A Temporal Walk Through the Spirit of Volition

Spirit is energy, and energy a kind of lifeblood. For me Classical Music is this same kind of lifeblood, a form of energy. Volition is a an act of making a choice or decision, an alternate choice perhaps. Alternative Energy in this sense is a form, and in my understanding it is a form of music.

I've experienced several of the compositions by and with Mason Bates and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. So when it came time to see and hear 'Alternative Energy' which was a premier for the PSO, I sort of knew what to expect. To say that some folks may not have known what to expect might be true, and might lead me to believe that some might not have enjoyed or appreciated the composition as much as I did. But at the end of the piece the applause was wild with enthusiasm, so perhaps my impression was wrong.

It's a different piece to say the least. It is programmatic in that it represents four different places in four completely different time periods. Of the four parts, the first was to me the one I like the most: "Ford’s Farm, 1896". It starts out with a slow, laid back, affable, breezy, devil-may-care, happy-go-lucky sort of character, then slowly saws the bow into a somewhat faster tempo and eventually into a dance-like hoedown. Then it proceeded to the second movement, "Chicago, 2012". This seemed like a walking procession, a scenic stroll with rhythmic jazz like impressions. Movement 3, "Xinjiang Province, 2112" begins the futuristic trail. Then comes No. 4, or "Reykjavik, 2222", a walk so far into the future it's not ours yet to envision, yet I can imagine what it might be like, and it seems to come almost full circle.

What's best about this piece is that Mason Bates performs along with the Symphony. When it first begins he sits on a stool and wait, his part isn't up just yet. Yet you can see in his demeanor and body motions that he's entirely 'into' the composition. He is appreciating the music, moving with it in syncopated fashion. Half way through he attends his station and begins to play his instrument: A synthesizer and a computer. His energy as he plays is evident, and his enthusiasm is contagious.