Carlos Simon feels deeply committed to a sense of mission in his work and is fond of comparing music to a “pulpit.” One of his most-performed pieces is Elegy: A Cry from the Grave for string quartet (2015) — "an artistic reflection dedicated to those who have been murdered wrongfully by an oppressive power; namely Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, and Michael Brown.”

Elegy introduced many Kennedy Center listeners to his work when it was programmed as part of the KC Jukebox Series. Simon is just beginning his three-year residency as the new Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence, with duties that indeed involve “speaking to or for his fellow human beings” — through commissions for the National Symphony, Washington National Opera, and across the Kennedy Center, as well as through his work as an ambassador for new music.

Born in 1986 in Washington, D.C. and now a professor at Georgetown University, Simon grew up in a family that made music together as an expression of worship. His father founded an African-American Pentecostal church, enlisting the talents of family members to sing and play. Simon looks back to a heritage of four generations of preachers and learned from an early age about music’s potential to transform.

A frequent source of inspiration is the work of painters and visual artists, such as the self-taught painter Bill Traylor (c. 1853-1949), who had been born into slavery in Alabama. Simon reflects on his situation of never knowing “where to fit in” in his solo violin piece Between Worlds. Another example is The Block for orchestra, composed in 2018 in response to the multidisciplinary artist (and semi-professional baseball player) Romare Howard Bearden (1911-88). Bearden was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, but moved to Harlem with his family at a very young age as part of the Great Migration.

“This piece aims to highlight the rich energy and joyous sceneries that Harlem expressed as it was the hotbed for African American culture,” writes Simon. The title refers to a single Harlem city block on which were located the variety of spaces that make up the texture of daily life, including a church, barbershop, nightclub. Simon refers to six of Bearden’s paintings, each highlighting a different building. He notes: “Bearden’s paintings incorporate various mediums including watercolors, graphite, and metallic papers. In the same way, this musical piece explores various musical textures which highlight the vibrant scenery and energy that a block on Harlem or any urban city exhibits.”

©2021 Thomas May

The structure of the Fifth Symphony progresses from minor to major, from darkness to light, from melancholy to joy — or at least to acceptance and stoic resignation. Its four movements are linked by a recurring “Fate” motto theme, given at the beginning by clarinets as the brooding introduction to the first movement. The sonata form starts with a melancholy melody intoned by bassoon and clarinet. A romantic tune for strings, an aggressive strain given in dialogue between winds and strings, and a languorous string melody round out the exposition. All of the materials from the exposition are used in the development. The solo bassoon begins the recapitulation. The Andante calls to mind an operatic love scene. Twice, the imperious Fate motto intrudes upon the starlit mood of this romanza. A flowing waltz melody dominates much of the third movement; the central trio exhibits a scurrying figure in the strings. Quietly and briefly, the Fate motto returns in the movement’s closing pages. The finale begins with a long introduction based on the Fate theme cast in a heroic mood. A vigorous exposition, a concentrated development and an intense recapitulation follow. The spacious coda uses the motto theme in its major-key, victory-won setting.

©2021 Dr. Richard E. Rodda