Curated isn’t just for museums!

October 22, 2024

What does it mean when a concert is “curated” – and what does it mean for you when you sit down to enjoy that concert?

The word curated refers to something that is (according to Webster’s dictionary): carefully chosen and thoughtfully organized or presented.

So, how does this work with a concert? There are several ways this works and each conductor has his/her own way of approaching it.  Some will select music for a concert based on a genre, era, or some other criteria that make a nice fit.  Once the concert is programed, they may leave the it up to the audience to discover the connections.  It is true that a concert can simply be an evening of beautiful music played for the audience!

I tend to do something slightly different.

Because much of the music I program and conduct is choral music that includes text, I usually start with an idea about the experience I want people to have and remember.  This process almost always brings to mind a piece or pieces of music that will become my starting point. By the way, sometimes these initial pieces don’t make it to the final concert program!

Once I start on this path, I’ll go through a number of pieces of music and, as I select them, I start to look at the way each of connects with the other.  Let me show you…

On November 9, you’ll hear a setting of The Dying Soldier, which is an American poem set to music and arranged by two exceptional choral conductors, Nigel Short and Mack Wilberg. What I love about this piece is the way that the voices provide a subtle and wordless accompaniment for the baritone soloist.  At the end, the piece almost disappears as the final chorus finishes. Take a listen:

This quiet ending will give way to the fairly dramatic opening of the next piece, A Farewell to Arms, by the British composer Gerald Finzi.  I’m not going to spoil the surprise of this juxtaposition – you’ll need to come on November 9 to experience it!  Instead, I’ll share the second movement of this work, which is a setting of a poem by George Peele and deals with a warrior reflecting on his life – his weapons, once used for war have now become farming implements and he realizes that the battle he now fights is against a foe that cannot be defeated… time!