Last month, Anna Handler and the Los Angeles Philharmonic presented the US premiere of Grace-Evangeline Mason’s ‘Ablaze the Moon’ at the iconic Hollywood Bowl alongside a programme of Beethoven.
LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl
Photo: Elizabeth Asher
Ablaze the moon (2023)
‘ABLAZE THE MOON’ for orchestra was premiered by the BBC Philharmonic under Mark Wigglesworth at the Royal Albert Hall, London, as part of the BBC Proms 2023. The concert opener is inspired by the poem ‘Tonight’ by the American lyric poet, Sara Teasdale (1884-1933). The melodies in the piece follow the lines of the poem, which are full of vivid descriptions and begin ‘The moon is a curving flower of gold, the sky is still and blue; The moon was made for the sky to hold, and I for you.’
read more about the piece here.
Grace-Evangeline Mason with her score before the rehearsal
Grace-Evangeline Mason and Anna Handler backstage at the Hollywood Bowl
Photo: Elizabeth Asher
“With delicate lines in the winds, a briefly sneering buzz from the trombones ... Ablaze twinkles and shines for all of five minutes. In a welcome gesture, Mason gave an engaging onstage talk about her new piece before it was played—and lo, the real moon appeared over the trees at intermission in belated affirmation.”
“The score follows the text in conjuring through glittery orchestral writing the golden moon (ours wasn’t quite yet full) and our eternal twinkling celestial space”
