The 14-Year-Old Composer: Brilliant, Yes, But How’s The Music?

Jay Greenberg has been seemingly everywhere this week, his shy-looking face standing in stark contrast to his accomplishments: still just 14, Greenberg has written five symphonies and countless other works, and his latest have just been recorded by the London Symphony and the Juilliard Quartet. But does the label of “genius” really apply here? Tim Smith says it does: “The orchestration is remarkably assured, showing a keen ear for how sections of instruments can complement and play off each other. There’s a clear sense of direction and purpose to the work, a build-up of drama and tension that ends with a blaze of high-spirited energy.”