Play (composition)

Play is a symphony for orchestra in three movements by the American composer Andrew Norman. The work was commissioned by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, for whom Norman was then composer-in-residence. It was first performed on May 17, 2013 by the orchestra under the conductor Gil Rose. The revised version was premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Gustavo Dudamel October 28, 2016.
Composition.
"Play" has a duration of roughly 45 minutes and is composed in three movements:
Norman scholar and collaborator Anne Lanzilotti writes, "Structured in three movements—or 'Levels,' as they are titled—it is an intricately planned work dealing with themes of control, free will, hidden messages, and of course, playfulness. The key elements of "Play" are the things that inspire me in Norman’s music: physicality, the use of form to create narrative, and an interest in the experience of live performance."
The composition also utilizes various extended techniques for strings.
Reception.
"Play" has received an extremely positive critical response. Reviewing the world premiere, David Wright of the "Boston Classical Review" wrote, "No matter how complex and seemingly chaotic the music became, Norman's contrapuntal skill and imaginative handling of the large orchestra were evident throughout." He added, "A single hearing can hardly do a piece like "Play" justice, but the work's ambition and brilliant performance earned it warm and prolonged applause." Reviewing a recording of the work, the music critic Alex Ross called it "a sprawling, engulfing, furiously unpredictable piece in three symphonic movements." Tom Huizenga of NPR similarly called it "witty, playful, surprisingly transparent — aside from the bazillion little things going on — and probably thrillingly difficult to pull off." David Weininger of "The Boston Globe" wrote:
In 2017, "Play" won the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition.
Recording.
The Boston Modern Orchestra Project launched a Kickstarter campaign on June 13, 2013 to raise $8,000 for a recording of "Play", in addition to Norman's orchestral work "Try". The campaign closed on June 30, 2013 having successfully raised $9,525. A recording of the work was subsequently released through the orchestra's label BMOP/Sound. The BMOP recording was later named one of the best classical music recordings of 2015 by David Allen of "The New York Times" and was nominated for the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.