Andy , what is your usual modus operandi when you receive a commission ? Walk us through your process .
AB : My usual process is to first talk with the commissioning party about what they are looking for in the piece . More than anything , I want whatever I write to be meaningful to the people I am writing for . Once I have those ideas and any information about the specific players in the group , I start working . I actually find that these limitations are not inhibiting . Instead , they force me to think about each project in a new way .
I start by considering the overall effect of the work . “ What am I trying to say with this piece ?” From this I begin to develop the form of the work , trying to create a structure that supports what I want to say . The actual notes tend to come after that , which seems kind of funny to say . And often I start that part of the process by noodling around on the piano until I find a certain melody or even just a chord that makes sense for the piece . Then I try to create everything else in the piece from that initial material . That was the case with “ The Murderer and the Architect ,” since all the material for both characters was drawn from the same place .
What conducting challenges does “ The Murderer ” present ?
TL : Andy , let me jump in on this one . The biggest challenge was the aleatoric nature of the writing . I had conducted aleatoric music before , including some of Andy ’ s , but each piece in this style is its own adventure . The body of the piece is in traditional notation and is very accessible , but the aleatoric material -- which contributes substantially to the drama of the piece -- really stretched us .
The “ Holmes theme ” seemed it could have been in 5 1 / 2 / 4 or 7 1 / 2 / 4 . We tried a million different ways . It was making my head explode . The kids were great . I said to them , “ Be patient . I ’ m learning to do this right along with you .”
Andy came in to rehearse the band and fixed the problem in two seconds . He started the band , then orchestrated the events with a flick of the finger . It was humbling , and I ’ m sure he was amused with my efforts .
It was so worth it . All of us were uncomfortable at times , but there is no better way to grow . To be working with a composer who was supportive and understanding made a huge difference . The audience loved the piece so much that we repeated it in the next concert . An ancillary benefit was that a student composer last year wrote a piece for us based on another Chicago architect , Frank Lloyd Wright .