News

Premiere of the Month: Basic instinct

2022-01-25T23:58:00

Missy Mazzoli pc Caroline Tompkins

A violin concerto exploring society’s response to drastic events

When confronted with disasters, humans have often resorted to rituals to cope. This simple and alarmingly pertinent notion forms the basis of American composer Missy Mazzoli’s new violin concerto. The idea came to her while on the Swedish island of Fårö, once a hiding place for those escaping the plague. ‘Humans have always been trying to control things we have no control over,’ she says. The work evolved out of a decade-long collaboration with violinist Jennifer Koh, with whom she proposed the concerto to the work’s commissioners, the National Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and BBC Symphony Orchestra. ‘Jenny can play anything, so I felt free to stretch myself.’…

Already subscribed? Please sign in

Subscribe to continue reading…

We’re delighted that you are enjoying our website. For a limited period, you can try an online subscription to The Strad completely free of charge.

  • Free 7-day trial

    Not sure about subscribing? Sign up now to read this article in full and you’ll also receive unlimited access to premium online content, including the digital edition and online archive for 7 days.

    Free trial

    No strings attached – we won’t ask for your card details

  • Subscribe 

    No more paywalls. To enjoy the best in-depth features and analysis from The Strad’s latest and past issues, upgrade to a subscription now. You’ll also enjoy regular issues and special supplements* and access to an online archive of issues back to 2010.

    Subscribe

 

* Issues and supplements are available as both print and digital editions. Online subscribers will only receive access to the digital versions.