Is picking repertoire ever done? Even seconds before the event occurs, is the repertoire ever settled on? Yesterday I was giving some of the repertoire a third go over. I hate some of it. I am so glad that the people I collaborate with are wonderful people and flexible and let me nix things at this stage of the game. I strive to be that way too, but some of it just makes me want to scream: "WHY DID YOU WRITE THIS? IT SOUNDS LIKE SCREAMING AND HAS NO MELODY!"
I know it's not supposed to be good for a classically trained musician to hate Contemporary music, but this stuff is just so inaccessible. It makes me want to barf with it's difficult and vague tonalities. There is some of it that I just love. The set I'm preparing now by David L.McIntyre from Saskatchewan, Canada, that I'm preparing IS JUST WONDERFUL. Barber and Britten are exquisite. Yet some just makes me feel like I've burst into a satirical version of 'Anything you can play I can sing different." Honestly, some times during practice, I do burst into that song.
I believe it is my job as a musician to make music accessible to the audience in their one moment that they will hear it during the concert. I have to give all those dots on the page purpose so that the audience feels connected. This contemporary music is so, awkward. Yup. Word of the day... awkward. Why all the time signature switches? Why the vague tonalities? Why scribe a range that is so high that words are indistinguishable? What's with all those weird leaps?
I heard numerous times in school that to make it in this business todays' musician has to get over their aversion to 20th century music. It's in the modern age of music that we will make the most of our money. I believe that is unfortunate and true. It's through premiers and exposure that we as a musical group support each other. A dead composer cares little if I perform his works, but my composer friend will bend over backwards for me to present his music. Oy there's the rub. "Just get over it, it's here to stay." I suppose I am glad I'm a strong interpreter and that I can make sense of all that random ink on a page that is called modern music.
Is this the laments of a truly frustrated musician or a legit complaint? We're also told in school, "Know thy audience." So do these people want to hear it even. For a student or academic audience it's a given. But for the lay person who's trying a classical concert for the first time? I can honestly say from my experience and feed back, NO it's not something to share with a layperson audience. Is it my job to present it so well the\is audience does not even realize they're listening to a tone row? Is that even possible?
What I do know is I have a German premier of an amazing set of music coming up in a couple months. Regardless of how difficult the music is, I'd better get the lead out so that my audience will want to hear my encore. Or, heavens forbid they leave at intermission.
I know it's not supposed to be good for a classically trained musician to hate Contemporary music, but this stuff is just so inaccessible. It makes me want to barf with it's difficult and vague tonalities. There is some of it that I just love. The set I'm preparing now by David L.McIntyre from Saskatchewan, Canada, that I'm preparing IS JUST WONDERFUL. Barber and Britten are exquisite. Yet some just makes me feel like I've burst into a satirical version of 'Anything you can play I can sing different." Honestly, some times during practice, I do burst into that song.
I believe it is my job as a musician to make music accessible to the audience in their one moment that they will hear it during the concert. I have to give all those dots on the page purpose so that the audience feels connected. This contemporary music is so, awkward. Yup. Word of the day... awkward. Why all the time signature switches? Why the vague tonalities? Why scribe a range that is so high that words are indistinguishable? What's with all those weird leaps?
I heard numerous times in school that to make it in this business todays' musician has to get over their aversion to 20th century music. It's in the modern age of music that we will make the most of our money. I believe that is unfortunate and true. It's through premiers and exposure that we as a musical group support each other. A dead composer cares little if I perform his works, but my composer friend will bend over backwards for me to present his music. Oy there's the rub. "Just get over it, it's here to stay." I suppose I am glad I'm a strong interpreter and that I can make sense of all that random ink on a page that is called modern music.
Is this the laments of a truly frustrated musician or a legit complaint? We're also told in school, "Know thy audience." So do these people want to hear it even. For a student or academic audience it's a given. But for the lay person who's trying a classical concert for the first time? I can honestly say from my experience and feed back, NO it's not something to share with a layperson audience. Is it my job to present it so well the\is audience does not even realize they're listening to a tone row? Is that even possible?
What I do know is I have a German premier of an amazing set of music coming up in a couple months. Regardless of how difficult the music is, I'd better get the lead out so that my audience will want to hear my encore. Or, heavens forbid they leave at intermission.
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