So the Pikey and I went up to Billy Jewell Bible School Friday afternoon. John Corigliano (who is an amazing composer for those that don't know) was giving a talk and then this evening the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin performed his Red Violin Suite on their tour stop here in town. He seemed like a very nice guy (a bit of a, um, diva) and I got to ask him a couple questions. I didn't necessarily agree with some of the things he had to say but it was very interesting to get to meet one of the preeminent composers of our time and listen to his thoughts.
As Mike and I were discussing afterward it was nice to hear a professional composer (read: someone who actually makes a living) validate some of my own aesthetic viewpoints about being a composer. Mosty it came down to being told that it was okay to want to keep trying your hand compositionally at different things and not worry about getting bogged down in dogma. VALIDATION!!!
The performance was a different story. While they may have captured the spirit of the work I don't necessarily think they performed it well. They employed an interesting gimmick in the playing of the suite. Rather than have just one violinist playing the solo, each in the section took turns playing different parts. It was an interesting idea that ultimately failed, I think, because there was no single point of view being employed (which is how it is in an orchestra of virtuosi, I guess) so there was no cohesion. But it was exciting because as you would suspect Mr. Corigliano was there and he also gave a brief Q&A during intermission in which he was asked essentially the same questions as earlier in the afternoon session.
Along with the Corigliano they performed a Mozart Divertimento and the Mendelssohn Octet (which is a terrific piece of music). Ultimately I wasn't that impressed with the group on the whole. Technically they were quite sloppy when it came to playing together and there were also some serious intonation issues at times. I thought that the overall sound was confused with a distinctive lack of clarity, just everyone playing their part like it was the most important one.
At the end of the day it was still very cool to get to meet another composer. I always love meeting other composers at all levels and listening to their thoughts and ideas even if I don't necessarily agree with their points of view. In this case it was nice to receive reinforcement of something that I had always felt anyway. A single meeting with one person can change or validate your ideas about anything. But there will always be someone who believes exactly the opposite. Therefore it's important to come to your own conclusion through a carefully weighed balance of reason and emotion. As a student of composition, though, it will always be the person who worked with me on a daily basis for two years that will come out as the greatest compositional influence. Not stylistically because what most call style is little more than technique. The real influence of this great teacher of mine came from the aesthetic point of view with which I feel he imbued me.
Just write the best music you can.
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