While studying at the Baltimore School for the Arts, the young composer Robert Karpay (‘06) had one of his choral pieces performed in a student workshop by the Baltimore Choral Arts Society. During a break, he heard one of the singers comment, “This piece is impossible.”
The difficulty of modern music is not a new development. Having studied composition at the Interlochen Center for the Arts his senior year and later at the Manhattan School of Music, Karpay is well versed in the modern music scene, and he is proud of the challenge his music presents.
“[His music] has a lot of different techniques, like microtones and these harmonic glissandos,” said sophomore violinist Zeke Dworak-Fisher, who is performing at the premiere of a new work by Karpay, Disquiet Discord.
“For a really long time, that moment [at the workshop] got stuck in my head,” Karpay said. “But for a while, I feel like I went too far, writing really simple stuff. Around 2012, I was like, ‘You know what, no, I’ll just write whatever I want to write.’ And that’s when I found my voice, like, ‘It might be hard, but it’s usually worth it,’” he explained.
Now, Karpay is challenging BSA’s own musicians with an original piece for orchestra. Commissioned by the ensemble Hub New Music in collaboration with the BSA Foundation, Disquiet Discord is a new composition written for and dedicated to BSA’s students.
Since graduating from the Manhattan School of Music in 2013, Karpay has written in a slew of styles. From orchestral works and string quartets to film and video game scores, his music can be found both in the classical world and in mainstream media.
Disquiet Discord was commissioned shortly after the school year began. Karpay began writing for the four instruments of Hub New Music’s quartet, but he realized that this would exclude many students from participating. The composer expanded the ensemble size to fit a small orchestra, allowing BSA’s full string orchestra to participate with select winds and percussion to form the Karpay Ensemble.
“It’s really fun for me, a very joyful experience bringing this to life,” said Anoa Green (‘00), the wind studies director at BSA and conductor of the Karpay Ensemble. “At first, I found that it was an adjustment getting in the world of Mr. Karpay, and learning his language has been a challenge, but I think now we have made huge progress in terms of getting to the style. His writing is very clear and specific, and though we’re still early in the rehearsal process, the orchestra is already playing at such a high level.”
Now, the composer views rehearsals to make sure it’s played just how he intended. “I see Disquiet related to my other orchestral works,” he continued, “But whereas those pieces go to a very heavy, less optimistic place, this piece is more bright.”
The composer explained that Disquiet is based on the high school experience he sees every day at BSA, focusing on the theme of adapting to your social environment. He commented, “I realize that high school is very different from when I attended BSA, but there’s still anxieties, influences from your peers, that sort of thing. The original version was just loud and bombastic, but the present version starts much lighter. There’s moments where there’s really weird stuff happening, but the ending has this big quote.”
He pulled out the score, pointed to a quirky woodwind phrase near the beginning, and noted the oddly placed C# when the key does not include that note. He flipped to the end and presented a different, grander melody in the brass, but pointed out that the unusual C# was still present.
“It’s this quirky weird little grain of sand that didn’t quite get removed during the final process,” Karpay explained. Though the subject of Disquiet has undergone a transformation, it still retains this trait from the beginning.
And the transformation is a wild one, starting with odd idiosyncrasies, moving to a subdued state with microtonal passages, and finishing with an unresolved sigh.
“It’s very cinematic, a very different taste from what I’ve played before,” stated freshmen violist Aubrey Guertin.
Disquiet certainly poses a challenge to BSA’s Karpay Ensemble, but Karpay knows that they will push through to deliver an excellent performance of a complex, staggering work.
“Thank you Dr. Edwards for coordinating this and for both her and Ms. Green for taking a very thorough look at my piece and having it show in her working with the students,” he finished. “Thank you to the BSA Foundation for funding this exciting project, and thank you to all of the students performing, and not. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed attending sectionals. I cannot tell you how valuable it is to have the opportunity to write music for my hometown orchestra. Thank you for the dedication and excitement that you’re bringing to your playing!”
Disquiet Discord will premiere during the year-end Chorus and Orchestra concert on May 9 at 5 p.m. in the Shaefer Ballroom at BSA. Tickets will be available at the door.
To contact this writer, email Muse Newspaper at musebsa@bsfa.org.
Featured photo of Robert Karpay and Anoa Green captured by Cyrus Croslin for the BSA Muse.
