THE STORY BEHIND: Nabors' "Pulse"

On March 15 & 16, conductor Joseph Young and the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra will present TCHAIKOVSKY'S FIRST PIANO CONCERTO with pianist Tony Siqi Yun.

Title: Pulse

Composer: Brian Raphael Nabors (1991- )

Last time performed by the Rhode Island Philharmonic: This is a RI Philharmonic Orchestra premiere. This piece is scored for three flutes, three piccolos, two oboes, English horn, three clarinets, three bass clarinets, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, piano, celesta and strings.

The Story: Brian Raphael Nabors was born in Birmingham, Alabama. There, he attended college, receiving a Bachelor of Music Theory and Composition degree from the School of the Arts at Samford University. Nabors went on to earn both a Master of Music degree and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Composition at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Embracing his Southern roots as a composer and pianist, Gospel music has been an underlying force. However, his tastes and influences have taken him farther afield in both piano performing and composition. Mainly, these include American jazz, funk, and rhythm & blues, plus various African musical influences.

Yet Nabors’ professional life has taken the international route of many of his New Music contemporaries. His music (often on commission) has been performed by symphony orchestras in Boston, Atlanta, Nashville, Cincinnati, Detroit, Fort Worth, and Munich (Germany.) Nabors himself wrote the following description of Pulse:

My conception of Pulse began as a long contemplation of daily life as we know it, combined with thoughts of life in nature. The universe seems to have this natural rhythm to it. It is as if every living and moving thing we are aware and unaware of is being held together by a mysterious, resolute force. Pulse is an episodic rhapsody that explores several phases and colorful variants of rhythm all held together by an unwavering pulse. Each episode is meant to symbolize a different scenario of life for the listener, be it a buzzing modern metropolis, a deep wilderness abundant with animalia, or the scenic endless abyss of the ocean. All of these worlds and their philosophical meanings are then brought together in a contemplative theme of “unification” in the strings that symbolize our deep connection as living beings to everything within, over, under, and around us.

Program Notes by Dr. Michael Fink © 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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