PROGRAM NOTE

On March 6, 2014, at Symphony Hall, soloist Jeffrey Khaner, Music Director Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performed Jonathan Leshnoff’s Flute Concerto (2009).  Maestro Spano and the ASO commissioned Mr. Leshnoff to compose his Symphony No. 2.  That work receives its world premiere at these concerts.

When I was in college, I read a book by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, Innerspace (Moznaim Publishing Corporation, Brooklyn, New York, 1990), which started a 23-year journey into and discovery of my Jewish heritage.  This book explains the deepest levels of the Jewish religion, exposing—in the most profound and sublime way that I have ever seen—the basic structure that holds the entire religion together.

Rabbi Kaplan explains the ancient mystical concept of “olomos” (pronounced oh-LOHM-ohs)—universes.  The basic idea being that G-d’s unique essence is too powerful for any other being to exist; as such, He had to occlude His perceptibility for anything else to even exist.  This occlusion occurs in 5 stages, with the last stage leaving “room” for our existence. The first stage is a barrier separating Him from anything else, infinitely high from us, but infinitely lower than G-d.  Each stage is a universe.

The structure of my symphony parallels these five universes.  Starting with clarion brass, my symphony begins with the lowest universe, which is our universe (Broad, Maestoso).  The music starts with a jolt, but ends quickly and inconclusively, in quiet contemplation. The second movement (Fast and Intense) is furious, with restless energy from start to finish.  This movement is associated with the Hebrew letter Vav and Netzach, meaning overpowering, as in when a teacher overwhelms a students with overabundance of knowledge. The third movement, slow and expansive, opens and closes with a hushed episode scored for harp and strings.  These episodes frame intense lines that explode with tremendous force.  The penultimate movement (Fast) is unceasing in momentum.  Suddenly, that momentum halts (attaca Largo), leading to the final movement (Unimaginable).  This brief, final movement, consists of a mere single note by the first clarinet and a rest, which was the first idea in my mind.  In a sense, I had to write the whole symphony just for this last note.

My symphony is dedicated to 3 people who have changed my universe.  First, is Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, as Innerspace still speaks to me to this day. Second is Evans Mirageas, friend and advisor, always helpful and with wise advice. The final dedicatee is Robert Spano.  Maestro Spano inspires me. He inspires me to go higher and higher to reach places I never thought I could.  And he is right there to breathe life into what I wrote, going even higher.

—Jonathan Leshnoff