The Houston Symphony debuted Karim Al-Zand’s latest work “Al-Jazari’s Ingenious Clocks” last weekend, bringing to life the intricate timepieces of a 12th-century inventor through music. The piece was part of the “Korngold’s Violin Concerto & Cinderella” program, which explored the connections between storytelling and sound.
Al-Zand, a professor of composition and theory at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music since 2000, found inspiration in the ingenious designs of Al-Jazari, a Muslim scholar and engineer known as the father of robotics.
“It’s a pleasure to have a work commissioned and premiered by any orchestra, but the Houston Symphony is extra special for me, not only because it is my ‘hometown’ orchestra, but also because its membership includes so many friends, colleagues and former students,” Al-Zand said. “It’s always more inspiring to compose for individuals rather than simply for instruments. And the fact that these terrific musicians are also familiar faces makes the experience that much more rewarding.”
The performance also featured Dutch violinist Simone Lamsma in Korngold’s Violin Concerto, as well as selections from Prokofiev’s “Cinderella.” The Fairytales Festival continued with additional performances, including another of Al-Zand’s works “Studies in Nature.”
Al-Zand’s music has enjoyed success in the U.S., Canada and farther abroad, and he is the recipient of several national awards, including the Barlow Prize, Sackler Composition Prize, the ArtSong Prize, the Louisville Orchestra Competition Prize and the Arts and Letters Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Learn more about the Shepherd School here.