Under the lights of the renowned Hollywood Bowl Sept. 12, the LA Philharmonic debuted Occidental music composition professor Adam Schoenberg’s “Cool Cat.” Schoenberg said the work is a cinematic ode to P-22, the late mountain lion that was known to roam the Hollywood area.
P-22 was a symbol of resilience and strength for Angelenos all over the city, according to the National Park Service website. The mountain lion was originally spotted wandering down from the western side of the Santa Monica Mountains in March 2012, according to the website. He likely crossed both the I-405 and the US 101 to reach the Hollywood Hills.
Schoenberg said he was commissioned by the LA Phil to honor the Griffith Park celebrity through a short piece that opened the concert.
“I looked up all of the articles that were written over the past several years… from the LA Times and other news sources just to get a better sense of who he was,” Schoenberg said. “I wanted to do my due diligence, of course.”
The research paid off in a piece that, however brief, did not spare any fanfare. Rumbling percussion and dramatic strings created a familiar yet exciting sound, like the theme of an action movie. The resonant timpani hits were similar to sure-footed steps, painting a picture of P-22 marching across highways and through the Hollywood Hills.
Though simple in its harmonies, the layers of catchy melodies led the opening section into rich swells best suited for an IMAX theater. Then, just as it seemed that a high point had been reached, the piece wandered into something more curious — more feline.
With bongos, two marimbas and a handful of warm brass solos, P-22 trods more playfully. The previously intense sound was replaced with a light-hearted jaunt — still in constant motion and thematic in nature, but more like the score of a Disney wildlife documentary than the theme of “Mission Impossible.”
To close out the piece, the audience was thrown back into the high-octane motifs that the journey began on, much like P-22 finding confidence anew in his big-city stomping grounds. The final flourish reverberated throughout the Hollywood Bowl until applause drowned it out, accompanied by a photo of the big cat projected onto the stage-adjacent screens.
Schoenberg came out to accept the cheers with a smile, then quickly returned to the wings as Philip Glass’s Violin Concerto No. 1 followed. Glass was in attendance that evening as well, a special treat to all modern classical music fans. Finally, Gustav Holst’s The Planets charmed the audience as the night’s closer.
“Cool Cat” was conceived over three weeks, according to Schoenberg, and started as MIDI channels in a digital audio workstation (DAW).
“I use Logic [and] I have a custom orchestral template that someone made for me,” Schoenberg said. “I have the entire orchestra laid out as you see in a conductor’s score…so I do the whole mock-up in Logic.”
Schoenberg said that this fresher take on composing is what he has been using for the past couple of years, but has used the more traditional paper-and-pencil methods early in his career and while he was an undergraduate at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
This is not the first time that Schoenberg has worked with the LA Phil or a major orchestra; some other heavy-hitters include the New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra and premieres at the Library of Congress and the Kennedy Center. He also won an Emmy and has been nominated for two Grammy awards. Even with such a prolific resume, Schoenberg said that he is still incredibly grateful for his pieces to be realized on such a grand scale, like with the LA Phil.
“It’s thrilling,” Schoenberg said. “There’s so many talented people out there, and I somehow got a little lucky. Obviously, I believe in my talent, but it’s definitely a privilege and a huge moment for anyone to have a performance with a major orchestra, let alone an iconic venue like the Hollywood Bowl.”
Contact Kawena Jacobs at jacobsk@oxy.edu.