Curtis premiere of 'Jungle Book': Staying true to the stories, dark and light

T he Jungle Book, with a score by composer John B Hedges and choreography by Colby Damon, receives its premiere Sunday by Curtis Institute of Music instrumentalists and dancers from Pennsylvania Ballet II. The work, based on the Rudyard Kipling stories, is meant to capture the attention of young listeners and their families. Hedges, 41, born in Wilmington and a Penn and Curtis graduate, talks about his new work.

For a project like this that involves dancers, music, and a narrator, who made the first move? Did you first shape the text and then write the music, and then choreography was added later in the process?

Initially, that is exactly what happened. Colby Damon, the choreographer, had a clear idea of how the action should progress. So the first move was his: crafting a basic plot outline of scenes that would condense and adapt the Mowgli stories into something that would work well for dance. After that, Colby started hashing out a working script with input from Anthony Martinez-Briggs (our narrator) and myself. As soon as a scene was hashed out in the script, I would then take off with it, being sure Colby and I were on the same page. With a pretty short amount of time to create this complicated ballet, we couldn't afford to go back to the drawing table much. The communication throughout was great, so the notes coming back when the dancers started working were "Can we add 20 seconds here?" or "Can we take it a little slower here?" instead of, "We need to rewrite that whole Baloo scene." Decisions as to how much of and where the text was included in the score were mostly left to me, but Colby would request adjustments based on what was happening in the studio.

Some of the story is a bit dark. How did you weigh how scary to make the music?

Our goal was always a family-friendly work that didn't pull its punches. We wanted Shere Khan the tiger to feel dangerous, for Kaa the python to devour a monkey, and Bagheera to tell a story of captivity. Mowgli's journey toward maturity, for us, is one of striking a balance between all of the lessons he observes from the animals. Both their idealized qualities and their darker realities.

And you have a son yourself, don't you? Did you use him as a guide in making any decisions?

Yes, my 4-year-old son, Bran, was quality control throughout. I would write and create a MIDI file adding the narration. Then I would play it for him, and as long as he kept wanting more, I knew I was on the right track. He saw the full ballet in rehearsal the other day and gave us his final approval. The score is dedicated to him and certainly wouldn't be what it is without him.

Do you remember a piece of classical music that was a "gateway" experience into classical music for you? Do you think music still has the power to do that, given all of the other stimulation (technology) children have today?

Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 was the main piece I remember having a big impact on me. My first orchestra experience was a school trip to the Delaware Symphony, and they played it. My father also had it on LP, and I used to listen to it a lot. So much drama and understandable motivic development, even for a small child to hear. We also had the Story of Star Wars record with music and narration, which was just about the coolest thing ever.

With very young children, who aren't so immersed in the digital listening experiences yet, live acoustic music still seems to have a profound, lasting impact. But, to my mind, the challenge as children get a little older becomes one of the perceived lack of intimacy and immediacy of the experience.

When they are experiencing their music directly into their ears or in front of their computers in their bedrooms, the concert hall experience seems to suffer from a direct comparison. What used to be the most arresting and immediate musical experience can seem somehow distant and disconnected to digital native listeners. The mode of receiving the music seems alien to them, more than the content. And it may be that institutions and performers who are experimenting with those modes of experience are having increased success reaching younger audiences while enjoying innovative programming.

The Jungle Book collaboration between Pennsylvania Ballet and the Curtis Institute will, I think, be a great example of this.

I find the last few minutes of the piece very stirring. Is there a conscious use of Indian sounds there?

Throughout the ballet, there are some direct and indirect references to Indian music, which I've loved since my undergraduate professor from Penn, Jay Reise, first introduced me to it. The ensemble itself is sort of a Western surrogate for an Indian dance ensemble. It seemed appropriate for an adaptation of a story that was translating the Indian landscape through Western eyes for Western readers.

Does the "B" in the middle of your name stand for anything?

Ah - the mysterious "B" with no period. In my family, it kind of stood in for "Junior." My father and I are both John Anthony Hedges, so when I was younger I was just John B to his John A. It's been that way ever since.

Was having a rock musician father an influence?

My dad was a full-time rock musician when I was little and was my music teacher in middle school. He was a fan of Bartók and Beethoven, but rock, funk, soul, and musical theater were the predominant forms of music around my house and are still a huge part of my life. Even throughout writing this ballet, I have been co-producing, arranging, and performing on a rock album by my cousin, Quinn Hedges. It certainly informs my own compositions, particularly with regard to rhythm and, if I'm honest, a need for a direct, visceral connection to the listener.

The Jungle Book on Sunday at the Curtis Institute is sold out, but the 2 p.m. performance will be streamed live at www.curtis.edu/CurtisPerforms.

Performances are scheduled for April 9 at the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center and April 23 at the Ware Center at Millersville University in Lancaster.

Information: www.paballet.org/jungle-book

pdobrin@phillynews.com

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