Early Music with Weser-Renaissance Bremen

Concert on Saturday, November 13, 2010 at 8 pm

There are some fabulous concerts going on in Rochester, NY for early music lovers. I was privileged to attend the first Kilbourn-Concert Series event at St. Michael's Church, which was in collaboration with the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI) Festival 2010. The concert featured Ensemble Weser-Renaissance, a leading German early music group. As one of the pre-concert announcers joked, "This will be the cheapest trip to Germany you will ever take!" Indeed it was magnificent; I have no doubt that every audience member thoroughly enjoyed the concert.

Not to say that our Rochester musicians specializing in early music have nothing to offer; on the contrary, the Christ Church Schola Cantorum, led by Stephen Kennedy, performed beautifully alongside the Weser-Renaissance. I was not a bit surprised to see Paul O'Dette, famed lutenist and Eastman professor, at the concert. If anything, this concert gave those loyal patrons of the Kilbourn-Concert Series an exciting taste of early music, something they can easily pursue through next week's Pegasus Early Music Ciaconna concerts.

The performance by Weser-Renaissance Bremen was truly inspiring. They performed a series of short, religious texts, entitled Lobe den Herren, written in the 17th century by Heinrich Schutz. Each of them highlighted a different soloist and portrayed the musical intricacies of the period. The vocalists consisted of a soprano, alto, tenor and bass. The soprano sang effortlessly in the stratosphere; the alto, surprisingly male, sang completely smoothly; the tenor, enchantingly lovely; the bass, deeply sonorous. As expected from historically accurate performers, they sang with minimal vibrato, and with flawless and masterfully created improvisation. The result was a pure and clean sound that reverberated through the high cathedral ceilings. The sound carried from the short releases of the phrase but still did not interrupt the next phrase. Perhaps this is why the musicians of that time period did not prefer the sustained sound we expect from our Steinway pianos today; the high ceilings of their performance venues saw to that naturally.

The rest of the Ensemble members, which consisted of two violins, sackbut, dulzian, and the organ were showcased throughout the concert. It was incredibly interesting to watch the instrumental specialists playing instruments that vaguely resembled our modern instruments. They commanded the respect of the audience by performing on notoriously difficult instruments with ease and grace. It was clear to the audience how much they enjoyed interacting with the vocalists and responding to one another with a musical conversation. Such dedication to listening is something I expect from a string quartet, rarely from an Ensemble of ten. Manfred Cordes, the conductor of the Ensemble, clearly had a hand in both leading and responding to the musical ideas of the musicians.

EROI Festival attendees must have thoroughly enjoyed music which showcased the beauty and power of the organ. The staging arrangement seemed rather strange, as it required all audience members to turn at a 90 degree angle in the pews to face the make-shift stage. However, this encumbrance was made necessary by the organ's position in the church; the talented organist had to peer at the Ensemble members via a mirror in order to interact with them, something impossible to do if the members were far away at the high altar.

I applaud the extensive collaboration that made this wonderful concert possible. I encourage the citizens of Rochester to seek out more concerts like this that present early music in a lively, historically accurate way. Not many have the opportunity to hear early music performed with such respect.

Performers

Weser-Renaissance Bremen:

Ulrike Hofbauer, soprano

Alex Potter, alto

Mirko Ludwig, tenor

Harry van den Kamp, bass

Veronika Skuplik, violin

Bjarte Eike, violin (substituted by another, name TBD)

Wim Becu, sackbut

Regina Sander, dulzian

Edoardo Bellotti, organ

Manfred Cordes, conductor

Schola Cantorum of Christ Church

Stephen Kennedy, director

rohr(BACH): bach + beer tasting

I'm going to be writing up several reviews in the next few days; this one was from back in April, but the subject is an exciting marketing idea for artists!

rohr(BACH): bach + beer tasting
An exploration of high art and simple pleasures

April 6, 2010

In Rochester, NY, student musicians from the Eastman School of Music were presented with the challenge of making their art more accessible to a new audience. During their weekly Entrepreneurship in Music class, these twenty or so students of varied backgrounds and performance degrees did just that. Armed with few resources outside of the school's coverage of bus transportation and marketing, the students broke into groups and planned venue, marketing, talent, and finances to complete their project.

But first: how to achieve the vision of the project in such a short amount of time. After much deliberation and a few false starts, the students decided to react against the stereotype of stuffiness and propriety by performing classical music in a local brewery. Rohrbach Brewery Co., aptly named for the project, was generous enough to sponsor the event by donating their venue and resources to the class. They engaged in an enthusiastic partnership with the Eastman musicians, even initiating a creative menu based on the music being performed; for example, the darker the affect (mood) of the music, the darker the suggested ale.

The music was performed by all Eastman musicians, with the understanding that the music had to be written by Bach. The talent group found interesting mixes of musicians, anything from a standard J.S. Bach cello suite to the W.F. Bach e minor flute duet to an unconventional trio of two horns and a saxophone player. As expected from a group of conservatory musicians, the music was superb. It seemed to be a new and exciting experience for the musicians and the audience. In the encore of the performances, The Restless Bones trombone quartet played J.S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in d minor, much to the delight of the listeners, who clapped along with the music and shouted out as if in a rock concert. "It was fun to have interaction between the audience and the performers, and not just the stereotypical stuffy classical environment" stated Stephen Houck, member of The Restless Bones. As another student laughingly pointed out, this increase in unreserved audience participation may have been due to the consumption of alcohol, but nonetheless, it was the aim of the project.

Ultimately, the success of the project hinged upon the execution of the event and the quality of the products. The music moved along easily and the Master of Ceremonies, Felix Ungar, kept the audience entertained during set changes. The beer and food were offered at great prices, and the music was free for audience members. A favorite order was the $6.50 beer sampler, which comprised of six tall glasses of the beers that corresponded to the musical selections. The room the event was housed in maxed out after an hour, much to the dismay of curious patrons at the bar in the next room who wanted to get in on the fun and music. Many of the audience members were Eastman students and faculty members, but the class was delighted to see some strangers among the sea of familiar faces.

The reaction of the non-Eastman members was very interesting to note. One curious onlooker gently refused to come into the room because he did not feel that he was dressed properly, despite the fact that all of the musicians were dressed casually in jeans. Perhaps his reservation stemmed from years of exposure to the "high art" mindset of dressy clothes and virtually no audience participation. Clearly this concern is a real detriment to potential patrons of the classical arts world. It is therefore the duty of the arts world to find creative ways to shatter the stereotype for the sake of classical music's longevity.

The rohr(BACH) event was quite successful, and upwards of fifty people had fun combining high art and simple pleasures. Until the classical music issue is resolved, relax with Rohrbach's beer and listen to some Bach!

Music in 2020

This is a paper I wrote for a class. It is actually getting published on Polyphonic On Campus, which is very exciting! http://www.polyphonic.org/oncampus/index.php


A decade from now the musical arts world will adapt to the technological age around it or risk becoming obsolete. Technology changes dramatically in the span of one year and affects the way the younger generation experiences the world around them. Humans with access to this kind of technology slowly begin to expect everything to become just as fast, just as convenient, and just as accessible – and exactly what they like. Unfortunately, a large part of the musical arts industry embodies none of those qualities. In the next ten years, musicians will consistently use technology and social media to convince their society that art is worth the hour not spent on mediums like Facebook.

Consumers are slowly growing accustomed to getting exactly what they want without having to go anywhere to get it. In 2020 it may be considered an extreme inconvenience to go to a concert. “Moveable art on demand” will become very popular and will suit chamber and solo musicians. There will be an increase in the use of “court” musicians, as the musicians will do the traveling to the event. Renting a musician will be a lot like buying a pizza; request what size, what kind, and where – and the musicians will show up! If consumers demand this kind of product, musicians should establish a base headquarter with pre-established groups, times of availability, a list of prepared repertoire, and emergency substitute players. Musicians must convince the consumers that live performances are more exciting, pleasing, and accessible than recordings. There is an element of personal interaction that is lacking with recordings that these musicians can offer to guests. With technology a dominant force in the lives of humans, this promise of personal interaction will become a favorable and desirable commodity. Musicians will do well to prepare themselves for frequent human interaction, including small talks, humorous stories, and networking. It is possible that there will be an “on demand” feature on TV for a specific piece of music to be experienced visually. These can be pre-recorded or live. Likely the sound quality of a webcam performance will be astounding in 2020, and musicians can play “in” the homes of paying patrons without having to travel. This will still require interpersonal skills, something musicians must improve upon by 2020!

Symphony musicians do not have the luxury of regularly transporting their sizeable crew to a consumer’s function. To present their art in an appealing way, they will employ technology and partner with the visual arts. A concert at the symphony is taxing for the audience, because they are required to sit still, pay attention, and enjoy a completely aural experience. If the audience is granted some sort of variety, they might enjoy the performance more. Local dancers will make a wonderful addition to any concert without detracting from the musical experience. They can express to the audience what the performers -- absorbed in their music – cannot do adequately. The orchestra should partner with local artists to create artwork that is associated with the music or composers. This way the art can be showcased in the lobby and potentially sold to patrons. The orchestra will often use the large screen above the stage. It is an excellent resource to present information before and during the concert. Event organizers can display art work upon it and show any supplemental videos relating to the music. Audiences love the mini-movies that go along with the music, and the local actors can do an occasional silent film to enhance the experience. Music traditionalists and those who believe music should speak for itself without any visual stimulation will not like these changes. Orchestras will likely have two different ways of presenting the same music if the demand is large enough: one night is more traditional, the other more contemporary. After all, there are some who attend a classical orchestra concert to escape from technology and enjoy the past. It is best not to alienate anyone already willing to come to a traditional concert! There might be the occasional orchestra that only adheres to the current model, but unfortunately it will have limited success.

The pre-concert talks are wonderful resources for people who want to know more about the pieces and composers they will soon enjoy, but most people do not want to come to the concert hall an hour before the performance. They eat first, or they do not get off of work, or they simply mind the inconvenience. The orchestra should make that information available to the audience members by giving them a website link in the program. The patrons with smart phones can access the information – and by 2020 I predict nearly all people who have the means to go to an orchestra concert will have a smart phone. Interesting facts and pictures from the composer’s life will give patrons a visual reminder of the performance. There will even be quizzes audience members can take pertaining to the information. Those who want access to this mini music history lesson can have it at their convenience and read it during the concert on their phones, much like the program notes.

One of my favorite ideas is to make the orchestra members seem real and personable to the audience. A short video will be shown before each concert showcasing particular instrumentalists in the symphony. It will highlight their lives, their relationship to other musicians, and their favorite pieces or composers, modeled after videos on reality television. Every time the orchestra or music group does something new, it should be videotaped and made into a witty documentary. For example, if they perform an outreach concert at a school, then certain details of their travels, the people the meet, and the reactions of the kids should be captured. These kinds of mundane details make the audience feel like they are a part of the lives of the musicians. It will also excite the musicians, as they get to portray their feelings and opinions to avid listeners. After the concert there will be more audience members wanting to meet with the musicians, so the musicians should stay available and willing to talk.

In 2020 there will be plenty of eclectic places to hold classical music concerts. I enjoy the idea of having some sort of round stadium seating with a central stage at a lower level. The musicians can play there, and the audience can eat dinner while being entertained. It would be a nice switch to have the entire audience higher than the orchestra. To appeal to children and people with a good sense of humor, there can be “live” appearances by JS Bach, Beethoven, and all the other giants. They will do a skit that teaches children about their own lives, their inspirations, and what the music means to them. They would even make witty aside comments during the piece to maintain the attention of the casual audience.

My role in 2020 will be to preserve the American orchestras and concert experience. I would like to be an artistic administrator of an orchestra or even a concert hall manager. In any case, I will be directly involved with various arts organizations and will work to keep them stable and relevant in our society. I cannot be certain where technology will be in 2020, but I know that following its trend will keep the arts updated and consistent with what the culture knows and expects.