Composer Chats - Joel Love

Hi Joel! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat to us ahead of us giving the UK premiere of your piece, In Memoriam, at the Haddington Concert Society on 24th October 2021. Firstly, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m an American composer living in Houston, TX. I work full-time at Houston Community College teaching all kinds of music classes. I also am a jazz/classical pianist, although most of my time is spent teaching and composing these days.

We are so excited to be giving the UK premiere of this work. You’ve written a lot for saxophones across your career, one of the earliest works listed on your website is Liberation which you wrote for Bob Eason in 2008. What drew you to writing for the saxophone in the first place?

Actually, he was the first one to make a professional recording of the work, but it was written for my girlfriend at the time, Holly Carlton. The University of Houston has had some wonderful saxophonists over the years. Well, what drew me to the saxophone was quite simply: it sounds good! I loved the sound of the instrument and was able to imagine a piece for it; I know that is simple, but it’s true.

You wrote In memoriam for the Kenari Quartet (of which Bob Eason is the soprano player) in 2015, what did you enjoy about writing for saxophone quartet and what did you find challenging? Obviously you’ve known Bob for a long time, do you think this has an effect on how you wrote this piece, does it make it more personal or does that not feature at all?

There’s a lot to enjoy about writing for a saxophone quartet, but I’ll speak first about what is challenging. When I was asked to write this piece, I was commissioned because Kenari heard my two string quartets and really liked them. Bob tells me that the group listened to several composers and I happened to be the lucky one they picked! So, coming from writing for strings, there are obviously some differences: no double/triple stops, no portamenti, no mutes, no bariolage, etc. However, I think it was actually quite wonderful to have the experience of writing for strings first,

Who or what would you say has been the biggest influence on you as a composer?

Well, there are many things. Getting the commission that was inspired by James Turrell’s work (2013) was really important because it has had a lasting impact on my aesthetic in a sort of liberating, “it’s-okay-to-write-the-sublime” sort of way. I’ve long had an appreciation for other composers of all kinds, so it’s hard to pin them down, but Chris Theofanidis, Aaron Jay Kernis, and Chris Rouse come to mind.

You’ve also written a number of works for films, do you prefer writing concert music or film music, or do you not have a preference? Is there a big difference in how you approach writing for each genre?

This is a great question —- the main reason I became a composer is because I fell in love with the music of composers like John Williams, James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith, etc. and really thought that I would be a film composer. I loved the cinematic aspect of their music and how it was so easy to be swept away into the picture evoked by the music. I started to work with directors and found that it wasn’t as easy and glamorous as I once thought; although some were good at expressing what they needed, many weren’t all great at communicating. I do love writing for film, though, however it is markedly different because the music is subservient to the narrative of the existing film. This is obviously quite different from creating a composition that has its own inherent narrative. Both are challenging, however it seems writing my own work is slightly more rewarding.

In your performance notes for In memoriam, you say that the piece is about the emotion you went through after your father sadly passed away from cancer in 2014. Did you find writing this piece more emotionally challenging because of that, or do you feel it was a form of catharsis?

To me it feels like it was both. It was incredibly difficult to write this piece, obviously because it was the death of my father. I wrote quite a bit of the first movement while dealing with his last few months on Earth and then writing the piece after his death was definitely a way for me to channel that deeply conflicted energy into musical catharsis.

Obviously the last 18 months have had a massive impact on the Arts industry however here at the Laefer Quartet we are trying to keep a positive outlook; is there anything positive (experiences, new activities etc.) from the last 18months you’d like to share with us?

Well, the most positive thing that I can share is that concerts are coming back and people I see and meet everywhere are thirsty for live art again. I’d say the most positive thing is that I’m not sure I’ll ever take a concert for granted again!

If you could only take one piece of music to a desert island what would you take?

Kneejerk: Beethoven 7

Some quick fire questions now

- Cats or Dogs? Dogs

- Popcorn; sweet or salty? Salty

- Beer or wine? Beer

- Rugby or football (or neither!)? Football (American)

- Tea or coffee? coffee

- Big night out or quiet night in? quiet night in

- Will and Kate or Harry and Meghan? Harry and Meghan

- Are these questions too British?!? hahaha yes they’re wonderful

Finally, have you got any upcoming projects you would like to tell us about/what’s next for you?

I’ve just finished a new piece for Wind Ensemble for the American Bandmaster’s Association and I’m looking forward to attending its premiere in March. The next piece I’ll finish is a brass trio for some members of the Cleveland Orchestra who have a group called “Factory Seconds”. I have a new piece for sax, violin, and piano for some friends that I’m looking forward to completing by March. I also have a new work for sax and clarinet for Entre-Nous that I’ll complete late in 2022. There are couple other irons in the fire, but can’t announce them just yet...stay tuned!

The Laefer Quartet will be performing Joel Love’s In Memoriam at the Haddington Concert Society on October 24th at 3pm.

Tickets and more information can be found at: https://www.haddingtonconcertsociety.com

For more information on Joel Love please visit: http://www.joellove.com