Classical Musicians Need to Commit - to the point they make mistakes

By -

No guts no glory

There are numerous discussions about what's wrong with Classical Music.... and this article is no different - except that what I'm asking Classical Musicians to do is break out of the rut they're in and start making mistakes, big ones, BOLD ones - ones that take them out of the "wasn't that nice" into the "wasn't that amazing."

Greg Sandow wrote an article on the The classical music aura which talks about how some performances of classical music tend to be so "classical" they're off putting. I attend a number of classical music concerts in the Denver area. While the performances are excellently played, there is always an air of caution, an exactness in the performance that keeps it from going over the edge - so precise and technically perfect it's lost something.

Now watch a performance by a pair of young cellists performing a cover of "Smooth Criminal".

There are lots of classical elements in their playing, sul ponticello, left hand pizzicato, upper register and rapid technical moments. Yes, this is pop music and whether you happen to think the music has any quality at all, their performances are committed, over the top, engaging, electric (without the need for amplified instruments). They shred their bow strings - and maybe that's what this performance needs.

I attended a violin masterclass/workshop a while back. The noted professional was there to critique the playing by some rather fine students, offering suggestions as to how they could improve. Pretty much in every case the difference between the professionals performance and the students was that of commitment. The professional made mistakes in what notes were played, but the "performance" was significantly better in terms of energy. Later that week I went to watch the live performance of the same professional. On stage the professional was far more technically accurate and very confident in what they were playing - but there was also a reserve, an element as if to say "this is classical music and needs reverence." This professional is probably a much better violinist than either of the cellists in the above video, but the cellists give a better performance.

Some friends played a new string quartet of mine last quarter. After their first performance I made a few edits and they gave a second performance. Technically the first was better, but even after listening to recording numerous times (where I can actually notice the mistakes) the second performance is considerably better. I almost wish they'd perform it a dozen more times with that same intensity --not only would the technical get better but I think the intensity would improve as well.

THIS is what classical music needs - Intensity! Performers still need to work on the technical but they need that extra commitment to push the performance beyond the technical and into the frenetic. Live performances of music should be alive.

Comments

Anonymous said…
That is a really cool video. My favorite moments of playing are when I'm completely "lost" in the moment of the music. Then, I make a mistake, and my left brain re-engages. Oh, well...

JB
February 21, 2011 at 10:08 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Role of Music in Opera

By -
There are numerous books on the topic, and every composer, librettist, director, singer and audience member has their opinion as to what role the music should play in an opera. In a play without music, the words ought to support the meaning behind a character's actions. However, in the case of action movies, often times the action is what tells the story and there aren't words, just images to forward the plot. We might hear music to accompany action, build tension, but the action tells the story. Musicals tend to speak until the emotion of the moment just "has" to break out in song - unless it's something like "Mama Mia" where the dialog is the rails we travel on between songs; the songs themselves, written before the concept of the musical, are the focus of the production, while the story is secondary. Operas are a different beast. The music provides emotion to the words spoken, but it also plays the role of ambience when there is only action. In ...
Read more

Episode 210b: Joyeuse le départ

By -
Image
Podcast:  Play in new window  |  Download Subscribe:  Apple Podcasts  |  Android  |  Google Play  |  Stitcher  |  TuneIn  |  RSS Provost Cunningham has Transmigrated, but to where! What is Dr Sage going to do with his body? And how can she bring home her friends, Abigail and Erasmus, without also bring home Cunningham? What are they going to say when they find the “skeleton” she’s hiding in her closet? Cast: Eddie Louise Clark  as Dr Sage Chip Clark  as Professor Savant Justin Bremer  as the Narrator Emily Riley Piatt  as Abigail Entwhistle, Calypso & Dean Stewart Written by  Eddie Louise Theme music by  Unwoman Sound Design by  Chip Michael
Read more

Teaching Composition – What are we trying to achieve

By -
In the process of learning composition I have spent time with a number of instructors who have encouraged me to write twelve-tone, pitch-class, electro-acoustic and other forms of experimental techniques. No matter how much I might understand and appreciate the work of other composers in the genres, these are not forms of music I resonate with. They are simply not forms of music I listen to and I struggle with the idea of writing them. However, in a Master Class by Libby Larsen she made the comment, “Learn them all, because all forms of music have something to offer.” This I very much agree. There are elements of each of the above mentioned forms (and others) that I do resonate with. Berg’s Violin Concerto is a beautiful twelve-tone work, although it is possible to look at numerous sections of the music with a “tonal” analysis. Another composer friend, Gary Bachlund commented that using these techniques can narrow the choices for how to compose a piece of work. If you look at ...
Read more