For Those Who Call for Change Part 2

It was a sticky situation, the place was coming apart, the boards on the windows would not hold for long, supplies were limited, and worst of all, THEY just kept coming.  Who was they?  Nazi Zombies, which I guess are worse then regular. zombies, which means I have to ask, are there Jewish Zombies?  American? Christian, what happens when a Nazi zombie bites an american?   I derail of course....It was a fun night, of x box, booze, and later on karaoke.   With just enough vodka in us for no one to care about how truly bad we are.

I mean, it was a night of quiet reflection, as I pondered the meaning of life...Yeah, that's it!

And now....Mozart!

In my last post, I briefly ranted about changes in classical music, and ruminated on the audience; what music meant to them.     I also believe though that many changes have already happened.   Are we blind to them? Are they enough to satisfy those who rally with the cry of "change?"   Or, are the small changes I see, more of a local event?   Not as spread out as I would like to believe.

Small Disclaimer:  This is all 100% opinion based on my observations, I will not be offering statistics, just what I have seen with my own eyes.

If we classical musicians have a uniform, it would be the formal tux, or black dress.   Many concerts the pianist, or soloist, can be seen taking the stage wearing his best tux, or her best dress.   The members of the orchestra, present a unified front, men also wearing tuxes, women in dresses.

In the big orchestral concerts, this is mostly still true, the standard concert dress.  That is perfect I believe, I feel it adds to the performance, so many musicians acting as one to bring a piece of music to life.  Though, in many smaller intimate concerts, the dress seems to be changing.

The dress is becoming causual; more and more often, I see concerts by artists, who are not wearing their Sunday best.    Jeans or sometimes a t-shirt.   Friend and Chicago based pianist, Jonathan Cambry, is a great example, bringing his individual style to the concert platform.

Here is a video of a recent series of performances he was apart of.  I believe the relaxed dressed helps people feel more at ease in a concert.

Sometimes, it has helped the audience just relate more with the performers.   They do not feel an uptightness, and relax and enjoy the music more.




Overall, musicians are trying harder to give the concert goer a more relaxed experience.   We are in touch with the members in our audiences, as we play the music we love.

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Those Who Call for Change....Part 1

Over and over again, I run into blogs and articles on how Classical music needs to "change", that it is old fashioned.   Everyone appears to have an opinion on the subject, and many times it is, we need to change the formula to win the kids back.

So how does one respond?  By writing a blog on the subject of course! And, become annoyed at myself later for doing it.

What seems to be lacking, is what the concert experience is for people.  Which is increasingly varied.   Let's not worry about the wide variety of music styles, even in styles such as rock, which has many niche styles, that will never achieve wide spread acclaim.  Let's just discuss what the concert experience is for people.

All around the world, people go to concerts for different reasons, in some parts, they are much more relaxed at classical concerts.   Even in America, going to a concert, can be a different experience, by which part of the country you are in, who the typical audience members are.   I know many people who enjoy getting to go to something "classy", getting to dress up, and go for a night on the town.   They truly enjoy listening in silence to the music.

Some people, it is a more spiritual experience, classical music, can bring them closer to God.   I am reminded of the times I have played at churches, and the reaction to the music being played.   One church prided it's self on playing modern church music.  Songs that were more akin to top 40 radio then spiritual works.   I would sometimes play some classical during the time of communion, during a time of silence for the congregation to pray.    Often, I was hit with the complete silence after I would play.  It was louder then any applause I have ever received, and I rarely felt it, when non instrumental or classical works were played. At first, worried, that I had not done my job well, but what followed touched me.   Many people, came up to me after the service, and complimented me, thanking me for playing that music, that it had reminded them of something important, memories, family members or close friends, and allowed themselves to open up emotionally.  

My eyes were open after this, to the different uses, and needs of the music I played.   Differences between a concert, a small intimate recital, or just a piece at church.    I feel many, who claim there need to be change, want to pigeon whole the music.  Classify it as easily as some pop music genres.  Seeing the concerts of the big stars, and maybe, feeling a twinge of jealousy, wishing for something more like that.    This is all purely opinion and guess work.   It is important to consider our role as artists, we do not all have the same path, and more ticket sales are not always the end goal.

My own goals are simple...If even just one person walks away from a performance of mine, and was touched on an emotionally level, I have done my job.  I feel, that when I play, that there is a sharing of intimate stories, melodramatic, exciting, sometimes tragic, but always uplifting.

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In part two, I would like to discuss, why I think many of the changes, that some call for, may have already happened.

Bach, Chopin, and Mass Effect!

The weekend is winding down and I sit back looking into my adventures of the past few days.  Well...it has been a rather quiet weekend.  One more of a quiet drink, reflection, and shooting as many aliens as possible.

There is something still fun about some video games.  Not having the patience for many of the shooters, most of the time I play the games like Mass Effect, character driven dramas more akin to the movies I watched growing up.   A space opera, with many colorful characters and heartfelt moments.   I enjoy the stories, the melodrama, and the interactivity these games provide.  In many cases it is like getting to play through star wars.

I also treated myself to a bottle of Chopin Vodka, I will include a picture of the awesome bottle.  Which includes a picture of the composer.  I was sadden to realize that you do not get Chopin's genius when drinking his vodka.  I think the company needs to find a way to put that in the olives.

Adding a little Legato to my evening.

Some how, this reminded me of music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and how it is perceived by many; Viewing it as formulaic,  archaic, and in a some cases dull.   This view is prevalent in even how we decide to interpret Bach.  Many times blame rests on the instrument that the music was written for, the clavichord.

The clavichord has a fantastic tone, it can be delicate and charming, but at the same time tremulous.  The instrument is unique in that the action that produces the sound, also ends it, by the metal(this part is called the tangent, for those who are just dying to know) holding onto the string as long as the key is held.    As long as that key is held, the sound is allowed to vibrate, but as soon as it is let go, the sound is dampened.   This is different from the harpsichord, where the strings or plucked.

The clavichords, which may have predated the harpsichord, my recollection of history deciding to return to me with a hangover from too many appletini's on the beach.   Though, what I do remember is that it remained a relatively popular instrument among the composers.   Mozart, composed his famous opera, the magic flute, using a clavichord, and Beethoven was reported to have said that out of all the keyboard instruments, he could get the widest variety of expression from the clavichord.

For Bach, this emphasis on variety of touch is paramount, and essentially to have a flexible and subtle range of tone production.    This would be difficult for any composer to put on paper, and so it is up to us, as performers to make these choices.   The general idea, when playing the piano is use of relaxation and using the weight of the arm, but for Bach, it is essential to let the fingers do the work.  It is obvious these pieces, especially those written in The Well Tempered Clavier, are intended for finger work.   That is to not say one is more important to the other, but rather just another "tool in the tool box" that as a pianist we can apply for musical purposes.

The mistake is viewing Bach's music as dry, formal, and uninteresting; his music is the opposite, full of beauty, lyricism,  and poetry.   He is extremely melodious, despite, his tough architecture and intricate polyphony.   It is an utter joy to follow his various voices and see where they wander, and finding when to emphasize and when to subdue, when to allow the music to flow, or punctuate the notes.

His musical ideas can be found all throughout the Well Tempered Clavier:

The prelude in D major, from book I gives us a light-hearted, spring mood.  Almost as if people are enjoying a nice spring day, kids playing tag, running in a field, pervades the entire piece.

The prelude in E minor gives us something else entirely.   A prelude full of passion, painful longing, and impetuousness.   

The prelude in G sharp minor from book I is full of nuances.   The piece feels serious, but with small glimpses of light that peek through the cracks.

There are many more examples, just from the Well Tempered Clavier, but they point to one idea.   Bach cannot be heartless, unsympathetic playing of the notes, but mental comprehesntion of the art and mood being expressed.   The pianist must work his fingers around the subtle nuances and changing moods that Bach Demands of us, to successfully adapt it to the piano of today.