Press preview Kubian premiere
The NJSO gives the world premiere of Orchestra violinist and composer Darryl Kubian’s O for a Muse of Fire on a program with works by Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky March 19–22. Media outlets highlight Kubian and the new work, which the NJSO presents as part of the New Jersey Roots Project.
New Jersey Monthly writes:
Darryl Kubian is a rarity. The New Jersey native, who lives in Ridgewood, is both composer and working musician. His work as a composer will be highlighted in March, when the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra premieres O for a Muse of Fire, Kubian’s concert overture based on Shakespeare’s Henry V.
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Larger than life questions and ideas attract Kubian to composition. His first piece for the NJSO, 3-2-1, which the orchestra debuted in the 2007-2008 season, is a vision of the universe expanding and contracting as discussed in an article inScientific American. Both works tackle large questions, whether it is our place in the universe or the extent of a king’s power. The new work dramatizes the Battle of Agincourt, which cemented Henry V as the king of England and France. A king’s ability to send people to their death lies at the center of the work and according to Kubian, what relates the piece to the concert as a whole, “it’s a relationship about death [King] Henry has to make the decision to send people to die.”
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[H]is roots in New Jersey and with NJSO will always be a part of his work. “I saw NJSO as a young adult and it feels like coming full circle.”
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MyCentralJersey.com writes:
Tchaikovsky. Rachmaninoff. Kubian.
On March 22, the works of two great classical composers and one New Jersey-trained musician will be featured in a New Jersey Symphony Concert in New Brunswick.
As a member of the orchestra’s first violin section, Rutgers University graduate and composer Darryl Kubian will perform the world premiere of his piece, “O for a Muse of Fire,” between Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” and Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony, “Pathétique.”
“When I learned that my piece was going to be paired with Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony, I was really excited and also a little bit intimidated, honestly,” said Kubian, who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Rutgers. “The Sixth Symphony happens to be one of my favorite orchestral compositions, and one that was an inspiration to me when I was a young student. I believe something of Tchaikovsky’s emotional depth and Rachmaninoff’s sweeping orchestrations influenced how I approached this new work, and I’m really looking forward to hearing the pieces together in concert.”
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More than 80 patrons supported the commission through NJSO’s Sound Investment program, a special fundraising initiative. Patrons who contributed to support the commission have enjoyed unique access to the composer, receiving insight into Kubian’s compositional process, from inspiration to orchestration.
“The New Jersey Roots Project truly comes full circle with this commission from Darryl Kubian,” Music Director Jacques Lacombe said in a news release. “For patrons to play a part in bringing this new work to life makes this world premiere an even greater celebration of the vibrant artistic culture of our state.”
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Kubian said “O for a Muse of Fire” was inspired by Shakespeare’s “Henry V.”
He explained, “Musically, I felt I could represent the conscience of the king, as expressed through the play: that one person could have the power of life and death on a large scale. King Henry knows that going to war will result in loss of life, but he ultimately decides that the unity he seeks is worth the sacrifice.”