Work of the Week - Mark-Anthony Turnage: Scorched

Scorched, for Jazz Trio and Orchestra, is a collaborative work by the British composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and the American Jazz guitarist John Scofield. The same trio that premiered the work in 2002 now will come together again on stage: John Scofield on guitar, John Patitucci on bass, and Peter Erskine on drums. They will perform it again with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, who also premiered the work, on May 21, which will be the US premiere of Scorched. Turnage has held the position of “Mead Composer in Residence” of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 2006.

 

The title, Scorched, is a portmanteau which Turnage coined to describe Scofield’s tone and playing technique expanded to a symphony orchestra: “Scofield Orchestrated.” Purely orchestral numbers mix with solos from the ensemble, as both groups borrow elements from each other in the mix. A unique, captivating mix of these two styles emerges, which is equally appealing to fans of both jazz and classical music. The Frankfurter Rundschau wrote of its premiere in Frankfurt am Main: “Never has there been such an intense groove on the stage and in the audience at an orchestral concert.”