Evening Music: Talk to Terrance

Since last Wednesday I’ve gone to three concerts and watched one basketball game. Two concerts were in honor of Frederic Rzewski, a composer whose music is often socially and politically charged. For Thursday’s concert at Carnegie, the contemporary music ensemble Opus 21 honored the 70 year old composer by performing his seminal piece “Attica” — a composition dealing with the murders of inmates and guards during the 1971 prison riot in Attica, New York. Later that evening Rzewski sat at the piano and played the New York Premiere of his recent composition “War Songs”. “Natural Things”, another premiere, featured an instrumentalist tediously bouncing a basketball.

Rzewski

Last Friday night at the Brooklyn Lyceum, the ensemble Newspeak honored Rzewski in a concert that presented an amplified, “rocked out” presentation of “Coming Together” (the companion piece to “Attica”), as well as works by local composers influenced by Rzewski. There was also a Q&A with Rzewski, myself, and David T. Little (see the video clip below).

 
From the Brooklyn Lyceum, it was on to Saturday night at the Apollo, for Klezmer Clarinetist David Krakauer, along with funk/soul trombonist Fred Wesley. Fred Wesley was a long-standing member of the James Brown Band but also played with many bands I listened to while growing up in Cleveland. The Wesley-Krakauer project was presented in honor of James Brown’s birthday and also honored and successfully melded various musical styles and cultures.

Me and Fred Wesley at the Apollo

DownloadHere’s a Video Clip from the Concert

click to watch

Now on to more bouncing balls and my recent observation: During the Atlanta/Boston game there was a commercial that depicts a place of utopia called “beer heaven.” The beer was seemingly free, the crowd was Caucasian, the games were rigged, the servers were women and the one black person in the room was the bartender.
 
For those of us believing in an ideal place, an afterlife of paradise, we’re all challenged to rid ourselves of the notion of social structures,and even ideals of high art vs. low art. Evening Music is one earthling’s attempt to ready the heart, soul and ear of the listener. A bit of musical heaven on air? Your thoughts!

Recently a blogger suggested that Evening Music allow for more music that is driven by melody as opposed to persistent rhythms. What do you feel is most important to your enjoyment of music, melody or rhythm?

— Terrance

Want to discuss any music you heard tonight or something Terrance said on the show? Post a Comment!

Traditionally, many of music’s most influential composers and performers have been vocal about their social, spiritual and political views and agendas. Louis v Beethoven, Richard Wagner, Paul Robeson, Marc Blitzstein, James Brown, Aaron J. Kernis and Fred Rzewski, amongst others.

However, it seems that contemporary interviewers shy away from anything that delves into the moral leanings and convictions of our artists, which to my ear distances the artists from the very culture that shapes their art. A few years ago a prominent conductor stated his opposition to the Iraq war and to a second Bush term. As a result, the orchestra he was affiliated with formally distanced itself from the conductor’s comments.

As I continue to interview the major artists of our day:

What do you want to hear from them?

Is there any information you feel should remain private?

If you disagreed with their societal views and/or politics, would that undermine your view and support of their art?

— Terrance

Want to discuss any music you heard tonight or something Terrance said on the show? Post a Comment!

Seems like yesterday, but it’s been three weeks since I hit the airwaves at WNYC. And I’m really having a great time sharing with you music that you might not otherwise seek or find on your own. It’s been equally delightful hearing from you on our blogs and receiving your calls during the ticket give-aways. If I haven’t heard from you, I hope to in the near future.

While most have expressed delight in the show, some have expressed frustration. By now you’ve realized that everything isn’t perfect. The CDs aren’t always cued up and ready to fire, I don’t always give the “requisite” time after a quiet selection before I begin speaking, and I don’t always defer to the King’s pronunciations (nor the Queen’s, even). As much as I’d like for you to bask in every moment of each show, I’m comfortable with knowing that that just ain’t possible.

While perfection may be the star that I’m aiming for, I’ll settle for the moon if I can make your heart leap every now and then. My intent is to bring you sounds that tap into both your soul and intellect. Music has the power to connect us with the depth and diversity of the universal human spirit, as well as our own fragility.

So, as you listen this week, try listening with the patience of a weathered grandparent — but with the openness of a six-year-old. Our time together is interactive and these are my thoughts. I’m sitting by my computer waiting to hear yours.

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