It’s music with VERY large chords.
AND, very large SPACES, to match.
That’s how one Pulitzer Prize-winning composer described one of her relatively uncommon expeditions into music for full orchestra. Greetings – I’m Loki Karuna, and on this edition of Noteworthy you and I will launch into this infinitely expansive work by the one and only, Caroline Shaw.
If you’re a fan of contemporary classical, Caroline Shaw is probably a name that you’re already familiar with. In addition to winning the Pulitzer in 2013, she’s received multiple Grammys, and a number of other honors that have placed her among the top of today’s music creators. But unlike most of her music, this work is for full orchestra.
Back in 2019, she decided to take a break from a recording session by visiting the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. While there, the large, open space inspired her to write a new work that musically depicted what she was observing, She even titled it, The Observatory. Since writing this work, Caroline Shaw has put much more out into the universe, including music for film and television, adding to what’s already proven to be an expansively diverse catalogue that will be celebrated for generations to come from this most Noteworthy of American composers.
Noteworthy is a production of WDAV classical public radio.