Howard Shore Makes World Premiere At Bridgehampton Chamber Music Fest

Manhattan-based singer Jennifer Johnson Cano is a frequent guest on the Metropolitan Opera House stage, performing classic pieces by long-gone, 19th-century composers—and often finds herself asking unanswerable questions.

“What were the composer’s intentions?” she’ll muse. “Why did you do this?” or “What is the story behind this?”

So when she learned renowned modern composer Howard Shore—who has scored hundreds of films, including “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Hugo” and, most notably, “The Lord of the Rings” series—was seeking a mezzo-soprano for his newest piece, “A Palace Upon the Ruin,” co-commissioned by the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival and La Jolla Music Society’s Summerfest in California, she realized it was the perfect fit.

She could finally have the answers to all her questions, because she could simply look at him and ask.

On Sunday, August 10, Mr. Shore’s most recent composition will make its world premiere at the Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church during “Colorful Explorations,” a concert marking the second week of the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival’s 31st season performed by the Classic Six—an ensemble festival founder and artistic director Marya Martin hired a year in advance—and Ms. Cano.

“Commissioning is a very important part of what I believe should be a musical festival, because it’s my responsibility to make sure that young composers get a voice,” Ms. Martin said of modern-day composers during a recent interview at the Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church office. “Unless I commission them and provide a place to play, they’re not necessarily going to. Of course, Howard Shore is played everywhere, but we need to have something brand new on the program.”

“A Palace Upon the Ruins” is a work three years in the making, Mr. Shore explained last week during a telephone interview, one that was temporarily delayed due to his work on “The Hobbit.”

“Music is a living, breathing thing,” Mr. Shore said. “New works just help invigorate the repertoire.”

During a conference call with the piece’s lyricist, Elizabeth Cotnoir—who happens to be married to Mr. Shore—the couple explained that they first met at the Brill Building on Broadway, a musical haven for writers and composers that has drawn the talent of Carole King, Johnny Mercer and Billy Rose. They have collaborated on many projects over the years, but this time Ms. Cotnoir had complete creative freedom.

“Being a writer, because I wasn’t trying to fit into something that existed, I was just saying what I wanted to say,” Ms. Cotnoir said. “Usually, the music kind of happens and it evolves together. But in this one, I was asked to create the verse, and then we passed it on to Howard and put music to the words.”

“There’s a real intimacy to this piece,” her husband added, “because of the size. And there’s an intimacy to Elizabeth’s poems, with the language. I started working—inspired right away once I read the poem. I like to write, really, for the artists who are going to be performing.”

The Classic Six—violinist Jennifer Frautschi, violist Cynthia Phelps, cellist Clive Greensmith, pianist Gilles Vonsattel, Bridget Kibbey, playing harp, and percussionist Ian David Rosenbaum—will perform with Ms. Martin on flute and Ms. Cano singing Ms. Cotnoir’s lyrics. After its debut on the East End, Ms. Cano will fly to California for the piece’s second staging at La Jolla Music Society’s Summerfest.

“It’s a fantastic process, and I love being part of something being created for the first time,” she said. “It’s a really special experience for me, and I think the piece Howard has written is incredibly powerful and moving.”

The Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival continues its 31st season with the concert “Colorful Explorations,” featuring new work by composer Howard Shore, on Sunday, August 10, at 6:30 p.m. at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church. Tickets range from $45 to $55. For more information, call (631) 537-6368, or visit bcmf.org.

In partnership with the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, Brooklyn Rider will play Late Night at the Parrish on Saturday, August 9, at 9 p.m. at the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill. Tickets are $35, or $30 for members. For info, visit parrishart.org.