Heldenleben 2020
This work was premiered by the Dayton Philharmonic in November 2020 for a streamed concert. These performances are the world premiere of a new revised version for a larger orchestra.
What does it mean to live a heroic life? Heroes of the past have inspired us by their selfless acts of bravery and service to the survival and flourishing of others; fighting indomitable monsters, sailing deep waters, scaling great heights, and facing impossible odds. One of the interesting questions that arose while many of us were comfortably enduring Coronavirus lockdown was the nature of heroism when confronting a microscopic adversary. Under most circumstances, we might not be inclined to think of first responders, delivery drivers, medical personnel, or any other number of individuals as de facto heroes (as grateful as we are for their service), but under the shadow of an unseen foe, routine acts suddenly carried greater risk. The personal cost of delivering a package for Amazon, caring for the sick in an emergency room, or packing meat in Indiana was suddenly anything but routine. Yet, to the immense gratitude of the rest of us, these individuals kept delivering, kept caring and kept packing. Rather than being celebrated individuals taking on tangible enemies, our heroes were nameless and often unseen. Rather than returning home in victory to the adulation of crowds, they returned each night to their homes in obscurity. While they will never be known by name, we will remember what they did for us, and be forever in debt to their service. Heldenleben 2020, though only a token, is an encomium to each and every one of these individuals.
My musical response to the thoughts above proceeds as follows. Two themes, each representing heroism, form the backbone of the work. The first to appear is a quotation from the work’s titular inspiration, Ein Heldenleben. This theme represents ancient heroes and is suitably bombastic and dramatic. While this first section unfolds, the landscape is reminiscent of Richard Strauss, the composer of the original Ein Heldenleben, but the only direct quotation is the short theme at the beginning. The second theme portrays our modern heroes: it is more pulsating and restrained, with occasional outbursts of melody. Both of these themes are interwoven with a motif representing the adversary. This motif was inspired by the simulations of disease spread under different quarantine and social-distancing scenarios provided by the Washington Post in mid-March. The cello begins a simple tremolo, which spreads to the entire string section over the course of a few beats. Taking these three elements, the piece spins off and develops each of them in turn. The pestilence motif is the most dependent of the three, constantly sparring with the other two as opposed to having its own independent presence. The work isn’t a narrative tone poem as much as it is a musical journey using the foundational images in musical development, although the direction as a whole is to move from uncertainty to victory. This work is dedicated to every hero who suffered as a result of the Coronavirus.
— A. K. Jaquith, 2020
Instrumentation: 3 Flutes and Piccolo, 3 Oboes and English Horn, 3 Clarinets and Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoons, 4 Horns, 3 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, Tuba, Timpani, Percussion, Harp, Celesta, Strings.
