As a prolific and talented composer, Judith Shatin, the William R. Kenan Jr. professor in the McIntire Department of Music and founder of the Virginia Center for Computer Music, has seen and contributed to the success of many musical projects. One of her most recent composing accomplishments, an album of chamber music titled Tower of the Eight Winds, is no exception. The album earned producer Blanton Alspaugh a Grammy nomination for Classical Producer of the Year. "I was delighted to hear about Blanton's nomination," Shatin said. "He was indispensable in creating the sound of the album."
Tower of the Eight Winds, a commission of the Library of Congress, is a tangible testament to years of Shatin's work and talent. She noted that "this CD includes music from 1986 to 2008. I put in many, many hours on every piece I do, designing its structure and details. What initially attracted me to the project was the idea of collecting my music for violin and piano."
Because some of the music written for Tower of the Eight Winds was composed years before the album was put together, Shatin recorded the pieces at the University of Utah during "four very intense days." To record the album, Shatin chose the Borup-Ernst Duo, a professional piano and violin tandem, which had played her music prior to the recording. "I was especially pleased with their [touring] performance," Shatin explained.
Shatin draws upon many influences for her compositions.
"It really depends on what I'm thinking about at the time," she said. For example, "Icarus," the first track on the album, was "inspired by the tale of Icarus and Daedalus," and "Penelope's Song," the second work, was "inspired by the Queen of Ithaca, wife of Ulysses." The eponymous work of the album has roots that are more personal to Shatin. She mentioned that her vision was derived from "a terrific picture, taken by my sister Deborah, when we were flying to Cusco while I was teaching on Semester at Sea, an inspiration in itself. The photo beautifully captured the flow of wind."
Some of the titles of the specific works on the album refer to ancient landmarks or legends. For example, Shatin noted that the title track, "The Tower of the Eight Winds," "was inspired by the fascinating structure that still stands below the Acropolis in Athens. 2,500 years ago, it had an intricate water clock to tell the time, and the octagonal building also had friezes representing different winds."
Today, Shatin shows her composing versatility by working on a new project, a piece titled "Sic Transit," which is "about the passage of time. It is scored for percussionist and percussion robots created by Expressive Machines Musical Instruments."
Although she is currently working on more contemporary music, Shatin looked back on the recording process of Tower of the Eight Winds and remarked, "I hope that one day it will be possible to do such a project at U.Va"
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