Nashville-based rocker Ben Folds harbors no illusions about the originality of his new piano concerto. "I suspect that people who analyze piano concertos for a living will absolutely hate my new concerto," says Folds, who spoke with wry humor about his latest project during a recent interview at his spacious Music Row studio. "The piece is proudly and overtly derivative."
And yet Folds believes he may have more in common with Beethoven and Brahms than many contemporary classical composers, who wield Ph.D.'s but mostly write what the critic Terry Teachout refers to as faculty-lounge music. "The great composers from Mozart to Gershwin were also celebrity pianists who wrote piano concertos to sell tickets and put butts in seats," says Folds. "In writing my new concerto, I'm basically picking up the musical conversation where George Gershwin left off."
One thing's for sure: Folds and his new concerto are adept at getting keisters into concert hall seats. All three of Folds' performances this weekend with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center are sold out. Folds fans without tickets can still hear the concerto performed live this spring, when the rocker joins the Nashville Symphony and Nashville Ballet for "The Ben Folds Project" May 2-4 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.
At first blush, Folds might seem like a curious choice to be the composer of a piano concerto. True, the 47-year-old singer-songwriter has been rocking the suburbs for more than two decades, first as the piano-pounding frontman of Ben Folds Five and later as a successful solo act. Throughout this time, of course, his primary shtick was writing three-minute pop songs, not 25-minute instrumental concertos.
That said, Folds has more of a classical background than many might suspect. Growing up in Winston-Salem, N.C., Folds played percussion in youth orchestras and later attended the University of Miami School of Music as a percussion major. "I know my way around an orchestra and have always been fascinated with long-form compositions," Folds says.
Although Folds has long been interested in extended compositions, the idea for The Ben Folds Project originated with someone else. Paul Vasterling, artistic director of Nashville Ballet, suggested a couple of years ago that Folds consider writing a short solo piano piece that could be choreographed. "By the time we finished talking, it was agreed that I would write an extended piano concerto for the ballet," Folds says, adding with a mischievous grin, "I've got to stop drinking at these meetings."
For the Nashville Symphony and its music director, Giancarlo Guerrero, the idea of Folds writing a piano concerto seemed perfectly natural. "We're always bringing in musicians from other genres to work with the symphony," Guerrero says. "We performed a banjo concerto with Béla Fleck a couple of years ago, and we'll play an electric bass concerto with Victor Wooten next season. I was really attracted to the idea of a Ben Folds concerto because he's been such a good friend to this orchestra."
Indeed, Folds was one of the first Samaritans to aid the symphony after the 2010 flood. "When I heard about what happened to the Schermerhorn after the flood, my instinct was to grab a shovel and help out," Folds says. "My shovel, of course, turned out to be music." Several months after the flood, Folds performed a benefit concert for the orchestra at TPAC. He also launched a "Keys to Music City" campaign, autographing piano keys and selling them for minimum donations of $88. Proceeds benefited the symphony's annual fundraising campaign. After that, a grateful Nashville Symphony invited Folds to sit on its board of directors.
Once Folds decided to write his concerto, he immersed himself in classical recordings, listening to everything from Rachmaninoff to Rautavaara. He eventually decided on the traditional classical concerto layout, featuring a fast, extended first movement, a slow, lyrical second movement and a blistering finale. "I'm really proud of the second movement, which is like a song without words," says Folds. "The final movement is a roller-coaster ride that starts off like Van Halen and then just goes nuts."
A product of late 20th century studios, Folds is comfortable with technology, and he's reportedly worked some sort of innovation into his new work. He won't say what it is, so be ready for anything. But you can be sure Folds has written one hell of an entertaining piece.
"I've lived a rock 'n' roll life," Folds says, "and that's what you'll hear in this concerto."
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