpist; Andrew Litton, conductor; Colorado Symphony. Naxos 9.70365.
I used to hate postmodernism. All of it. You see, I had the unfortunate experience of learning about it in graduate school, where it was presented to me in the most off-puttingly academic way possible. The texts of philosophers like Derrida, Foucault, etc. (as far as I learned about them) struck me as nonsense. They still do. And to this day I haven't developed much love for the edgier postmodernists (or postmodernism) in art and music. The soup can images by Andy Warhol are fairly harmless, but they also bore me. I'm also not a fan of shock stuff, nor even the of earlier minimalist music from the 60s by composers like Terry Riley and Steve Reich. The former's In C is chuckle-worthy at first, but ultimately lame to my sensibility. And works like It's Gonna Rain irritate me to no end. Even Philip Glass's Einstein on the Beach tests my patience. Philosophically, the 60s have much to answer for.
But eventually I came to appreciate ways in which different cultural, often pop-influenced elements could be tastefully presented within the same frame. Another way of saying this is that I made peace with the softer varieties of postmodernism, particularly when they try to capture a certain pluralist experience of recent times without resorting to Dada-influenced chaos or preachy moral relativism. I date this shift in my thinking to John Corigliano's visit to the University of Illinois in 2006 or 2007 (I forget which), coinciding with my time there as a doctoral student. After sitting in on his master class for the university's student composers (an EXTREMELY eye-opening experience of which I might say more on another occasion), I had the opportunity to speak with him and attend the concert that was the center-piece of his visit. The main composition on the program was his recently-completed Third Symphony (for band), which bears the title Circus Maximus. With it he connects the experience of entertainment in the decadent Roman Empire to that of our own in the contemporary West. This music (and particularly the clever, collage-like movement entitled "Channel Surfing") thrilled us in the audience. Moreover, it showed me how communicatively effective elements of postmodernism could be in certain settings.
But Michael Daugherty still remained a hang-up for me. You see, for a long time I knew nothing of his music because of another unfortunate experience in graduate school. As an impressionable, 23-year-old master's student at the University of Wisconsin, I heard some classmates ridiculing his compositions as fluffy, hokey, and not worthy of serious consideration. Certain other superficial impressions (which I won't get into here) seemed to reinforce that verdict. For some dumb reason, this was all I needed not to listen to any Daugherty for many years. This has been my loss For while not everything I have heard equally wins me over, it's now clear that I spent too long missing out on his own effective brand of compelling eclecticism.
And 'compelling eclecticism' is definitely how I would describe Daugherty's recent harp concerto, titled Harp of Ages. The gist of it is best apprehended directly from the composer's own program note, taken from his website: "The harp is one of the oldest and most beautiful instruments, from early civilizations to the present. Like the seven pedals on the modern harp, my concerto is divided into seven movements that reflect on many ages of the harp. Each movement is associated with a memorable figure associated with the harp." He goes on to list each of these movements, and the figures upon which they are based: Sappho (seventh century BC), Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz (1648-1695), Nyoata Uhura (ca. 23rd century, fictional), David (ca. 1000 BC, ancient Israelite shepherd and king), Harpo Marx (1888-1954), Dorothy Ashby (1932-1986) and Alice Coltrane (1937-2007), and the harp as the symbol of Ireland (the movement is called "Irish Wedding"). The whole thing lasts approximately 30 minutes.
On paper alone it's a neat idea – all the more so in connection with a harp concerto. But I didn't expect the listening experience to be quite as affecting as it is. Daugherty is extremely adept at using melody and instrumentation to create palpable atmospheres. While I liked some movements better than others, each is entirely convincing...as is the music's drawing upon different traditions within a unified whole. Often this entails quoting well-known tunes (I particularly relished the references to Star Trek's main theme in the Uhura music!). Probably my favorite portion is "David's Prayer," annotated by Daugherty as follows: "young shepherd from the Old Testament who played the harp to soothe the spirits of King Saul." This is spellbinding music. In my mind I instantly conjured a vivid image of the young man David, ancestor of Jesus, playing harp while tending his father's flocks in the hills...and having no idea that the prophet Samuel would anoint him king one day. The aesthetic experience was something like this scene from Ben-Hur, accompanied by Miklós Rózsa's likewise radiant music.
Undoubtedly the most impressive point in Harp of Ages craft-wise is the "Irish Wedding" finale. This uses two outside themes as its basis: the well-known Irish song "The Minstrel Boy," and Johann Sebastian Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." Daugherty weaves a formally rich stretch from them that rivets the listener for the duration. Especially clever is how he recognizes both the jig-like properties of Jesu AND its frequent appearances at weddings, and thereby subsumes it into the imagined setting of an Irish nuptial. We even get a few nods to the Lohengrin bridal chorus toward the end. This is music that is unabashedly intended to communicate to mass audiences who share a common cultural inheritance with the composer, the performers, and each other. Very refreshing stuff!
This whole work, then, is another fine example of Good Postmodernism: recognizing our specific time in history without getting arrogant or despondent about it. Using eclecticism to bring people together instead of alienate them or cast equal cultural aspersion. Letting go of the conceits of modernism and replacing them with a healthier spirit of outreach. Composing from the heart and letting the intellect follow and support.
The recording's performers also gave the world premiere in May of 2023. Harpist Courtney Hershey Bress impresses with her virtuosity and stamina. Andrew Litton and the Colorado Symphony capably dispatch their many tasks: while this is a harp concerto, Daugherty calls on many members of the orchestra to fulfill special roles. Congratulations to all involved!
Highly Recommended
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