Reviews

For John Wineglass, his first piece as the first-ever composer-in-residence of the Monterey Symphony had to be about another first – living through a pandemic.

"To be the first-ever composer-in-residence is a huge honor," Wineglass says. "I felt compelled to try to capture in musical terms what we all have Benn going through."

The orchestra's concertmaster and principal violinist, Christina Mok, got the compositional ball rolling by sharing the short poem Alone by Maya Angelou with Wineglass. The result is a two-movement, 11-minute emotional roller coaster for violin, which is also titled Alone and which codifies in music and electronic effects much of the pandemic's influence.

The two movements couldn't be more different. The opener, titled Frenzied Lives, is penned at a blistering tempo, 144 beats per minute, or more than two beats every second. It's almost like a dare posed by the composer to see if we can think or even hear that quickly, not to mention the technical demands placed upon the violinist. It's a runaway cascade of emotions, like a rushing waterfall, beginning with all the fast-paced days and nights of pre-Covid modern life before moving on to express the fear, anxiety, uncertainty, chaos, calamity and even terror as the virus develops and the casualties mount. It is all in there.

"It's chaos – the first movement is kind of heavy," Wineglass says. "In rehearsal I was starting to be really concerned that I had overwritten it, but then [Mok] stepped up and just nailed it. She's an amazing player."

In stark contrast, movement two is almost tempo-less. It is marked rubato, or "in your own time," as Wineglass explains it. Dubbed Realms of Rest, the mood is somber, almost meditative. Gone are the frantic pace and energy of the first movement, supplanted by lush melodic phrases and smooth, long tones.

"The second movement is like visiting heaven for me," Mok says. "It's very celestial and mellow, like souls ascending to someplace where they can finally rest."

Wineglass has a similar take: "It's a lament to those we have lost and their loved ones. It expresses the loneliness, isolation, tragedy and alienation we've all gone through during lockdown."

In both sections, Wineglass uses electronic effects, primarily drone and delay, to enhance and extend the harmonic and melodic range of the violin.

The premiere of this piece marks an auspicious debut for Wineglass' tenure with the orchestra. Other compositional projects are already in development. the first of which is a concerto for violin and orchestra with local favorite Edwin Huizinga, also a violinist, as the soloist. Stay tuned.