Morawetz's tribute to King stands the test of time
Most composers accept acknowledgement for their work after a performance by
standing at their seat in the audience when the conductor points their way. Not
so for Oskar Morawetz. When the Toronto Symphony (TSO) and cellist Yo-Yo Ma had
finished the composer's Tribute to Martin Luther King, conductor Hugh
Wolff raised his hand toward the musician's entrance; the door opened and
Morawetz entered, taking his bow from the stage.
No one would begrudge Morawetz this show of vanity. At 74, the composer is
one of Canada's senior men of music who has built up a distinguished career
against impossible odds. The truth of the matter is that being a contemporary
composer today is one of the more thankless jobs around. Not only is it
difficult to get one's music played, but being played, there is no assurance
that conservative music audiences will like it enough to ensure a shelf-life
beyond one performance.
With his Tribute to Martin Luther King, Morawetz has defied the odds.
Written in 1968 at the time of King's senseless assassination, the work has
become a repertoire staple. In 1979, to commemorate King's 50th birthday,
Tribute was broadcast in 24 countries. And now during the 25th anniversary
year of the civic leader's death, it has been programmed by important orchestras
such as the TSO and the New York Philharmonic. In fact, before coming to
Toronto, Ma played the work in New York under Kurt Masur. Tribute, at
last count, has had over 40 performances world-wide and is in the repertoire of
seventeen international cellists.
In a stroke of genius, Morawetz wrote Tribute with only one string
instrument accompanied by winds and percussion. The lone cello, in the hands of
superstar Ma, becomes the symbol of King on his lonely journey from freedom
fighter to martyr played out against the sympathetic orchestra color provided by
the other instruments. The work, which Morawetz composed in eight sections,
includes events like the freedom march in Memphis on King's last day of life to
his eternal funeral procession with its musical reference to the reverend's
favorite spiritual Free at Last. Despite the program notes, the work is
seamless as each section slides into the other, building up its elegiac mood of
despair to finally be resolved in hope.
The wind musicians must love this work. Ordinarily, they sit for long
periods of time waiting to provide musical accents while the string section
carries the load. In this piece, the winds get the work-out, even the tuba which
must be the loneliest instrument in the orchestra. It is very interesting how
Morawetz provides stretches of silence for the cello, allowing the other
instruments to act like a Greek chorus, commencing on the action at hand -
shock, grief, reconciliation.
The work begins with a good attention-getting brass cacophony alluding to the
fatal gun shot which is followed by a softer menacing and ominous accompaniment
as the cello begins its journey. Morawetz has cleverly blended in the other
instruments by having them pick up on chords played by the cello and repeating
them, giving a dialogue to the music. Sometimes the winds and percussion are
gentle companions, other times marital and dictatorial. There is also clever use
of the piano, particularly as a mood giver.
Ma is a passionate player whose face reflects what he is feeling and
Tribute provides the soloist with an emotional see-saw of moods. Morawetz's
piece is filled with moments both rapturous and profound and in Ma's cello,
King's elegy was being played by a brilliant master, capable of moments both
frantic and soaring in a demanding piece that requires finesse in both the very
low and very high cello register.
The work is tonal, though not conventional, lyrical without being simpering,
and multi-dimensional in its depiction of the sad events of a life cut off in
its prime. Although modern works have to fight to win acceptance, it is
understandable why Morawetz' Tribute has captured the imagination of
cellists and orchestras; with its challenging complexity, the work allows a
large scope for imaginative interpretation.
