Torke’s Violin Concerto ‘Last’ – A Balm for the Soul
Music can do so many things. Inspire. Heal. Move us to be courageous. It can make us laugh, dance, and sing. And, as I’ve recently realized through Michael Torke’s newest composition, it can allow us to simply let go of the burdens we carry – even if just for a few minutes at a time.
Violinist Siwoo Kim perform's Michael Torke's newest work, "Last."
You may remember Torke from his bluegrass-inspired violin concerto Sky, written for violinist Tessa Lark in 2018 and nominated for a 2020 Grammy.
Torke’s latest - a 12-movement work for solo violin and strings, Last, will be released in full later this year. For now, the composer is sharing a few single-track releases, starting with Last Fall. Each movement – with names such as Last Night, Last Month, Last Year – is roughly four minutes in length, allowing the listener to dip in and out at will, or even listen in a different order.
The surprising thing for me was how these simple names freed up my mind from the stresses of the day and had me pondering moments from earlier times. Torke plants this seed in such a subtle way with these basic titles, and yet they are a powerful stimulus.
Torke observed that "many listeners use music as a mood playlist at the end of an exhausting day." He wrote these 12 pieces as miniature slow movements of violin concertos "that bid us to feel retrospectively."
I love that notion of feeling retrospectively. Of remembering things that are in our past with fondness and appreciation for what they meant to us at the time. And Torke’s music has the power to be both uplifting and somber simultaneously.
The recording features Siwoo Kim on violin and the East Coast Chamber Orchestra. Both soloist and orchestra are exemplary.
Kim’s playing is rich with emotion without tipping into sentimentality. He doles out his beautiful vibrato in restrained portions, making it all the sweeter when it comes. His bow control is extraordinary. And his elegant, understated stage presence allows full access to the beauty of Torke’s music without any distractions.
The orchestra plays with precision and grace – each string section clearly understanding when to rise and when to recede. Again, it would be so easy to cross the line between simplicity and grandeur, thereby intruding on the intimacy of the moment. The players know exactly where that line is, and they reverently stay on the side Torke intended.
To close, Torke’s own words:
"The Stoics recommend we live in the present: to fret over the past or stress about the future is counterproductive because these lie beyond our control. But I think there are other ways to respond to the past. We can cherish and even mourn what is no longer present. For me, our past populates our present, whether it be last year, last month, last week, or last Sunday."
You might like:
- REVIEW: Violinist Tessa Lark, Torke, and Tennessee
- Violinist.com interview with Tessa Lark: Bluegrass on a Strad
- Nicola Benedetti and Tessa Lark Nominated for 2020 Grammys
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Replies
There's a timeless calm to this music...not that it's static, but that it has a placid, purposeful tread. Thomas Tallis would appreciate it, were he to hear it, and perhaps he can. Goodness knows, Tallis lived through the entire Tudor dynasty-dictatorship, and knew that music could soothe the heart within no matter how much the king or queen of the day battered it.
Thank you Diana, Siwoo Kim and East Coast Chamber Orchestra, and Michael Torke.
Teresa, So glad you liked it!
Richard, I always look forward to your comments. Thank you for bringing Thomas Tallis to mind. What a beautiful thought.
This music is very beautiful! It has for me the feeling of a calm aftermath, perhaps due to first reading this article or maybe just due to the title itself. Personally I have lately been cultivating a mindset of being present in each moment, not often dwelling in memory or thoughts of controlling the future, like the stoic Michael Torke posits as a foil to the piece. While I was in each beautiful moment of this music I also drifted into reflection that the quality of reminiscences expresses my present condition as much or even more than it does the time remembered.
Will, Such a thoughtful comment. "Calm aftermath" aptly describes the feeling I had as well, but I didn't find your beautiful words. I appreciate the juxtaposition you express in your final sentence. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
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September 8, 2025 at 08:50 PM · Beautiful! Looking forward to hearing the entire piece.