I first heard music by Ahmed Alabaca on the premiere of their Ode to Liberty, a 10-minute tone poem commissioned and first carried out by the Florida Orchestra on Could 21, 2022. The earlier yr, the orchestra had additionally programmed Throughout the Calm Waters of Heaven, Alabaca’s musical response to the 2015 capturing in San Bernardino, the place they had been raised.
For Ode, the plan was to compose a chunk thematically associated to the 2 Russian staples on this system, by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. Alabaca discovered their manner into that acquainted repertoire via Alexander Pushkin’s subversive poem Ode to Liberty. Quickly earlier than the premiere in St. Petersburg, Fla., they made revisions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for pointed relevance.
Organized in 5 steady actions linked to particular stanzas, Alabaca’s Ode to Liberty begins with a fanfare over snare drum and cymbal splashes; solo woodwinds later echo the fanfare, making for a cohesive complete. “However Woe Betide the Commonwealth,” the pondering third motion with a solo bass clarinet, is the work’s heartfelt centerpiece. A militaristic march erupts later, till a sweeping climactic outburst brings the tone poem to a detailed in cinematic trend.
Ahmed Alabaca and Florida Orchestra Music Director Michael Francis on the premiere of “Ode to Liberty” — Picture by JM Lennon
American Composers Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra included Ode to Liberty within the Could 2023 EarShot Readings — a program that fosters relationships between composers and orchestras. The periods ended with a live performance at Atlanta Symphony Corridor on Could 10. I just lately contacted Alabaca about their expertise at EarShot, the historical past of Ode, the affect of movie scoring on their music, and their imaginative and prescient for orchestral programming within the U.S.
Inform me in regards to the historical past of Ode to Liberty. How has it modified because the Florida Orchestra fee, to the revisions after the Ukrainian battle proper earlier than the premiere, to the model simply carried out in Atlanta?
When The Florida Orchestra commissioned me, I observed that the live performance had a chunk by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev every, due to this fact I wished to write down a chunk that may match inside that programming. However I all the time attempt to join my music to my tradition in some kind of manner. Lately I’ve used poetry, quick tales, by or about Black peoples. I’ve even written my very own narratives to assist form new items. With that, I googled “Black Russian Poets” and Alexander Pushkin got here up. His nice grandfather was Abram Petrovich Hannibal, a Russian general-in-chief who was from Africa. Pushkin additionally wrote Eugene Onegin, so there’s the connection to Tchaikovsky. After studying Pushkin’s Ode to Liberty, I knew I’d discovered the inspiration for my fee. I broke the piece up into 5 sections all titled with traces from Pushkin’s poem.
- I Sing of Freedoms Victorious Hearth
- Thou Impressed Hymn Audacious
- However Woe Betide the Commonwealth
- The Considerate Singers Gaze
- The Individuals Joyous, their Freedom Vernal
I actually wished to seize these 5 factors as a result of I consider they actually communicate to the fragility of “Liberty,” whereas on the similar time empowering the Individuals to combat again. As I used to be ending the piece, Putin invaded the Ukraine, due to this fact I discovered it acceptable and mandatory to incorporate the Ukrainian nationwide anthem as it’s represented in the complete fourth part — I took some liberties and made it a bit extra symphonic, however I believe it actually displays the ability and perseverance of a nation that didn’t ask for this pointless warfare.
I additionally made a change to the third part whereas in rehearsal with the Florida Orchestra; the percussionist Tihda Vongkoth urged that the bass drum needs to be offstage to essentially have that “far-off sound” that I wished. The bass drum on this part displays bombs being dropped off within the distance. This part is all about once we’re in determined occasions we encompass ourselves with household and neighborhood, scared, and so we pray, as a warfare is waged outdoors our properties.
The piece is perpetually altering! I’m nonetheless understanding among the steadiness points — after the Atlanta studying, I really feel as if I’m nearer to getting it to some extent the place the steadiness is good.
Now that you simply’ve recognized the piece for some time, how would you describe the performances and suggestions at EarShot? What did you study essentially the most out of your mentors and fellow composers?
Valerie Coleman mentioned I’ve a superpower! She was commenting on a bit of my piece the place she actually favored how I orchestrated it and whispered to me “I don’t assume you recognize that that’s your superpower.” It took every part in me to not burst into tears! Most of what I realized from the mentor composers was the way to develop my writing and push my boundaries a bit extra.
The efficiency was good! It was refreshing to have an orchestra take time with the piece; that doesn’t occur typically. Jerry Hou — the conductor — was nice, affected person, detailed, and very supportive. I actually discovered the spherical robin precious, and having the musicians fill out remark playing cards about their components — that was the chef’s kiss, very useful in making components clearer and extra correct.
Ahmed Alabaca and Florida Orchestra Music Director Michael Francis on the premiere of “Ode to Liberty” — Picture by JM Lennon
Pushkin’s Ode to Liberty resulted in his banishment by Tsar Alexander. When composing your Ode to Liberty, did you draw any connections between the political oppression in early Nineteenth-century Russia and our up to date society?
Completely! Pushkin was attempting to remind the Tsar of his place and the way he acquired there, whereas on the similar time educate and empower the Individuals. We’re seeing that immediately with the banning of books, drag exhibits, and more true historical past classes. The checklist goes on… all of it boils all the way down to creating divides and uneducated folks. My piece, I hope, reminds us that we’re smarter, braver than that. That we received’t be taken as fools and that we will rise above a authorities attempting to maintain us down. I extremely suggest studying the complete poem!
Once I heard the piece in Florida, I assumed that your orchestration was fairly cinematic. Then I realized that in addition to incomes a music diploma from Hunter School, you attended courses in movie scoring at Juilliard and UCLA. How aware are you of movie scoring conventions whenever you compose live performance music?
I love movie music! The theme from Jurassic Park is likely one of the the explanation why I’m a composer. My primary focus is to attach with audiences, and audiences love movie music! I really feel it’s one of the simplest ways for me to speak with them and on the similar time write in a method that I actually take pleasure in. Discovering the steadiness between live performance writing and scoring has been enjoyable, fascinating, and very difficult. Musicians additionally appear to essentially take pleasure in enjoying my music; I’d wish to attribute that to how I steadiness the 2 types.
One problem has been, Is my music “up to date” sufficient? Once I was in my undergrad composition classes, my professor would say issues like “Brahms already wrote it.” On the time I didn’t fairly perceive what he meant by that, I simply knew I wasn’t going to hearken to him. However over time I’ve come to comprehend that he wished to push my tonal boundaries, and from that I’ve developed this little insecurity round my writing. Didn’t assist that each grad college I utilized to wouldn’t settle for me, and I used to be by no means chosen for readings or requires scores. I’d hearken to the music of composers who’ve received competitions and readings, and it simply verified that little feeling of insecurity. However I nonetheless didn’t change my type; I developed in different methods and adopted new strategies of beginning a chunk.
The EarShot collaboration with ACO was a part of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s intention to problem the Western composer stereotype, which could join with what you name “a brand new renaissance” for underrepresented composers. What’s your imaginative and prescient for inclusive and progressive programming amongst our nation’s orchestras?
It completely does. My thought of “a brand new renaissance” has modified over time from eager to report and archive new works by Black and Brown composers — and cataloguing them in a particular place like a library both at an HBCU or a library in a predominantly Black metropolis — to partaking with and inspiring Black and Brown composers/creatives to take up house and be their genuine self, so that there’s a surge and an abundance of artwork, music, dance, movie, and expression being created and pushed into the world. In doing so, we will outline a technology of creatives, a brand new renaissance.
Ahmed Alabaca rehearsing “Throughout the Calm Waters of Heaven” with the string college students at UIC — Picture courtesy of the artist
As for inclusive programming, I actually consider main American orchestras can accomplish this by solely programming music by American composers (composers from North America). It may very well be seen as disrespectful, even neglectful to American composers when main American orchestras proceed to program and platform composers from Europe.
There’s no cause why there shouldn’t be principally American composers on each main American orchestra’s program.
North America is a uniquely lovely and various continent, filled with good composers. There’s no cause why there shouldn’t be principally American composers on each main American orchestra’s program. I consider this could resolve many of the range points in terms of programming. However even nonetheless, if this had been to occur, we’d want music administrators who actually and genuinely consider in new music, who’re devoted to increasing the sector and keen about going towards a tradition that has constructed itself on exclusivity.
That is simpler mentioned than carried out, however I really consider audiences, particularly youthful audiences, would like to go to a live performance the place most, if not all, of the composers programmed had been both dwelling or from the native neighborhood or state. I’m the music director of the South Loop Symphony Orchestra, a neighborhood orchestra in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood. We’ve got a really small funds, but we nonetheless discover a solution to carry out principally music from the twentieth and twenty first centuries. I have interaction with the composers within the orchestra, pupil composers from the College of Illinois Chicago, and composers I’ve been fortunate to fulfill alongside the way in which. And let me let you know — the audiences like it once I inform them that these composers are from or examine in Chicago. It’s a bit further work however so price it in the long run.
Watch a efficiency of Ode to Liberty by the Arlington Philharmonic:
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