“In 2012, music director Robert Spano commissioned Christopher Theofanidis to create a new work for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra,” writes Andrew Young in the April issue of Atlanta magazine. For Creation/Creator, being premiered this week by ASO, Theofanidis spent “months researching creation stories from different cultures. ‘I started with the notion that the impulse to create comes from somewhere,’ Theofanidis says, whether that’s ‘a divine inspiration’ or ‘the search for some kind of truth.’ … Spano has made it a priority to fund original compositions; the orchestra has premiered 37 new works under his direction. Theofanidis is a member of the Atlanta School of Composers, an informal group of artists that Spano regularly taps for new pieces. Premiering original work ‘shows that we care about contributing to the future of the art form,’ says Evans Mirageas, vice president for artistic planning and operations at the ASO.… Creation/Creator blends influences from rock, classical, and world music, and Theofanidis will utilize the full orchestra and chorus, in addition to five soloists—making it the biggest and most ambitious piece he has written for the ASO. ‘My aim is to help the audience forget party lines and enjoy an experience about our common humanity,’ he says.”
Posted April 24, 2015
