Scarlatti in Soweto – Julian Grant

Scarlatti in Soweto, for string orchestra, was commissioned by Rosemary Nalden for the Buskaid Soweto String Project, and written during the pandemic of 2020-21. During these many empty days I had a daily  ritual of stumbling through  a different sonata by Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757),which proved to be both a great exploration and comfort. When asked by Rosemary to write for Buskaid, I could not get Scarlatti out of my head, so this piece is a failed exorcism of my obsession. I do not quote extended passages, but I work with a few riffs, melodic and harmonic patterns and fingerprints found in so many of these sonatas. With Buskaid in mind, my imagination took flight: what if Scarlatti had not gone to the Spanish court where he had assimilated so many local idioms, but come instead to Soweto, and taken in its incredible wealth of music-making. In that spirit, I sought  to evoke elements of Zulu music and Kwela that I had heard, fusing them with my own style, striving to capture the energy and sparkle that so captivates me when I hear both the music of South Africa and the music of Scarlatti

The work is in three movements and lasts 16 minutes. The outer movements are both lively and upbeat. The central movement is more elusive, with a lamenting quality that morphs into something possibly resembling a slow night-club dance. 

The work is dedicated to Buskaid. 

Premiere: BUSKAID c. Rosemary Nalden. Linder Auditorium, Johannesburg, SA, 17 July 2022