For Your GRAMMY® Consideration
69th GRAMMY Awards · For Consideration In
Best Contemporary Classical Composition
Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Best Engineered Album, Classical
a raft, the sky, the wild sea
Joe Lovano, saxophone
Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestra • Michelle Merrill conductor
Critical acclaim:
“a raft, the sky, the wild sea makes for a strong half-hour of listening. Though often hushed, it also features surges of energy that draw succor from the language of swing. And while the orchestral aesthetic on offer has a noirish interest in seduction, it’s never obvious during moments of harmonic swell.
The harmonic distinctness may come from his collaborations with improvisers, and his professed admiration for Lutoslawski. Listen for the way Cuomo’s orchestral material informs Lovano’s lovely (and largely improvised) solo part.” - Seth Colter Walls, New York Times
"Posterity might look upon Lovano’s effort as definitive. He embraces the work’s lyricism, aerial freedom and unequivocal emotion." - Henri Texier, Jazz Journal
"It’s a good record, perhaps even a historically important one. At any rate, I want more." - Ethan Iverson, Transitional Technology
Composer’s notes:
Writing music is a way to access an unseen world. Composing this piece, I imagined an inner voyage, one that is sometimes calm, sometimes startling and turbulent. You’re being taken somewhere, but you're unsure where you're going or how you'll get there. So it's all about the present moment connecting to the next moment, and the next — now, now, now, now. This is all of us, each on our own metaphysical raft under the open sky, trying to cross the wild sea.
But for so many people throughout the world this is not a metaphor. For those who are forced to flee their homeland to seek safety and a better life, it's a description of a harrowing physical reality. This piece also recognizes these children, women, and men, for whom the raft, the sky and the sea are indescribably dangerous, and for whom the journey is real.
Of course every journey is unique, and this piece is devised so that no two performances are the same. As in a traditional concerto, a dialogue is set up between soloist and orchestra, but in this case much of the soloist’s part is improvised. The score indicates very clearly exactly when the saxophone plays, but during the improvised sections, what is played is largely left to the soloist, saxophonist Joe Lovano. Rhythmic and harmonic guidelines are indicated in the score, along with occasional descriptions of mood or feel. For the most part however, I am relying on the sound of the orchestra to provide the impetus for what Joe plays, knowing that each particular moment has the possibility of inspiring a myriad of improvised responses.
To leave so much up to the soloist requires a deep musical compatibility and trust - a special relationship between composer and performer. Joe's tremendous spirit, artistry and wide open musical mind was a guiding light during the writing of this piece. It inspired me to compose with freedom, confident that he would bring exceptional beauty, raw power, sensitivity and heightened emotion to this piece. The result is a musical exploration through the unknown, with each performance unrepeatable, acknowledging that every journey we take, no matter the stakes or how difficult, contains infinite possibilities.
– Douglas J. Cuomo