Uploaded December 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Cemented as one the finest American composers working today, Jennifer Higdon wrote "The Singing Rooms", a magnificent grandiose concerto scored for solo violin, chorus, and orchestra, for a joint commission by the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra.
Higdon herself writes in the program notes:
"When I was asked by the Philadelphia Orchestra to write a concerto for violin that would inclue a choral part, I immediately started searching through all sorts of poetry. I looked for several things, the most obvious of which is, the poetry would need to “speak” to me in order for me to be able to set it to music. Also, the words would need to “invite” setting (in other words, easy to sing comprehensibly…can you imagine what it would be like to try to set the word “onomatopoeia?”…not very singer-friendly). To create the best form for the piece, I needed a group of poems that would not be too long (because I wanted to create different moods within this large work), and that would fit together somehow thematically. I looked for a long time, through poetry from various countries and time periods. But I discovered that sometimes the answer is in your own backyard: walking through the faculty lounge at Curtis one day, I asked Jeanne Minahan, the head of the Liberal Arts Department (who happens to be a poet) if she had anything that I could read. When I got some books of her poetry in my hands, I knew I had found what I was looking for…a series of poems, that resonated with me, and would provide different emotional settings, as if they were lessons in life arranged like different rooms within a house."
COMPOSER: Jennifer Higdon
CONDUCTOR: Robert Spano
VIOLIN: Jennifer Koh
ORCHESTRA: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
CHOIR: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus
TRACKLIST:
0:00 - I. Three Windows: Two Versions of the Day
4:54 - II. Things Aren't Always
7:52 - III. The Interpretation of Dreams
13:51 - IV. Confession
20:29 - V. History Lesson
23:47 - VI. A Word With God
32:52 - VII. Three Windows: Two Versions of the Day
Please be aware that all of the music (and images) featured in this video belong to their respective owners, and I or this channel does not claim any right over them. I upload these solely for archiving purposes, and for the sharing and enjoyment of great music. Monetization is not enabled. If you are the rightful owner of copyrighted material used and would like the video removed from YouTube, please, instead of reporting/striking my channel, leave a comment below with your statement and I will take the video down effective immediately.
Cemented as one the finest American composers working today, Jennifer Higdon wrote "The Singing Rooms", a magnificent grandiose concerto scored for solo violin, chorus, and orchestra, for a joint commission by the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra.
Higdon herself writes in the program notes:
"When I was asked by the Philadelphia Orchestra to write a concerto for violin that would inclue a choral part, I immediately started searching through all sorts of poetry. I looked for several things, the most obvious of which is, the poetry would need to “speak” to me in order for me to be able to set it to music. Also, the words would need to “invite” setting (in other words, easy to sing comprehensibly…can you imagine what it would be like to try to set the word “onomatopoeia?”…not very singer-friendly). To create the best form for the piece, I needed a group of poems that would not be too long (because I wanted to create different moods within this large work), and that would fit together somehow thematically. I looked for a long time, through poetry from various countries and time periods. But I discovered that sometimes the answer is in your own backyard: walking through the faculty lounge at Curtis one day, I asked Jeanne Minahan, the head of the Liberal Arts Department (who happens to be a poet) if she had anything that I could read. When I got some books of her poetry in my hands, I knew I had found what I was looking for…a series of poems, that resonated with me, and would provide different emotional settings, as if they were lessons in life arranged like different rooms within a house."
COMPOSER: Jennifer Higdon
CONDUCTOR: Robert Spano
VIOLIN: Jennifer Koh
ORCHESTRA: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
CHOIR: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus
TRACKLIST:
0:00 - I. Three Windows: Two Versions of the Day
4:54 - II. Things Aren't Always
7:52 - III. The Interpretation of Dreams
13:51 - IV. Confession
20:29 - V. History Lesson
23:47 - VI. A Word With God
32:52 - VII. Three Windows: Two Versions of the Day
Please be aware that all of the music (and images) featured in this video belong to their respective owners, and I or this channel does not claim any right over them. I upload these solely for archiving purposes, and for the sharing and enjoyment of great music. Monetization is not enabled. If you are the rightful owner of copyrighted material used and would like the video removed from YouTube, please, instead of reporting/striking my channel, leave a comment below with your statement and I will take the video down effective immediately.
