I believe it is the composer/writer Kyle Gann who identified two distinct attitudes toward music creation in New York City, "uptown" and "downtown." These two attitudes roughly correlate with what has been referred to as official culture and bohemian culture. Uptown music leans toward the academic and refers to certain traditions, whereas downtown music tends to blur the lines between the cultivated and the popular or vernacular and tends to look at the moment or into the future but not often back. The locus of uptown music is Lincoln Center, that of downtown music, Greenwich Village and the East Village. The aesthetic orientation of the two groups, of course, has no bearing on the ultimate quality, creativity or power of any musical works that are composed.
By simply reading the biographical overviews of the composers whose works were performed by the New Juilliard Ensemble at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center on November 12, 2010 it could not be clearer which camp these composers fall in. Their academic credentials and lists of teachers were front and center.
As I read the background material on the first composer and work I was troubled by several things. The composer Xiaoang Ye is a member of the Class of '78, the group of composers from China who were students at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution. Although he studied in Great Britain and the United States, unlike many of his contemporaries, such as Chen Yi and Tan Dun, Ye chose to return to China where he as received accolades from the Chinese government and served on the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. With his apparent allegiance to Chinese policy, the work programmed this evening, Yangzhuoyong Cuo, caused me some concern because it was inspired by one of the nine sacred lakes of Tibet. As is reflected in the film Tibet in Song, discussed in an earlier blog, China has done much to make Tibet a part of the country, something most Tibetans are radically opposed to. A musical work inspired by a region that is politically in dispute cannot help but cause one to think of the intention of the work, especially if the composer appears to support the policies of his government with regard to the region portrayed. Politics aside, the work is definitely picturesque and often quite dramatic. Delicacy seems to alternate with turbulence. The work ends with a plaintive coda. Chinese (not Tibetan) song is referenced in the cello and oboe.
The second work on the program, Dream Lightly by Keeril Makan (American of South African, Indian and Russian descent) uses the electric guitar as the locus of sound. Rather than being a concerto, the sounds of the orchestra often grow from the varied sounds of the guitar. What made a deep impression on me was the extremely meticulous orchestration. Sonorities associated with the gamelan often came to mind as I listened.
The final work of the first half Divergent Paths by Niccolo Athens received its world premiere at this concert. It was easily the most accessible work of the evening. The title implies two contrasting styles. One is clearly tonal and reminds one of Howard Hanson. The other is non-tonal and reminds one of Bartok. In his program notes, the composer comments on two particular Chinese influences on the work. One of these is certain techniques of Chinese opera, especially its "highly ornamented,angular melodic style" and its use of a percussion ensemble, "which is almost literal in its description of the physical action on stage." The second has more to due with imagery in that the composer wanted to "portray in sound the towering Meili Xueshan mountain range of Yunnan province." While the first two works emphasize tone color, this work emphasizes melody. The oboe, flute and cello play an important role.
A secular oratorio by the Italian composer Luca Lombardi occupied most of the second half of of the concert. Part II ("Amore") of Un oratorio materialistique is based on the poem "De Rerum Naturum" by the ancient Roman sceptic, Lucretius. (The entire oratorio will ultimately consist of three parts.) The work is scored for soprano, baritone, narrator and orchestra. Joel Sachs, the conductor, explained that a text was not provided in the program because the narrator would supply enough information for the audience to follow the work. Unfortunately, the narrator, a third year drama student at Juilliard, did not project very well and, more problematic, the narration often took place when the orchestra was at its loudest. It would be interesting to know if the narrator came in at the wrong times or if the composer, surprisingly, did not account for the competition between the single voice and a full orchestra. In his program notes, the composer points to the influence of Japanese vocal techniques such as an be found in Noh-plays as opposed to the traditions of Italian bel canto.
The final work of the evening, Enzheii, was composed by Ted Goldman, who has tended to combine a strong interest in physics with music composition. In his program notes, Goldman does not explain what the word "enzheii' means and a quick search did not reveal a meaning. He does mention that the idea for the work came from his observations of patterns found in nature. In the work, the piano and vibraphone play important roles. There is often a sense of dialogue, often contradictory in nature. Goldman also makes use of the German technique of klangfarbenmelodie (tone color melody), where a melody is broken up by being passed quickly from one instrument to another. The character of the music is always unambiguous.
It was quite interesting to get an aural snapshot of current trends in "uptown" music (three of the works were composed in 2010, one in 2008 and one--an early work!--composed in 2002). Three of the works reveal the direct influence of Asian music (it would be interesting to see if composers of "uptown music" tend to favor different non-Western cultures than those of "downtown music"). All of the works would require at least one more hearing to make more in-depth comments. However, the passionate and involved performance by a top-notch ensemble conducted by a seasoned director made for a great evening of music.
The final work of the evening, Enzheii, was composed by Ted Goldman, who has tended to combine a strong interest in physics with music composition. In his program notes, Goldman does not explain what the word "enzheii' means and a quick search did not reveal a meaning. He does mention that the idea for the work came from his observations of patterns found in nature. In the work, the piano and vibraphone play important roles. There is often a sense of dialogue, often contradictory in nature. Goldman also makes use of the German technique of klangfarbenmelodie (tone color melody), where a melody is broken up by being passed quickly from one instrument to another. The character of the music is always unambiguous.
It was quite interesting to get an aural snapshot of current trends in "uptown" music (three of the works were composed in 2010, one in 2008 and one--an early work!--composed in 2002). Three of the works reveal the direct influence of Asian music (it would be interesting to see if composers of "uptown music" tend to favor different non-Western cultures than those of "downtown music"). All of the works would require at least one more hearing to make more in-depth comments. However, the passionate and involved performance by a top-notch ensemble conducted by a seasoned director made for a great evening of music.
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