Julia Wolfe :: Schirmer News Summer 2010
 |  | Summer 2010
Newsletter | Julia Wolfe: Pulitzer Prize finalist
One of the most exciting highlights from the spring was the prestigious pronouncement presented to Julia Wolfe, whose powerful piece Steel Hammer was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize!
 | | Photo credit © Peter Serling | Wolfe's composition was one of 3 pieces honored by the Pulitzer Committee this spring. Premiered in October 2009 by the Bang On A Can All-Stars and Trio Mediaeval, the evening-length work convolves multiple versions of the story of John Henry. These versions — based on hearsay, recollection, and tall tales — explore the subject of human-verses-machine in a quintessential American legend. Many of the facts are unclear; some say John Henry is from West Virginia, others say he's from South Carolina, still others say he's from New Jersey. However, with these ambiguities aside, one thread remains consistent: John Henry, wielding a steel hammer, faces the onslaught of the Industrial Age as his superhuman strength is challenged in a contest to out-dig an engine. Wolfe drew upon the extreme variations of the story, fragmenting and weaving the contradictory versions of the ballad that have circulated since the late 1800s into a new whole — at times meditating on single words or phrases — to tell the story of the story and to embody the simultaneous diverse paths it traveled. Inspired by her love for the legends and music of Appalachia, Julia Wolfe’s Steel Hammer culls from both the music and oral traditions of the region.
The mixed-ensemble piece, commissioned by the Bang On A Can All-Stars with generous support from Maria and Robert A. Skirnick and Carnegie Hall, is scored for three voices, clarinet (doubling on bass clarinet), electric guitar/banjo/mountain dulcimer/mouth harp, percussion, piano, cello and double bass. For the world premiere in Gainesville, Florida, the Bang on a Can All-Stars employed wooden bones, steel hammers and more to evoke the rich instrumental colors of Appalachia. The Norwegian vocal ensemble Trio Mediaeval, with their pure and direct sound, joined the All-Stars to tell the timeless tale. The result is a fusion of musical worlds that meld to create a new genre of art balladry. You can read the New York Times review here, see Steel Hammer in rehearsal here, and listen to an excerpt here. |
|
|
|
|
|