“Why write symphonies,” a Pulitzer winner asks – and explains why:
In 2007, one day before the premiere of his Violin Concerto, Kevin Puts was interviewed by a journalist. The journalist asked over lunch, “So why do you write in these old forms, the symphony, the concerto…?” Kevin then Puts explained to the journalist that these were just titles; it reflected nothing about the form, which was a totally different thing altogether. But then, this also led Puts to ask himself, “What is a symphony these days?” What is it if it no longer comprises the standard structure? What characterizes it? Precisely what? And why should you write one?
Kevin Puts then writes about his story while he was still learning and writing symphonies, and then takes a look at the broader picture. Hint: ONLY symphonic literature can move us. Read more about it here:
Trivia: Kevin Puts’ opera Silent Night won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Music.
