Working with the composer always makes a difference.
Today we got to work with the composer Tim Brent on his brand new piece Can You Hear My Song, which the Rockford Aces commissioned and will premiere soon. It reminded me how important it is to spend time with the composer when you can.
Of course, it’s not possible when you’re interpreting a Palestrina piece…that’s why we take history classes and study performance practice. But when the composer is living, and especially when you’ve commissioned a piece, letting the composer spend time interpreting it is a magical window into their musical ideas and makes the interpretation so much clearer.