Griffin CANDEY: Bury the Hatchet
Performers: Matt Albert, violin and Nicholas Photinos, cello
Bury the Hatchet (2023)
Instrumentation: violin and cello
Duration: 12:00
I. Bury the Hatchet
II. Twist the Knife
Program note:
Bury the Hatchet (2023) outlines, in fairly firm terms, how we respond to personal hurt. When we're hurt, when we grow apart, when we're at odds, we choose: if we believe that the person can change, we go through the difficult and often non-linear path of healing with them (burying the hatchet) — if this person has proven their inability to change, we should feel free to end that relationship gleefully and without remorse (twisting the knife.) Neither choice is represented in pure programmatic form between the two voices, violin and cello, but more so in energy — halting misalignment and squabbling leading to the eventual warm cohesion of the first movement, the maniacal speed and vicious glee of the second. In short: some relationships are worth the work, and the others can be cut loose.
About Griffin Candey
Griffin Candey is an American composer whose works have been praised for their "charming and elaborate complexity" and their "lyricism and emotional depth."
Recent outings include several set of songs (for Tamara Wilson, Ryan McKinny, Kelley O’Connor, and more,) a new alto work for Timothy McAllister and Liz Ames for their recent album (Project Encore,) a TTBB work for Cantus, a chamber ballet (Mirror Ritual) premiered at the University of Michigan with choreographer Jillian Hopper, and a handful of concerti (a chamber cello concerto, Facsimile; a viola concerto, Plein Air, and a tenor saxophone concerto, Double Aviary.) Upcoming collaborations include more songs (for sopranos Alexandra Nowakowski, Chelsea Helm, Lara Brooks, and Ann Moss, baritone Colin Levin, and a larger cycle for NYC’s Mirror Visions Ensemble,) a chamber work for NOW Ensemble (premiering on their 2024 Midwest tour,) and a chamber opera (Phenomenal Cage) premiering with Boulder Opera Company.
A tireless advocate for American opera, Candey served as Composer-in-Residence with Cleveland Opera Theatre from 2016 to 2022, premiering his adaptation of Federico García Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba (with librettist Caridad Svich) in Summer 2022. His previous operas—especially Sweets by Kate—have been performed with professional companies and universities across the country, including at Boston University's 2017 Fringe Fest, Fort Worth Opera's Frontiers Festival, Ohio State University, and at New York's iconic Stonewall Inn.
Visit www.griffincandey.com for more information.
