The Cherry Orchard - Composing Chekhov

When I set out to compose for this production, it seemed like the biggest challenge would be to create music that was accurate to the time period. Some of the artists who have been my biggest influences as a composer to this point are Steve Reich, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Charles Ives, Radiohead, and Charles Mingus. Obviously, none of these artists’ music existed in 1904 Russia.

Even if I purged myself of all of these influences when writing for The Cherry Orchard (which isn’t possible), and based my compositions off of someone like Rachmaninoff, you’d be left hearing music that has come to be expected at productions of classic plays, and music that would be a dishonest reflection of my identity as a composer, and therefore a dishonest reflection of my identity as a person.

As I spent more time involved with this show, though, I realized that this specific production of The Cherry Orchard does not solely take place in 1904, it rather puts 1904 at odds with 2023. Alex chose a handful of moments that, in a way, break the fourth wall and bring the show into today, forcing our characters, and my compositions, to follow suit.

After coming to this realization, I looked at the task of composing for this show much differently. My aforementioned influences could stay with me in my music, but it felt necessary to compose within the structures of turn-of-the-century Russian classical music. I started listening more heavily to composers like Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, and Mussorgsky, as well as Shostakovich and Stravinsky (who both came after 1904). However, this listening wasn’t an attempt to replicate the styles of these composers, it was more of a reconnaissance mission: how am I gonna sneak Reich, Jobim, and Radiohead in here?

Many thanks to Alex for giving me this opportunity. Enjoy the show!

Will Tucker

Composer