Even the most eloquent and charismatic professors cannot really be described as poets. That is, unless the professor in question happens to be a former U.S. Poet Laureate.
This Friday at Carnegie Hall, the Brentano String Quartet will perform a new rendition of Joseph Haydn’s “The Seven Last Words of Christ,” accompanied by a newly-commissioned poem by Mark Strand, Columbia English professor and former Poet Laureate of the United States.
This “symphony of words,” or alternation between music and poetry in a concert, takes on a monumental subject—Jesus’ last words. Mark Steinberg, the first violinist of the Brentano String Quartet, commented, “Without breaks for contemplation and text in between the movements, it would be difficult to absorb, to concentrate on a big, complex piece for that long.” Strand’s poetry acts as a highlighting complement to the involved and historical piece of music.
Strand’s poem is based on the Gospel of Thomas, a document comprised of the 114 sayings attributed to Jesus, and provides a way for the audience to follow the music and read between movements of Haydn’s piece.
After serving as Poet Laureate from 1990-91, Strand was approached in 2002 by the quartet to write poetry specifically to accompany this piece. Yet for Strand, this collaboration was an experimental undertaking. “A lot of my poems have been set to music, but it has never been a collaboration,” he said. “This is the first time I have written a poem for music.”
Strand’s inexperience with this kind of collaboration made the venture an interesting challenge, forcing him to think beyond standard poetic subjects. He explained, “If you are going to write a poem to accompany Jesus’ sayings, you are not going to write a poem about daffodils and steamshells.”
Though the religious aspect of Haydn’s work initially posed an obstacle for Strand, he came to find his distance from the subject exciting. “I resisted taking on this piece initially, because I am not a religion person. But I thought it would be fun and a challenge, especially since I am not religious. Religion is not important to my work in the least.”
In addition to Strand and Brentano’s collaboration, the evening will include another poetry-music alliance. The quartet will perform Lee Hyla’s composition “Howl,” inspired by and read in conjunction with the poem of the same name by Allen Ginsberg.
Though it can be hard to imagine a professor doing something other than sitting in an office and grading papers outside of class, Strand’s poetry is proof that Columbia professors often practice what they preach.
“The Seven Last Words of Christ” will be performed on Friday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Zankel Hall of Carnegie Hall at 881 Seventh Ave. (at W. 56th Street) Tickets are $50-$56, available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office.
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