Those of you who know me must have heard me mention at least once the name Richard Taruskin. I've been making a real effort this past month to absorb his book 'Text & Act'. A collection of essays dancing around topics in early music, it seems the further I read the more he writes on how others have misinterpreted the previous essay.
A point he brings up which I continue to meditate over is that musicians are better critical thinkers if they undergo a change in musical tradition such as from mainstream classical music to historical performance. If we are forced to completely rethink our approach to music we've been playing our whole life, will that not affect how we come to make artistic decisions whether they be big or small?
This transition of perceptions seems to be a rite of passage for most, but what about those who are born into the new tradition (that being historical performance)? Will they develop the same critical thinking skills without living through such a radical change?
Monday, November 26, 2012
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Can you imagine doing anything else?
A video or two for you before Trick or Treating this evening: A brief discussion between musicians and the Kronos Quartet and Wu Man at a Workshop at Carnegie Hall.
Speaking on the difficulty of reaching a measure of success, violinist John Sherba says, "It boils down to you enjoy this so much that you just have to do it...you can't imagine not doing [it]." What an important point.
In the second video, violinist David Harrington gives a brief history of the Kronos Quartet. Pay attention to his work as 'the manager of the group', and how often they performed in Seattle in the early days.
So,now that you've heard a little about the work involved. Can you imagine doing anything other than music?
Happy Halloween!
Speaking on the difficulty of reaching a measure of success, violinist John Sherba says, "It boils down to you enjoy this so much that you just have to do it...you can't imagine not doing [it]." What an important point.
In the second video, violinist David Harrington gives a brief history of the Kronos Quartet. Pay attention to his work as 'the manager of the group', and how often they performed in Seattle in the early days.
So,now that you've heard a little about the work involved. Can you imagine doing anything other than music?
Happy Halloween!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Make it Mean Something
A recent lecture given by Anthony Rooley (Consort of Musicke) had an important effect on me. Though the lecture centered around Monteverdi's Lamento d'Arianna (1608), as well as other works based on the same subject, an incredibly important point was raised. Artists should be engaging with their audiences on more levels than purely musical. "Give them a story," he said.
Interestingly enough, by the end of the lecture we had heard enough music to encapsulate a concert and walked away with a much deeper understanding of the circumstances surrounding the centrepiece work, as well as discovered numerous other works directly referencing Monteverdi's setting. We covered the entire myth of Arianna at Naxos as well as another, that of Leander and Hero, and covered settings of those works which were isolated from the Italian settings.
Though, of course, it was presented in a manner befitting a classroom, it wouldn't be difficult to convert it for a concert-going public. Indeed, I assume this lecture came about from the Lamento D'Arianna project by the Consort of Musicke c.1990.
Crucial is it for us at this moment to make a concert 'relevant', what better way than this? Create a narrative, appealing to both the intellectual and the emotional, providing an event with an inherent cultural value beyond just another broadly-themed concert.
Interestingly enough, by the end of the lecture we had heard enough music to encapsulate a concert and walked away with a much deeper understanding of the circumstances surrounding the centrepiece work, as well as discovered numerous other works directly referencing Monteverdi's setting. We covered the entire myth of Arianna at Naxos as well as another, that of Leander and Hero, and covered settings of those works which were isolated from the Italian settings.
Though, of course, it was presented in a manner befitting a classroom, it wouldn't be difficult to convert it for a concert-going public. Indeed, I assume this lecture came about from the Lamento D'Arianna project by the Consort of Musicke c.1990.
Crucial is it for us at this moment to make a concert 'relevant', what better way than this? Create a narrative, appealing to both the intellectual and the emotional, providing an event with an inherent cultural value beyond just another broadly-themed concert.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
New Performer's Visa Basics out!
Musical America just released a PDF titled "Securing U.S. Visas for Visiting Artists". I highly recommend it. Interesting to see just how complex the system there has become.
The most relevant story for me, was that of the Chicago Opera Theater on page 17. Here the up-and-coming Irish singer Claudia Boyle was to take the role of the Queen of the Night in a production of The Magic Flute. Unfortunately, the process dragged on so long that she ended up missing the show. The U.S. Consulate in Dublin "was inclined to send her application back to the USCIS and request revocation because the reviews weren't good enough, the awards not international enough, and the artist was too provincial."
What a Debbie Downer.
The most relevant story for me, was that of the Chicago Opera Theater on page 17. Here the up-and-coming Irish singer Claudia Boyle was to take the role of the Queen of the Night in a production of The Magic Flute. Unfortunately, the process dragged on so long that she ended up missing the show. The U.S. Consulate in Dublin "was inclined to send her application back to the USCIS and request revocation because the reviews weren't good enough, the awards not international enough, and the artist was too provincial."
What a Debbie Downer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)