Grammy Award winning song writer Jimmy Webb has announced a classical nocturne to his catalogue less than a fortnight after he performed an emotive concert in Fife.
The world premiere of Jimmy Webb’s Nocturne for Piano and Orchestra (Nocturne for “Lefty”) will take place on Monday, October 24 at the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Known for legendary hits including ‘Wichita Lineman’ and ‘MacArthur Park’, 70-year-old Webb, a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, has teamed up with pianist Jeffrey Biegel and Orchestra Kentucky for this unique project, funded by donor Dr Robert G. Schiff.
Following the premiere, Webb will join Orchestra Kentucky to perform his hits, including ‘By the Time I Get to Phoenix,’ ‘Up, Up and Away,’ and others.
On October 25, Orchestra Kentucky will award Webb with its Lifetime Achievement Award.
Nocturne for Piano and Orchestra (Nocturne for “Lefty”), composed by Webb (for pianist Jeffrey Biegel), was orchestrated by Webb together with Grammy-winner Jeff Tyzik.
Webb dedicated the work to his wife and partner Laura Savini.
Webb, who recently performed a tribute concert to old friend Glen Campbell at the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline, said: “This music originated in discussions I had with my wife about famous nocturnes such as “Moonlight Sonata” and others.
“The piece depicts different aspects of nightfall; the mathematical exactitude of life in the city, the splendour of night skies and full moons partially obscured by cloud, the gentle rise and fall of human conversation in social gatherings and the dizzying whirl of waltzing on a seaside esplanade.
“It is essentially an opportunity for the listener to contemplate their own experiences during the hours of darkness. It includes a personal tribute to the music of Miles Davis, and the smoky dives and small clubs where I performed in my early years: the kingdom of the lonely and disillusioned.
“”Lefty” is my wife, Laura Savini, of PBS fame, a raving beauty who is also a Southpaw. The notes have been inspired by her joy and devotion to art.’”
Orchestrator Jeffrey Tyzik added: “‘It was a great pleasure to collaborate with Jimmy Webb on his new multi-faceted composition Nocturne for Piano and Orchestra (Nocturne for “Lefty”).
“ I have been a great admirer of Jimmy’s huge body of work since the 1960s and I was honoured to be a part of orchestrating his beautiful music for symphony orchestra. Jimmy writes from the heart and continues to be an inspiration for all songwriters.”
