Book of Spells

Program Note:

For many seasons, Staunton Music Festival has had the great honor of commissioning new works by Zachary Wadsworth, one of the most gifted and lyrical composers of his generation. Since 2011, we have enjoyed premieres for voice and piano, a chamber opera, works for small ensemble, and works involving tape or audio manipulation. Tonight we will experience the world premiere of Book of Spells. Zachary writes,

If you haven’t already, I suggest that you go online and read some old spell books, or “grimoires.” If you do, you might find that they differ significantly from your expectations, which are informed by decades of films, TV shows, and blockbuster book series. Take, for example, a spell book called The Long Lost Friend, published in Pennsylvania in 1820. This book contains no curses, no hexes, and no “eye of newt.” Instead, its spells serve as a poignant reminder of everything that Pennsylvanians of the time couldn’t control: spells to prevent disease or injury, to control weather or crop yields, or even to scare away vicious animals and insects. My Book of Spells is a musical monologue for narrator, flutist, and two percussionists. The narrator discusses some of these old spells, and through speech and music, they seek to explore how we still might have a need for magic, even in our technologically- and scientifically-driven times.

(c) Jason Stell and Zachary Wadsworth