Radar Report

LUSH LIFE

Composer ERIC WHITACRE mixes electronica and classical music in an exciting new opera

Composer Eric Whitacre is considered a rebel among composers, creating controversy with his evocative, imaginative choral and band works. In 2004, Whitacre was honored with the ASCAP Foundation Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award for being the most promising new voice in musical theater for his work. His work, Paradise Lost, also earned him the ASCAP Foundation Harold Arlen Award. This intense, emotionally direct electronic opera builds upon his vast body of work, which includes Water Night, one of the most popular choral works in the last decade. This in-demand young composer spoke with Playback about his past success and his hopes for the future.

Playback: What attracts you to the music you write?
Eric Whitacre: I tend to be attracted to beautiful, cinematic and dramatic sounds. I often refer to those aspects as dynamic minimalism and romantic minimalism. The idea is that it uses minimalist flavors, but is a little more mainstream. But that's only one style. I have pieces like this whole opera, Paradise Lost, that I'm writing, which combines electronica with classical music. It looks as though we now have great momentum to finally get it to Broadway.

Tell me a bit about your experience at Juilliard and what you got out of your time there.
The two best things that happened to me at Juilliard were that I met my wife there and that I studied John Corigliano. John and I wouldn't really talk about composition as much as we would about architecture, a very abstract way of thinking about structure. Eventually it was about the structure of music, but to start it was just structure as an abstract construct. I know it sounds crazy, but that in and of itself helped me to see music in a completely different way.

You write for a mix of bands and choral groups. Do you write in those formats because they are performed most often?
With choral music, that's kind of my first and deepest love. I mostly write for choruses, not only because they get performed a lot, but also because I love it. With bands, I just stumbled upon it and then realized I could write a piece that would actually be played all over the world. I think its relevance has kept me in band music. I would love to write for orchestra; it's just that the opportunities don't seem to be abounding. It's hard to imagine working for a year on an orchestral piece only to have it performed once. I want my work to be a living thing that has its own life out there. One thing that is really working these days is taking my choral works and transcribing them for band. I never thought that would work, but bands are really responding to that lyrical, lush writing.

Do you think that you've carved out something unique?
The thing that seems to be unique is that I'm able to just compose full time. I don't have to teach and I'm grateful for that. The other thing, which is a soapbox of mine, is that I am my own publisher. Had I not made this decision to publish my own music and retain the copyrights, then I don't think I'd be able to do this full time. I would warn any composer to think hard and think twice before signing away their copyright in perpetuity. It seems like such an ancient, antiquated model.

How has your composing style changed since Juilliard?
My music is getting more simple, elegant and refined. I try to use fewer gestures and make every note count. I think I used to be a little brasher and I've developed a sense of maturity in my works. Lush, delicate and subtle, though, have always seemed to be my wheelhouse. They're almost like default settings for me.

Is the evolution in your style coming out in various forms?
Yes, the electronic works I've been doing are really pushing me forward. The story being told in Paradise Lost is very dramatic, so the music has to reflect that. It can't be always introspective. The music has gravitated to big industrial Nine Inch Nails, Portishead sounds. These are things that I might not have normally done had I not been pushed in that direction by the drama of the story. I'm listening to all kinds of electronica like Björk, Radiohead, Boards of Canada and Sigur Rós. It would be a dream to actually collaborate with any of them. They seem to be influencing me as much as opera and musical theater. Ultimately, I think I want to branch away from concert music and create a hybrid of styles.

— Jon Bahr

TOP