Call Stephen Paulus’ house in Minnesota to arrange an interview, and
he’s more than agreeable.

“Any time works for me,” he says. “I’ll be here, just writing
music.”

That kind of dedication has resulted in more than 350 Paulus works
for orchestra, chorus, chamber ensembles, solo voice, keyboard and
opera. Within the next few days, Tucsonans will get to hear a trio of
them.

Stephen Paulus’ Tucson weekend begins Thursday evening, when the
prolific composer will premiere a new work, “Dylan Thomas Songs,” as
part of a Tucson Symphony Orchestra concert. The concert repeats Friday
night. TSO fans are already familiar with Paulus, who has served as the
orchestra’s composer in residence.

On Saturday morning, Paulus will conduct an entire audience of
vocalists in two of his choral works at St. Philip’s in the Hills
Episcopal Church. Anyone who shows up for the free sing-along will be
invited to chime in on Paulus’ “Pilgrim’s Hymn” and “Psalm 84,” both of
which were composed in the last dozen or so years.

There will be no chance for rehearsal—just spontaneous
performance, which delights Paulus.

“These pieces are not angular or atonal or in 12-tone or anything
like that,” Paulus explains. “They are primarily tonal works, but they
have some refreshing colors in them and will be pretty accessible for
most singers.

“The person who is putting all this together is Kenneth Kelley, who
commissioned some of my works a few years ago for the First Nassau
Presbyterian Church in Princeton, N.J. And now he’s in Tucson, and Ken
wanted works that were relatively accessible and that were relatively
straightforward things.”

The free event is being presented by the Southern Arizona Chapter of
the American Guild of Organists.

Paulus, 60, has written in a great many styles for a wide variety of
venues—from the Seattle Children’s Chorus to the TSO, from the
New York Philharmonic to the Cleveland Orchestra, from middle school
bands to opera.

“I like the variety. It keeps me on my toes, keeps me sharp. You
never get stagnant or bored,” he says.

He has created nine operatic works for the dramatic stage, including
the acclaimed The Postman Always Rings Twice. Among his many
chamber works, he composed a piece for the Arizona Friends of Chamber
Music in Tucson.

He also keeps busy creating music for soloists.

“I’m writing a violin concerto for the Cleveland Orchestra,” he
says, “and I just finished a cello concerto for Lynn Harrell, one of
the world’s most renowned cellists.”

Paulus says he is thrilled whenever he gets the chance to work with
TSO and George Hanson, the symphony’s music director and conductor.

In addition to Paulus’ “Dylan Thomas Songs,” the TSO Classic Series
concert—dubbed Strauss, Listz and Poetry—will
include Richard Strauss’ “Four Last Songs.” Soprano Elizabeth Futral
will sing on both the Strauss and the Paulus.

The orchestra, conducted by Hanson, also will play Giuseppe Verdi’s
La Forza del Destino and Franz Liszt’s Les
Préludes, a work that inspired its own new musical form, the
symphonic tone poem.

“Dylan Thomas Songs” is an orchestral setting for three of the Welsh
poet’s best-known works, “Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night,” “This
Side of the Truth” and “And Death Shall Have No Dominion.”

All of the poems deal with death, “but not in a gloom-and-doom sort
of way,” Paulus says. “They are more contemplative.”

Paulus read the poems multiple times until their innate musicality
became apparent. “I know that sounds kind of hazy, but the musicality
is there. It has to do with the flow of the words and the way they
sound.”

The biggest challenge in creating a work such as “Dylan Thomas
Songs” is to keep the orchestra from overwhelming the singer, Paulus
says.

“You have to figure out how to use the whole orchestra and not make
it look like they are just accompanying the singer. I mean, they’re all
there to play; you have to figure out the best way of using the power
and not have it overcome the lyrics.”

Hailed for her stunning singing, Futral has performed works by
Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart, Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini, Verdi, Glass and
Previn.

Paulus has worked with the singer before.

“She was one of four soloists in my work ‘To Be Certain of the
Dawn,’ which premiered this last March,” he says. “I’ve been in touch
with her while she’s been learning the (Thomas) work. She’s very
enthusiastic about it, and I know she’s going to give a great
performance.”

This article appears in Oct 29 – Nov 4, 2009.