2 mins
Feeling dandy
COMPOSER Nathalie Joachim
WORK HadtoBe
ARTISTS Seth Parker Woods (vc) Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra/Timothy Myers
DATE 1 June 2024
PLACE Charleston Gaillard Center, Charleston, SC, US bitly.ws/3ihnY
Seth Parker Woods
Nathalie Joachim
WOODS PHOTO BEN GIBBS. JOACHIM PHOTO ERIN PATRICE O’BRIEN
The starting point was a conversation with Seth about the Black dandyism movement,’ says Haitian–‘The American composer Nathalie Joachim about her new cello concerto Had to Be for US cellist Seth Parker Woods. ‘African American men appropriated European fashion by subverting preconceived understandings of Black manhood.’ These ideas of subverting expectations inspired a concerto that pays homage to the African diaspora and Black musical styles.
The first movement, ‘Homegoing’, begins with an off-stage brass band playing a hymn-like passage. It evokes the Haitian funeral procession and takes its title from the colloquial name for the ceremony in Black American communities. ‘The music starts from a place of collectivity, subverting the notion of a concerto itself,’ says Joachim. The cello then emerges with a melody ‘akin to a gospel solo vocalist’. The second movement, ‘Flare’, brings ‘the audacity of jazz’ in its rhythms, and the two-against-three polyrhythms of West African music. ‘The orchestral writing shifts rhythmic proportions and really forces them to swing, and not just like a caricature of jazz.’ It is accompanied by ‘big colourful statements’, with the solo cello part dancing alongside the orchestra.
In the third movement, ‘With Grace’, melodies are gradually layered over each other. ‘Mantras and prayer come through in African diasporic music,’ says Joachim. ‘It’s the idea of ruminating on a single idea for a long time to invoke transcendence.’ The music ultimately reaches a full tutti moment followed by a unison ostinato by the vibraphone and piano. The cello makes a heavenly ascent and eventually disappears ‘like smoke rising’. ‘Seth really shines in lyrical playing, and he is also a fantastic chamber musician,’ adds Joachim. ‘I wanted to play to those strengths in this concerto.’
Woods says about the piece: ‘Had to Be is a homage to radical joy, disruption and community, rooted and backed by the Black dandyism movement. Joachim has created a dense and colourful playground for me to get lost in and I cannot wait for audiences to hear and witness it!’
TOUR OF DUTY: The Kyiv Camerata, Ukraine’s leading chamber ensemble, made its first visit to the US in over 25 years in April. The 24-member group performed the North American premieres of works by several Ukrainian composers on the tour, which lasted from 26 April to 4 May. Mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and the Ukrainian Chorus DUMKA of New York joined the ensemble for its concert at Carnegie Hall on 28 April. ‘This is a great way to make a loud statement about the ensemble, Ukrainian culture and Ukrainian music, now more than ever,’ said double bassist Nazarii Stets, ‘because it’s also a method of fighting – a fight for freedom, a fight for identity.’ Photo: courtesy USA for Ukraine