The name is absent

97

communicate with her music: not a particular story or theme, but a more abstract notion
of life and the world around her.

The Viola Sonata is not the only instrumental work from the past decade that
Larsen has written without a story or influence. Many critics recognize her String
Symphony (1999) as a defining piece in Larsen’s “new” style. When the Minnesota
Orchestra commissioned it, the only parameter was that it was to “signal her next phase
as she headed into her 5Oth year.”⁸ Asadour Santourian and Eiji Oue⁹ both felt that her
work had matured since her original residency with the orchestra, and “wanted a piece
that reflected her inward life rather than her outward, socially conscious concerns.”¹⁰

With her String Symphony the composer broke new ground. Although she uses
evocative and arguably programmatic titles for the movements (Elegance, Beauty Alone,
and Ferocious Rhythm), her program notes for this piece are much more philosophical in
nature than those of previous chamber works. In them she asks questions such as if and
how orchestral strings can capture the essence of American language and describes her
desire that the piece be “a way to express beauty.”¹ ɪ Santourian, who was involved in the
commissioning process, remarked:

The work that she turned in is an extremely personal and vulnerable work.
We have, in the 20 minutes, someone exposing her vulnerabilities to the
world. I think it’s a remarkable achievement and I really think it signals
what Libby is about now; it’s a vary mature work in her oeuvre.¹²

⁸ Susan M. Barbaeri, “The Language of Strings,” Strings 14.4 (Nov/Dec 1999): 71.

⁹ Santourian was director of artistic planning and Oue was the music director of the
Minnesota Orchestra at the time.

ɪo

Barbaen, 71.

Libby Larsen “String Symphony”

http://libbylarsen.com/index.php?contentID=236&profileID=1194&startRange=
(accessed 8 February 2010).

12

Barbaen, 71.

<<   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   >>

More intriguing information