The Lost Art of Writing (Home) for Wind Ensemble

Ivan Josip Skender and Muzička Akademija Zagreb perform the World Premiere of "Zagreb Postcards" from "The Lost Art of Writing (Home)" for Wind Ensemble.

Peter Askim: The Lost Art of Writing (Home): I. Zagreb Postcards

Ivan Josip Skender and Muzička Akademija Zagreb perform the World Premiere of "The Raw Heart of the Spinning World" from "The Lost Art of Writing (Home)" for Wind Ensemble. 

Version for string quartet Originally Commission by North Carolina Chamber Music Institute

The Lost Art of Writing (Home)

Peter Askim: The Lost Art of Writing (Home): II. The Raw Heart of the Spinning World

Selectec Works of Wang Jie_Orchestral

Symphonic Overture "America, the Beautiful" Excerpt

I rarely start a piece not knowing how it ends. My Symphony No.1 was no exception. One of the biggest challenges for me has always been how a work begins. That applies to this symphony, as well as my life as a symphonic composer. So No.1 was special. It had to justify being my first. As if the pressure of measuring up to the great symphonists of the past wasn’t enough (it took Brahms 11 years to compose his first!), I added one more challenge: can I take two notes, a tiny two-note-motif, and spin out a 15-minute symphony? It’s been ten years since I did this reckless deed. Although I’m painfully aware of its flaws, today I stand proud of this work.

Compared to the great romantic symphonies, this symphony is petite. The three movements are played without pause. I would have loved to tell you that the short duration was inevitable because the symphony is sustained by one microscopic motif. The truth is more mundane: that was the program slot given to me: 15 minutes or less. I should’ve ignored it and written the extra 10 minutes I wanted. But those were the days I needed to show the world I was capable of following instructions and being a team player. I’ve since tried to recapture the music I wasn’t initially able to give this symphony. It didn’t work out. Interesting how the birth of this symphony formed its identity: stubborn, hopeful. Mainly stubborn, like its composer. So it’ll remain one of my favorite regrets.

How I became a composer is terribly unromantic. I once had a crush on a concert pianist. For a few years, a concert pianist was all I wanted to become. I practiced 6 hours a day. I was not bad but I wasn’t good enough to have a career. Meanwhile, one of my first attempts at composition won me a top prize at the Shanghai Conservatory. It was an assignment and I didn’t even try very hard. At some point, I took a cold look at the facts: I’ve got a real shot at composing. I’ve got to see it through. Over the years, what became more interesting to me is how I remained a composer. But that’s a topic for another day.

On an anecdotal note, I composed my Symphony No.1 during the darkest time of my life: a long and wretched divorce had just begun. Some years later, it made an appearance at the Minnesota Orchestra, where I met my future husband, Fred Child, during a live radio broadcast. Hard to know what else this symphony has planned for me. It’s been a privilege to watch the lives it has touched and changed since I created it 10 years ago.

Symphony No.1_Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

Active as a composer, conductor and bassist, Peter Askim is the Artistic Director of the Next Festival of Emerging Artists and the conductor of the Raleigh Civic Symphony and Chamber Orchestra, as well as Director of Orchestral Activities at North Carolina State University. He was previously Music Director and Composer-in-Residence of the Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra. He has also been a member of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra and served on the faculty of the University of Hawaii-Manoa, where he directed the Contemporary Music Ensemble and taught theory and composition.

A dedicated champion of the music of our time, he has premiered numerous works, including works by composers Richard Danielpour, Nico Muhly, Aaron Jay Kernis, and Christopher Theofanidis and has collaborated with such artists as the Miró String Quartet, Matt Haimovitz, Vijay Iyer, Jeffrey Zeigler, Nadia Sirota, and Sō Percussion. As a composer, he has been called a “Modern Master” by The Strad and has had commissions and performances from such groups as the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Honolulu Symphony, Cantus Ansambl Zagreb and the American Viola Society, as well as by performers such as ETHEL, cellist Jeffrey Zeigler, flutist/conductor Ransom Wilson and violinist Timothy Fain.

Mr. Askim is the founder and Artistic Director of The Next Festival of Emerging Artists, a summer festival dedicated to cultivating the next generation of performers and composers. Focusing on the music of living composers, the festival artists frequently perform World Premieres and collaborate closely with prominent composers on performances of their works. Led by Mr. Askim, The Next Festival has received numerous grants and awards for performances of American music, adventurous programming and educational outreach since its inception in 2013. In conjunction with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Aaron Jay Kernis and Tony Nominated choreographer Christopher D'Amboise, Mr. Askim founded the Next Festival Composer and Composer/Choreographer, connecting early-career performers, composers and choreographers in an innovative and highly collaborative laboratory for the creation of new works.

Peter Askim: The Lost Art of Writing (Home): II. The Raw Heart of the Spinning World

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