Philip Glass made me cry...again

The first time I saw Philip Glass play was when I was 15 and he came through town with Bang on a Can. I remember being bored out of my skull until he got on stage and played a couple movements from his Metamorphosis and felt a tear roll down my cheek. I had a similar sensation when reading a post in Alex Ross' blog on his participation in the occupy wall street movement using part of the libretto from the opera he scored Satyagraha. The opera itself is based on Gandhi and his form of nonviolent protest. Using the opportunity of its production at the Met, upon exiting the venue protesters gathered around Glass while he spoke out lines from the opera. Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson were there and I wasn't! But luckily, Alex Ross was and he captured this epic moment on video (see below)

What I find interesting though is the act of protest outside of the Metropolitan Opera House. As both Ross and Seth Colter Wall point out, the point of the protest was not directed at the opera attendees and I agree that it would be a misconception to associate the opera/classical music "elitism" with the "1%". I also agree with the fact that the general conception of opera as a hobby for the snobby is just plain ridiculous. I also think, however, that the general critiques spewed in that direction should inspire us to find ways to change the stereotype.

Dancing about architecture

The international music documentary festival In-edit, which will begin next week, is essentially a jacked-up cram-packed really awesome event that is about to initiate its sixth year. The program for this years festival includes every range of the musical spectrum from a documentary on the 20th century composer Steve Reich to a look into the drug-induced decay of Pentagram, the 70s heavy metal band. It's a festival that not only presents rare concert footage, but also analyzes music's relationship with culture and encourages us to think about where things are headed.

Also on the program for this season is a documentary on Jay Retard called Better than Something. Considering his recent death (yes, it is still very recent) I am disappointed at how little he is being talked about. The prolific musician who formed The Retards, The Lost Sounds, but most importantly wrote catchy epic rock songs that everybody likes. Anyway, what I’m getting at is that he should live on and be played until we scratch through our vinyl and burst out our speakers and get as sick of his songs as we must be getting of Michael Jackson’s or Amy Winehouse’s by now. Seriously.

If you're in Barcelona from Oct 27th to Nov 6th make sure to catch some of the movies!!
Check out the program here:
http://www.in-edit.beefeater.es/webapp/programacion;jsessionid=1wniet708jdma

When John Cage hung out with my family.

Aqui es donde estaba situado el piano durante las
actuaciones.

Este viernes tuve la oportunidad de ir a visitar la finca conocida como La Ricarda, casa de mi pariente Ricardo Gomis diseñada por Antonio Bonet Castellana (1949-63). Susana y Marita Gomis Bertrand (hijas de Ricardo) me enseñaron la casa y me hablaron de su infancia y los días que pasaron allí. Me quede muy impresionada por el edificio; es una obra de arte magnífica y preciosa. Pero, la Casa Gomis no solo fue un increíble ejemplo de arquitectura moderna, sino que también fue un auténtico centro de encuentro artístico e intelectual por donde pasaron John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Josep Maria Mestres Quadreny, Carles Santos, Joan Brossa, Joan Prats, Roberto Gerhard, Villelia, Antonio Tapies, Joan Miró y muchos otros. Como que no soy experta en el ámbito arquitectónico, para mi la visita fue más un descubrimiento familiar y musical. Pasearme por las mismas habitaciones en las que mis abuelos y bisabuelos presenciaron conciertos de algunos de mis héroes musicales fue muy impactante. Como visitar la casa de tu autor preferido o obtener la firma de una estrella de cine, la sala de música aún poseía la energía de esos tiempos ahora lejanos en los que los intelectuales de Barcelona y de otras partes del mundo se juntaban para crear arte y tocar música que en otras esferas y por la mayoría del público era despreciada o ignorada.
La Ricarda fue un punto de encuentro para los artistas del Club 49. Mi bisabuelo, el fotógrafo Joaquím Gomis, fue con Joan Prats, uno de los fundadores de este club artístico que organizó numerosas actividades en el ámbito de la poesía, el arte visual y la música. Entre estas, el ballet de John Cage y Merce Cunningham que al final se hizo en Sitges. Era la primera vez que tanto Cage como Cunningham venía a Europa, y al último momento el teatro que les tenía que acoger en Barcelona no lo hizo, muestra del nivel de respeto que conllevaba su música, es decir entre muy poco y ninguno.  Para ver un video de las innovadores y al principio generalmente mal recibidas actuaciones que presentaban Cage y Cunningham os pongo este enlace. El Club 49, con su perspectiva muy avanzada por su época se aseguró que la actuación se llevara a cabo y después Cage y Cunningham regresaron a la Ricarda donde pasaron unos días descansando y hablando con otros artistas.

En la propia casa, hicieron numerosos conciertos Carles Santos y Mestres Quadreny quien incluso presento una obra nominada "Divertimiento la ricarda", ambos invitados frecuentes en los encuentros que organizaba Ricardo Gomis.

Psychoacoustically Nonclassical

More and more my generation is starting to find alternative ways of making classical music fit in to contemporary society, a way of making the form of presentation more relatable to our interests and our lifestyle. In Nicholas Cook's Music, a Very Short Introduction he makes an interesting point when he says that "Rock stands for youth, freedom, being true to yourself; in a word, authenticity.  Classical music, by contrast, encodes maturity and, by extension, the demands of responsibility to family and to society" (p3).  Rock n' Roll and popular genres are a symbol of youth, independence and rebellion while Classical Music serves as a symbol of maturity and intellect.  Only through the fusion of these two symbols will classical music become more accessible to a rock n roll generation.
This idea has made me think back on the research I did for my thesis on Le Poisson Rouge, an alternative club venue in New York.  Taking classical music out of the traditional venues and using a space which usually caters to other audiences is a great idea and a necessary step in bridging the gap.  It is important to have these venues and to keep trying to push the boundaries of where and how classical music can be performed.  Aside from LPR, the group founded by Gabriel Prokofiev called Nonclassical is also doing similar work in London.  As they explain on their website:

A new music scene is currently emerging in London… Over the last few years ‘classical club-nights’ have started to become a rare but growing feature in the night-life of London. This has been fuelled by the next generation of classical performers, composers and promoters who are redefining the rules, and breaking out of the constraints of the traditional classical concert hall.

London and Lisztomania!

I have been in London for almost a week now and this city just seems to breathe with music!  After flipping through a book about British popular music in which I learned that the theme song in the film A Clockwork Orange is actually an electronic adaptation of the music Henry Purcell composed for Queen Mary's funeral in 1695, I have felt inspired to listen to some british music.  Mostly Billy Bragg, The Smiths, The Kinks, and David Bowie.


Aside from this British invasion in my music listening, I have also been paying homage to the bicentennial of Franz Liszt! The Lisztomania that is sweeping the classical world right now is producing some fun album covers and some great interpretations of the works of the musical genius that died 75 years ago.  Yesterday I bought the album Lang Lang recently released, Liszt My Piano Hero, which has a flashy cover and includes a video.  I've only listened to the album through once but it seems like a well-chosen and diverse repertoire executed magnificently. Although to be completely honest Lang Lang's playing does at times strike me as emotionally vacant, there is no arguing his technical virtuosity.
In the liner notes it makes reference to the 1975 film Lisztomania in which the lead singer of The Who, Roger Daltrey, plays the young Franz Liszt (the movie also includes an appearance of Ringo Starr). It's a funny film imbued with the psychedelic character of the era, and also a reminder of the superstar attention classical composers and musicians like Liszt received.

María Bayo y su voz angélica

Ayer, el Festival de Torroella de Montgri cerró con una actuación de la soprano navaressa María Bayo junto a Marco Brolli (flauta travessera) i la Academia 1750 con el director Stefano Demicheli. Tocaron obras de Ferrandini, Pla y Popora. El sonido del clavicordio es infernal, y la música barocca no me dice mucho, pero la voz de María Bayo es angélica y la oportunidad de ver la actuar en tan intimo escenario como la iglesia pequeñita de Torroella de Montgri donde su vibrato resonaba por las paredes y los arcos, fue inolvidable. Los monstruos que han pasado por el escenario del Festival de Torroella han sido la alegría de mi verano. Gracias Oriol Treviño, que por cierto fue recientemente nominado nuevo director de l'Auditori de Barcelona, por unos conciertos increíbles y gracias María por tu preciosa actuación.

Autorretrato.

Self Portrait. Portland, Oregon.

We read books and hear music.

I recently finished reading Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and noticed the interesting role music plays in the novel.  There are a number of musical references throughout the book but the ones that stands out the most are Schubert and Mahler.  Franz Schubert's "Trout" Quintet (1819) and Gustav Mahler's Octet characterize the mood and tone of Joseph Kavalier and Rosa Sack's relationship.  The pieces are the leitmotifs of their love and every time their relationship appears in the pages of the book I hear the romantic melodies of the two pieces in the back of my mind.  Schubert's quintet is a lively piece (written when he was only 22) which seems especially fitting for the relationship of the two characters.  The composition is full of complex harmonies, chromaticism and mediants but can also be seen as a series of variations on the same thematic material- a relevant sonic metaphor for the young couple's relationship.

Today I started reading the Haruki Murakami's latest novel, IQ84. While music often figures prominently in Murakami's work, the use of czech composer Leoš Janáček's, Sinfonietta as a background upon which the author lays out the initial scene particularly struck me.

   

The first lines of IQ84:
"The taxi’s radio was tuned to a classical FM broadcast. Janáček’s Sinfonietta—probably not the ideal music to hear in a taxi caught in traffic. The middle-aged driver didn’t seem to be listening very closely, either. With his mouth clamped shut, he stared straight ahead at the endless line of cars stretching out on the elevated expressway, like a veteran fisherman standing in the bow of his boat, reading the ominous confluence of two currents. Aomame settled into the broad back seat, closed her eyes, and listened to the music".

El Sistema: cambio social a través de la música

El programa que empezó Jose Antonio Abreu hace ya 35 años en Venezuela, conocido como "El Sistema" , es realmente asombroso.  Abreu, retirado economista, músico y hombre muy involucrado en el tema de la reforma social, fundo el sistema en 1975 con solo 11 niños en un garaje, e incluso entonces reconoció el potencial.  Ahora, el programa coge niños de los ghettos de Venezuela, pone instrumentos musicales en sus manos y les lleva esperanza y felicidad a través de la música.  Usando los espacios que tienen disponibles; cárceles o hostales, cualquier edificio que puedan usar, los convierten en uno de sus centros o "núcleos" para acomodar al creciente numero de participantes que quieren formar parte.  Ahora, con mas de 300,000 estudiantes tocando en unas 200 orquestas distribuidas en los varios núcleos que se han establecido en las ciudades y pueblos de Venezuela, El Sistema es uno de los casos mas espectaculares de cambio social a través de la música que haya sucedido.  El programa se basa en la educación musical para inspirar a niños que viven sin esperanza.  Lo que antes en la historia ha sido la música de la clase alta y educada, en Venezuela se esta transformando en la música del pueblo y de su gente.  En su pagina web, se definen como una obra social "para la la sistematización de la instrucción y la práctica colectiva de la música a través de la orquestra sinfónica y el coro como instrumentos de organización social y desarrollo comunitario."

Fora del Fossat!

Amb la producció de l'òpera del alemany Christoph Willibald von Glück (1714-1787) que es va estrena al XXV festival de Peralada ahir, el grup teatral català La Fura dels Baus i els 38 músics que formant el grup Britànic BandArt han presentat una innovadora interpretació de Orfeo i Euridice.

El trama de la opera de Glück es molt simple, amb només tres personatges principals i poca acció, però emulant l'esperit de Glück qui va amb aquesta obra inicia una reforma operística, la incorporació dels músics en l'espectacle significa una innovació monumental per el genere operístic.

La veritat es que la opera en si em va aborri una mica, i encara que la mezzosoprano Anita Rachvelishvili fent de orfeu convertís l'opera en una historia lesbiana que ha servit com punt de controvèrsia entre els crítics, el que em va causar més admiració va ser la incorporació dels músics en la obra. No només es que tocaven asseguts per l'escenari si no que se incorporaven a l'obra i ballaven i prenien vida de personatge pròpia envoltant a l'orfeo o amenaçant als dimonis.

El grup BandArt és un grup britànic conegut per toca sense director i de peu, el candidat perfecte per fer que els músics sortint del fossat i s’incorporin a la obra.  Inclús un dels directors de la Fura dels baus, Carlos Paradissa va dir: "Com Glück que amb aquest opera fa 250 anys va obrir les portes a una reforma del genere, sento que estic obrin una nova via fent que l'orquestra abandoni el fossat per integrar-se a l'escena". 

Bizet a la Barceloneta!

Encara que no sembli gran cosa en mig de tots els festivals d'estiu, la projecció de l'opera de Bizet, Carmen en una pantalla gegant a la platja de la Barceloneta a las 22.15 ahir, i la transmissió per el Canal 33, significa un altre pas important per portar l'opera a un public més ampli. És la primera vegada que el Liceu porta l'opera a la platja i emet la producció en gratuït, però en molts llocs la mateixa idea ja s'ha anat explorant. La producció de Lepage a Nueva York del "Ring Cycle" de Wagner que es va transmetre per cinemes per tot els estats units, i les projeccions de opera a la platja que fan a Miami amb la New World Symphony estan inspirant als que treballen en la indústria de la música per pensar en maneres diferents de fer arribar una música a un public que no acostuma ser-hi exposat. Estem vivint uns dies molt emocionants per la música clàssica. Uns dies en els que els medis per fer arribar la música al públic s'estan modificant. En una societat sobrestimulada per medis de comunicació i diverses tecnologies, la música clàssica s'esta adaptant al seu entorn per relacionar-se amb el públic.

 
Per mes informació:
Carmen a la platja
New World Symphony

Despues de mucho tiempo fuera.

Two Boys

About a month ago I was in London and went to see the English National Opera's world premiere of Nico Muhly's first opera, Two Boys. During the performance I was bubbling over with mixed sentiments, shifting from admiration to disappointment while my mind rambled with associations to various musical genres and terms.  I didn't have a chance to write about the opera during my visit but now that a month has passed I find myself still thinking about the opera and also about the various new costumes classical music is trying on in an attempt to find it's place in an overstimulated and media-soaked society.

As most of the critics pointed out, Craig Lucas's libretto was tedious, seemingly dated and generally unpalatable. Musically, Nico Muhly's approach at times made me shiver with awe and at others accompanied the plot in it's trite and repetitive character. The aleatoric layered choral textures that represent the cyber-chat when first heard were breathtaking, probably my favorite part of the whole production, but it was overused to the point of seeming trite. The minimalist influence so clearly featured in the music offered a soothing backdrop for the production which, along with the use of lighting and visual effects, was the only thing that kept me from getting up and leaving halfway through the opera. What I found very interesting though aurally was that while I kept associating Muhly's music to compositions of John Adams, Philip Glass and even Michael Nyman, I also heard a connection with post-rock groups like Godspeed, Mogwai, Mono, Siguros, etc.

Sentimental Aside.

Tom and Trevor. 2/3 of the Goochi Boiz.

Feeling nostlagic today and wishing I was hanging out in San Francisco, California with the Goochi Boiz.  They're going on tour in the states, check it out! 

Bartok String Quartet Analysis

The first movement of Béla Bartók’s 4th String Quartet seems to loosely emulate the classic Sonata form. While traditionally, the Sonatas composed in the classical era adhered to more regimented harmonic and thematic “rules”; Bartók’s piece seems to be more of a 20th century loose interpretation of the form which serves to offer some sort of structure to a dissonant and not traditionally tonal piece.

The first thirteen bars of the movement could be looked at as the first theme of the exposition. The first two bar phrase seems to be answered by another two bar phrase which is then followed by a longer phrase; this sentence also introduces the rhythmic motif in the first violin part which is repeated in the following two measures. The extremely chromatic melodic motion along with the intensely contrapuntal beginning, help introduce the dark and eerie mood of the piece. This is further emphasized by the canon-like entrances of the set (013) at measure 5 each transposed a minor second above the last which is followed by a sforzando on notes that are each a major second apart at measure 7. At measure 11 one of the most important rhythmic motive of the piece (three eighth notes followed by two sixteenth notes and another eighth) is introduced, which returns later at mm. 26, 55, and many other times throughout the piece. The set class for that melodic motive is (0123); a chromatic figure that also reappears many times. While it is hard to say that this principal theme is in any specific key due to this chromaticism and clustered texture, it does seem that C serves as a tonal focus around which the opening material revolves.

Con los pies en el suelo y la cabeza en las nubes

One time I fell in love and it sounded like Mendelssohn.  It sounded like the Kinks and like Johnny Cash.  It sounded like Dolly Parton in the summertime and Steve Reich’s Music for 18 played at double tempo.  It sounded crazy out of control and completely mundane. Oxymoronic in it’s entirety.  It sounded like Clara Rockmore’s Lost Theremin meets hardcore and zydeco while themes from Strauss's Salome kept trying to creep in.  Sam Cooke waking up and The Cramps to go to sleep.  Stylistic fusion so entangled nothing made sense and there were no genres and everything disappeared.  Jacques Dutronc singing Wagner.  It sounded like everything and nothing.

Minimal Mysticism: analyzing Arvo Pärt’s “Fratres”

Arvo Pärt’s “Fratres” is a beautiful piece that emulates many aspects of the minimalist musical idiom while also emphasizing Pärt’s mystical beliefs. Pärt (1835-) is an Estonian composer whose work has become an important facet of the 20th century musical landscape. While he traversed through many different genres when he started composing, writing in a neo-classical style at first and experimenting with twelve-tone music before turning to minimalism, the minimalist style he developed which he came to call “tintinnabuli” is what he is most known for. Inspired by his mystical experiences with chant music, Pärt developed the genre and referred to it as “tintinnabuli”, from the Latin word tintinnabulum, which means bell. Based on a conceptual process similar to the minimalist approach, Pärt’s tintinnabular music is characterized by an arpeggiated voice that outlines the tonic triad and a second voice, which moves diatonically in a stepwise motion. The minimalist tendency to use limited harmonies and repeated rhythmic figures is also present in his work. As Pärt himself described,

“The complex and many-faceted only confuses me, and I must search for unity. What is it, this one thing, and how do I find my way to it? Traces of this perfect thing appear in many guises- and everything that is unimportant falls away. Tintinnabulation is like this… The three notes of a triad are like bells. An that is why I call it tintinnabulation.” (Pärt, Arvo, Pinkerton)

Stravinsky's dreams

         

It's said that Stravinsky composed the "Dance of the Adolescents" in Rite of Spring based on a dream he had of a young girl dancing herself to death while a group of elders stood around her and watched. This haunting notion is ever-present in the mood of the piece. There is something so dark and so beautiful about the dream and it is this same eerie intrigue that makes the music so irresistible. Yesterday I got the wonderful opportunity to page-turn for Susan DeWitt Smith while she played the two-piano arrangement of Rite of Spring at the Keller Auditorium in Portland, Oregon. Being so close to the dark and intense energy was an absolutely unforgettable experience.


short analysis of the dance of the adolescents:

The pounding polychords (an E major triad and an Eb seventh chord) in the second piano part which are played with an eigth note rhythm and displaced accents that destroy any feeling of meter, introduce the darkly tense mood of this piece and serve as the only tones that are heard for the first 8 bars. The use of this dissonant bitonality introduced immediately not only serves to set the mood of the piece but also becomes a form of structure in the piece which jarringly seems to almost interrupt many of the melodic motives that are introduced.