Composer Kate Soper Premieres Orpheus Orchestra Opus Onus at the New York Philharmonic
The new work, based on the Greek myth, is a tribute to the power and impact of music.
Kate Soper
Marco Giugliarelli
Kate Soper composes music that is about music, as reflected in Orpheus Orchestra Opus Onus, her work that centers around the Greek mythological character who himself was a musician. The piece is being premiered this month by the New York Philharmonic — a commission connected with her being named the Orchestra’s Kravis Emerging Composer — in concerts conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, May 22–27. Equally adroit as a composer and singer, she herself is making her NY Phil debut as soloist in the performances.
As a youngster Soper played piano, sang in choir, and wrote simple pieces. Her early influences in composition came from the music she played on piano — Chopin and Debussy — and from the singer-songwriter Tori Amos. After earning a bachelor’s degree in composition at Rice University, Soper came to New York City for graduate studies at Columbia University, where she joined the Wet Ink Ensemble, which she now co-directs.
As the soprano soloist in Orpheus, Soper embodies the title role, but with a twist. “What if he wasn’t some great musician that could make anyone fall to their knees, but just the first person to really get interested in the idea that music has something to do with celestial orbits and truth in numbers?” she says. “Maybe it went off the rails when it started being about expensive orchestra concerts, union struggles, and kings trying to one up each other with how many violins they had.”
Soper explains the work’s evocative title, observing that “Orpheus” refers to the protagonist, and “Orchestra” to the instrumentation, while “Opus” represents the idea of what it means to create a work of music. “Onus” points to the question of who is responsible for what music can do. “Why do we make music carry all these burdens?” she muses. “Why do we say it represents this or represents that, or that this music is for these people and this music is not?”
Soper created the text, drawing from more than a dozen sources found in poetry and librettos from operas about Orpheus, and also weaving in her own words. The music she wrote also quotes phrases from these operas, as well as some recognizable orchestral excerpts.
Kate Soper has composed only a few works for full orchestra, and relished this opportunity to write for the New York Philharmonic. “There’s an embarrassment of riches,” she said of the genre. “You have all of these different shapes, all of these different colors, and not just subtle shadings, but completely different ensembles within this group.” She continues: “When I was writing I couldn’t think too much about it because I didn’t want to start feeling self-conscious about not giving every single player an amazing part.”
Of her first time composing for and appearing with the Philharmonic, Soper says: “I have deep respect for the Orchestra.” She is honored by the Kravis recognition and by this commission, but, she explains, “The most important part of it for me is just the opportunity to write this piece and perform with them.”
Soper is also excited to be working with Gustavo Dudamel for the first time. In fact, she sees the conductor as a character, of sorts, in the piece. “I, as Orpheus, am kind of getting in on his band a little bit, and there are a couple moments of gesturing towards him, or being in cahoots with him. There’s a relationship between the soloist and the conductor that is present and visible. I hope that he enjoys that.”
