The Columbus Symphony's program this weekend includes Musica Celestis, a work for string orchestra composed in 1990 by Aaron Jay Kernis. Kernis is on the music faculty at Yale. His teachers include John Adams and Charles Wuorinen. He has been described as a composer unafraid to write beautiful music. Certainly Musica Celestis is beautiful. It's a warm bath of music, with enough spiky rhythm to keep us all from falling asleep in the tub.
In 1983, Kernis's score Dream of the Morning Sky was given a reading by Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic. I remember the evening quite well. Ken Bell, a buddy and client of mine was singing on the program and there I was in a comped seat ten rows from the stage. Mehta came out, very grand, very large and a tad pompous. He was in no way nasty but seemed distracted, as if reading a new piece was a challenge in keeping the band together. Kernis was 23 years old and sat on stage with the score. Audiences expecting a deferential and grateful young composer were disappointed. Kernis told Mehta in no uncertain terms that the score was not the problem. The orchestral balance was. When Mehta replied, yes but it's too thick, there's too much going on", Kernis said, "It's too loud! Just play the notes"! Nobody dared applaud this young man for insisting his music be played as he heard it. Plenty of people, myself among them, sought him out at the post concert reception to congratulate him for his music and his ba--er, chutzpah. I am always pleased to hear Mr. Kernis's music and Musica Celestis
