Over the last few weeks, I’ve been involved in several world premieres of new works, one with the LA Philharmonic New Music Group and one with the LA Opera. Cantatrix Sopranica by composer Unsuk Chin was premiered May 9 at Disney Hall. A very strange piece involving three singers (one of them was Paul Flight, a countertenor who sang John Adams’ El Nino with the orchestra back in December of last year) and a small chamber group with classical guitar, harmonica and a huge dual-player percussion setup. The Berio-ish writing and references couldn’t avoid comparison, and many people I spoke to afterwards enjoyed the piece. From the players’ point of view, however, the piece was stillborn. Overly and unnecessarily complicated writing, often written above or below (or sometimes both) the range of the various instruments shows a disregard if not a downright ignorance of the basics of orchestration. It’s hard for schooled and experienced musicians to respect any composer who exhibits such an obvious incompetence. However, that being said, the assembled musicians pulled off an incomparable miracle and the piece almost achieved a transcendence that I would have found hard to believe a few days earlier. I attribute much of that success to Alexander Mickelthwate’s conducting and his concentration in preparing the piece and guiding the players during rehearsals. Showing an uncanny calmness and cool, he answered every question and solicited suggestions from the players whenever something was unclear or unplayable in their parts. He truly has the perfect personality for tackling an unforgiving job like this. The composer, on the other hand, sat in the front row during rehearsals, without a smile on her face or an acknowledgement to the orchestra that was jumping through hoops to play her music.
New music players are used to unusual notation and performance practices, and usually relish the chance to dig into a difficult meaty part. Most of what players are called on to perform in other situations falls within the realm of a more traditional sense of music, so “new music” gives them the chance to stretch and live outside the box while sharpening other musical abilities not usually called upon in performance. I like to think that the challenge keeps us “honest”, on our toes and prevents the “same old, same old” mentality from setting in, which could be and has been the creative and mental death of so many musicians who find themselves in a comfortable situation in their careers. Walk through the ring of fire once in awhile. It’s good for you. Really.
The LA Opera’s commission of Elliot Goldenthal’s Grendel (directed by his life partner, Julie Taymor, of Frida and The Lion King fame) was scheduled to open tonight but has been postponed due to mechanical problems with a giant set piece. Tonight is now a dress rehearsal and several previews are taking the place of scheduled performances. As the old adage goes, the only thing more expensive than opera is war. Elliot won an Oscar for his score to Frida and is well known for many of his other film scores. Written for a 100-piece orchestra, two electric guitars, electric bass and another huge percussion setup (which also includes electronics), Grendel aims to make a big musical statement. The electric guitar parts range from twinkly music box sounds utilizing artificial harmonics to wildly distorted raw chords. I’m also doubling on electric bass for several scenes, which is an unusual double for a guitarist, but there’s not enough written to warrant the hiring of an extra player, and besides, it’s a lot of fun! I’ll try to write an update soon and let you know how everything turns out…