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04.08.08

Contact: Jessica Moore, jkmoore@emory.edu, 404-727-1687  

AWARD-WINNING EMORY COMPOSER & CONDUCTOR PRESENTS MAJOR
CHORAL-ORCHESTRAL WORK

The universal themes of love, life, grief and loss are brought into focus through the musical lens of Richard Prior’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated work, “Stabat Mater,” performed by the combined forces of the Emory Symphony Orchestra and University Chorus April 17-18 at 8 p.m. (free, no tickets required) in the Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall. Composed in 2000 before his arrival at Emory, Dr. Prior interwove the traditional text of the “Stabat Mater,” the Medieval Latin narrative of Mary standing at the foot of the cross, with contemporary poems in English by mothers relating their experiences of loss through adverse circumstances to create the highly lyrical and intensely dramatic work.

The decision to present the piece was made by Eric Nelson, Director of Choral Studies. A prolific composer, Prior, Emory’s Director of Orchestral Studies and Coordinator of Chamber Ensembles, says he tries to keep his careers as composer and conductor separate and remains “resistant to programming my own pieces with my own ensembles because it seems far too self-serving.” However, the staging of this work is the largest collaboration of the musical season, bringing together approximately 300 orchestra and chorus members and soloists. “Visually I always think that these collaborations are spectacular, having this large mass of bodies all unified in a moment of musical expression.”

Engaging not only the audience but also the performers is very important to Prior as a composer and as a conductor. He strives to provide sufficient technical and artistic challenges for every member of the performing group, from the solo soprano to the second clarinetist. His process for composing changes with every piece; sometimes he improvises on the piano, while at other times the sound of the orchestration is in his head and “the worst thing to do is to take it to the piano because you start to go down avenues that weren’t part of the original vision.” The process is incredibly absorbing because “you have the orchestration, melodies and structural possibilities running through your head constantly. That’s the point where you tend to become extremely unavailable for coherent conversation!”

Regarding the text, Prior said, “I separated the Latin text from the purely Judeo-Christian message; fundamentally it’s about a mother witnessing the suffering of a child which is an incredibly powerful and humanistic image.” “Stabat Mater” will transport the audience on an emotional journey exploring the universal message of the fragility of human mortality and profound value of those lives around us. For information call the Arts at Emory box office at 404-727-5050 or visit www.arts.emory.edu. To read the Arts at Emory “Artist of the Month” profile of Richard Prior, visit www.arts.emory.edu/about/artist.html.

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ARTS AT EMORY

The mission for the arts at Emory University is to provide a dynamic, multidisciplinary environment for the study, creation and presentation of the arts. For more information on the Schwartz Center or Arts at Emory events, visit www.arts.emory.edu, or call the Arts at Emory box office at 404-727-5050.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE : Photographs available upon request.

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