Interview with Stacey Rose
Composer and pianist Stacey Rose sits down to answer some questions about her upcoming performance with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra: ‘Raisons d’Etre-A new work for solo piano’.
Q: What is the inspiration for the piece?
SR: As many creations, this work was inspired by nature, literature, and, of course people. Certain phrases in Thoreau, certain patterns and wildlife on the water, certain life experiences–all co-exist in this piece.
Q: Describe the process that you go through as a composer when creating a work.
SR:I knew that sometime in my life I must compose a work that I could perform with orchestra. Beginning with short phrases and motifs, I continued to expand ideas that organically connected to one another. I sketched the piece for solo piano with a second piano accompaniment, and then eventually “colored in” the accompaniment with each instrument. Once the general outline was developed, it was easy to hear which instrument best served which line. It’s like casting an actor–you just know the quality of sound that a given note requires.
Q:Describe the process that audience will observe at the event.
SR: This is such a unique and exciting opportunity for an audience because they will have a truly raw and personal view into the birth of a piece. It’s a coming together of professionals who have prepared their respective parts as best as possible before the important and revealing union that takes place in rehearsal. As a soloist, I’m always surprised (not always pleasantly!) at how I feel my part is secure and “ready to go,” until I come side by side with orchestra. My equanimity is unexpectedly shaken. The rehearsal process is quite fascinating to witness. The audience will be a part of this process, seeing and hearing how an ensemble most effectively works together to rehearse, right then and there molding the work into “performance ready” shape. It’s enormously gratifying to observe how something that initially seems like a puzzle of separate parts fuses together to become a unified whole.
Q: What are you looking forward to in working with Masestro Boughton and the NHSO?
SR: It is a tremendous privilege and sense of confidence to know that my new work will be in the hands of such a master as Maestro Boughton. It will be thrilling to share a first performance experience of my composition with a conductor who possesses such sensitivity to detail but also a keen understanding of and demand for clear musical architecture. I feel assured that he will help me to project the piece in exactly the way I have conceived it, while also adding his personal insights. He draws the best from this group of talented players. I so look forward to collaborating with him, having a wonderful time in joining our perspectives to achieve a product that gives life to my musical ideas.
