The Classical Music Book

326

BLUE ... LIKE THE

SKY. WHERE ALL

POSSIBILITIES SOAR

BLUE CATHEDRAL (2000), JENNIFER HIGDON

T

he unifying theme of

Jennifer Higdon’s music

is her compositional

philosophy of communicating

effectively. Her work blue cathedral

achieves this through her

characteristic exploration of tone

color (the quality that gives an

instrument its distinct sound),

combined with expressive lyricism.

In the latter half of the 20th

century, many artistic ensembles

were struggling financially.

Contemporary music had been

associated with trends such as

post-minimalism, electronic works,

and experimental music that had

often alienated the general public.

To attract audiences, ensembles

therefore chose to perform older

works that entailed little risk.

Higdon’s blue cathedral, however,

with its warmth, lyricism, and

emotion, demonstrated that modern

music could appeal to audiences of

all ages and demographics, opening

the door for an exciting period of

new music in the 21st century.

Love, life, and death

Higdon was commissioned to

write blue cathedral to mark the

75th anniversary of the American

conservatory, the Curtis Institute of

Music. Although initially conceived

as a celebration, the composer

was at the time mourning the

death of her younger brother,

Andrew Blue Higdon. Both events

informed the title: “blue,” in

memory of her brother Andrew, to

whom the score is dedicated, and

“cathedral” to represent Curtis as

a place of learning and growth.

In this tone poem, Higdon’s

heavenly music suggests a

cathedral in the sky. It features

numerous solo instruments,

most prominently the flute and

the clarinet, to represent the

IN CONTEXT

FOCUS

Return to lyricism

BEFORE

1984 The New York

Philharmonic programs

“Horizons ’84: The New

Romanticism—a Broader

View” draw mass public

attention to Neo-romanticism.

1991 John Corigliano’s opera

The Ghosts of Versailles

premieres at the Metropolitan

Opera, New York City. It is

the company’s first new

opera since the 1960s.

AFTER

2009 Film composer, John

Williams’s On Willows and

Birches (Concerto for Harp and

Orchestra) premieres with the

Boston Symphony Orchestra.

2017 The (R)evolution of Steve

Jobs, by Mason Bates, opens

at Opera Santa Fe, Santa Fe,

New Mexico.

I don’t think you should

have to know anything

about my music, or anything

about music in general,

to enjoy it ... I look at

music as a mirror.

Jennifer Higdon

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