Luminary was composed to honor the 72nd birthday of pianist and teacher Bennett Lerner. The word "luminary" has two meanings: 1 (archaic), a natural light-giving object or source of light, especially the sun or the moon, the most important natural sources of light for the planet Earth; and 2, a person who inspires or influences others. Bennett Lerner is one of the latter and has inspired and influenced a myriad of musicians, especially pianists and composers. He is also a great advocate of new music. Luminary has three main sections, recalling a traditional concerto. It begins with fast repeated notes, which portray rays of light penetrating the atmosphere of the earth. The second section is peacheful and slow and the third section returns to the opening high energy. The piece contains a small hint of Southeast Asian music, but of unclear geographical origin. Luminary was commissioned by the Ansin Foundation, with the gracious support of the South Dakota Symphony and the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra. It was first performed by the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, Dariusz Mikulski, conductor, with Christopher Janwong McKiggan as piano soloist, on June 17, 2016. Both the composer and the pianist were students of Bennett Lerner. |
