Jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis has been commissioned to write a full scale, all-orchestral work by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, to be conducted by music director Robert Spano.

It’s been on the books for more than two years. The world premiere was originally scheduled for July 19, part of this summer’s National Black Arts Festival at Midtown’s Woodruff Arts Center, with repeat performances in November on the ASO’s main subscription series.

But in early June, Marsalis broke the news to the ASO: he wasn’t finished. The premiere was pushed back to November. The new work was be recorded by Telarc. It’s a co-commission by the ASO and Boston Symphony, with additional funding from the NBAF.

Not so fast.

This afternoon the ASO announced that the world premiere of Marsalis’ symphonic work has now been postponed until the 2009-10 season due to his delay in writing the work, and that a new date for the premiere will likely be part of the 2009-2010 season.

The new work is tentatively called “An American Symphony.” All along, Marsalis has been curiously silent about progress on what’s been billed as a 40-minute, six-movement symphony, where each movement evokes an indigenous American style of music, from ragtime to the blues to 4/4 swing. This will be his first score for purely orchestral forces, without Marsalis’ on-stage participation and with no jazz combo in the mix.

Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Classical Music

Comments

By BPJ

August 15, 2008 11:44 AM | Link to this

I’m not worried. The history of classical music is full of examples of commissions being fulfilled much later than anticipated; several masterpieces took years of gestation and revision. And Marsalis is a very busy guy. I’d rather have a great piece a year or so late, than an adequate one sooner (I suppose the delay does up the ante for him, though).

By deliverkeybo

August 17, 2008 1:53 PM | Link to this

australia bag kitchen me yes

By SL

August 22, 2008 10:36 AM | Link to this

I agree with the above comment exactly. There’s no reason to worry; classical music has a history of this, Wynton is very busy and it will be dynamite when it’s done.