Martin Brenne talks about music being his companion and his opponent to whom he succumbs.. He likes absolute music and he is explaining why there is a necessity to find an own way of expression with sound.
Music is a mean of expression, a companion, an opponent to whom I succumb, a challenge, a provocation, an allayer, a bringer of joy, giver of unimagined joy, an origin of ultimate despair but also something astounding – particularly when I succeed as composer.
Do you agree that music is all about fantasy?
Yes, of course: in the end it’s the “fantasy” (I prefer the word “idea”) which lifts the felicitous compositions out of the mass of music. The performer and composer can have the idea.
Consequently, the idea is the last step. The rest is craft, artistic will, and unerring judgement. Learning this is not the easiest thing – but the most important skill is to get rid of unsatisfying things.
In the end, music is all about fantasy. Let’s say, perhaps.
If you were not a professional musician, what would you have been?
A writer.
How do you envision the role of classical music in the 21st century? Do you see that there is a change in its role?
I notice that some composers widen the frontiers of music. Amongst others, acting, painting, performing, and video art sometimes become the center of what is called music or composing. The reason for this expansion is often political, but for me, sound should be the essential element of music. Music can still be absolute.
Moreover, there is no necessity for political music, there is no necessity for meaning of music. The necessity is to find an own way of expression with sound. Then we talk about music.
When everything else such as acting, painting, performing and video art is combined with music, it is referred to as being multidisciplinary.
Do you think that the classical musician today needs to be more creative? What’s the role of creativity in the musical process for you?
When I am composing there is always something involved – most probably creativity.
Do you think we musicians can do something to attract young generations to classical music concerts? How would you approach it?
As teachers, we can expose students to classical music. The music will do the rest.
Tell us about your creative process. Do you have a favorite piece (written by you)? How did you start working on it?
This would probably be my first string quartet. When I went to Vienna for the holidays, I became ill, so that the only thing I could do was to drag my weak body to the piano which was fortunately in my room. I worked only on the theme of the second movement for one week and afterwards developed the whole composition from this cell.
I. movement:
We, Moving Classics TV, love the combination of classical music with different disciplines: music and painting, music and cinematography, music and digital art, music and poetry. What do you think about these combinations?
I think that all art forms can benefit from each other. Besides other music genres, the central source of inspiration for me is literature.
It is of common practice in the media outlet nowadays to discuss that classical music is being marketed as a product of the consumerist culture. Do you agree? We are speaking about the supply and demand rules and how to sell your “product” - in your case, your compositions. How do you see it?
Fortunately, I can work as a music teacher at a secondary school and as a music theory and analysis teacher at a college. Therefore, I can compose music I love. There are always requirements that have to be fulfilled, for example, writing film music or composing for a special ensemble. But I wouldn’t be able to give up my personal aesthetic idea.
Do you have any expectations for your listeners and your audience?
Keep your ears open.
What projects are coming up? Do you experiment in your projects?
I will write a piece for Trio Spiegelbild (violin, saxophone and piano) and symphonic pieces for the Jugendsinfonieorchester Mannheim.
Perhaps there will be room for experiments. We will see.
Music is an intrinsic part of my life, as also feelings and thoughts are. It is a unique way of reflection about what I experience and about the most important questions like who we are, why do we exist, what is the meaning of all this and where are we going? Music is like a periscope that helps you to give a glance over the horizon of the common mind and to make sure it is a whole world waiting to be discovered and explored. If you go on this journey with an open mind, you will find invaluable treasures that you will never want to miss again.
Do you agree that music is all about fantasy?
Let us say, fantasy is the medium of music, fascinating and inspiring at the same time. As a composer you got to tell a thrilling story in sounds, capable not only to catch the listener’s attention but also to reach their hearts and imagination. If it is worth it, they will take it home to let it accompany them, and it is the greatest possible reward.
If you were not a professional musician, what would you have been?
At the age of 15 I struggled hard to decide to study music or maths. Music has won. I also write poetry and fairy-tales - everything comes from the same source of imagination and I can very well imagine to write more as well.
The classical music audience is getting old, are you worried about your future?
It has been some time already that the traditional concert of classical music is not the most popular place to meet music. Most young people listen their Mozart at home, or get surrounded by orchestra sounds watching a movie, playing a game, or even ironing. It is astonishing how flexible the ways to the audience can be.
What do you envision the role of classical music to be in the 21 century? Do you see that there is a transformation of this role?
I see a tendency of classical music becoming a kind of a luxury journey to an imaginary world, accompanied by those little pleasures we allow us, like a good book, or a cup of coffee. It can be very challenging for a composer to write in an entertaining and sophisticated way at the same time, but it is how it works and you have to keep it in mind all the time.
When I say that classical music is searching for new ways or that the classical music is getting a new face, what would come to your mind?
First of all classical music has to come out of the museum corner where it is focusing on the music from the past. Of course, for performers it is easier to learn some standard pieces, they eventually know already from the conservatory, and to perform them again and again all life long, conserving the same traditional receipts - maybe the best ones but still the same. What is also true, it is that often they even don’t have a chance to influence the program that is proposed to them by festivals and agencies. But from the point of view of the audience, it deserves a well balanced diet with some greens and fresh fruits and of course an excellent well-seasoned wine. Here there is still a lot of work to do.
Do you think that the classical musician today needs to be more creative? Whats the role of creativity in the musical process for you?
I guess you are talking about performing musicians because, actually, there are many creative composers nowadays, and it is less the question of the creativity than that of the repertoire. If you look at the literature market: the bookselling shops are full of new novels in all genres and not almost exclusively of those from the 18th-19th centuries. If we do the same with classical music searching carefully to bring fresh air in the concert halls, it will definitely help to bring new audience, especially when also changing the cover pages respectfully, to make them more inviting and attractive.
Do you think we musicians can do something to attract young generation into the classical music concerts? How will you proceed?
A young generation always wants to be different than the parents, and it is best done with the visual. It means the concerts for them have to be redesigned from the optical point of view and looking very carefully at the actual trends and tendencies. For example, I see a lot of potential in the role play scenes like cosplay and other fantasy games because of their tight connections to the world of fantasy and imagination. Concerts organized for them don’t have to be filled with pop music but definitely also not with Bach and Händel. The greatest challenge I see here is the styling of the concert hall and especially of the performers but it can be really fun!
Tell us about your creative process. Do you have your favourite piece (written by you) How did you start working on it?
One of my favorite compositions is BLACK FOREST for orchestra. I started writing on it for a Russian children orchestra that was planning a tour in Germany and France. Unfortunately, in the last moment it was cancelled due to political reasons. In the end it was performed by different orchestras in Brazil and Germany.
It was a great fun to write for young performers and young audience and I very much enjoyed giving a lot of free space to the fantasy! First of all I tried to evoke the mysterious and enigmatic world of the fairy-tale forest, full of both good and evil spirits, and to show the magical world of fantasy and imagination in all its beauty. Here you can hear the rustling of leaves and crashing of waterfalls, birds singing and the roar of wild beasts. In the depths of the forest thickets there is an old abandoned smithy, where the fire is lit up at night and strange creatures forge a special sword for the hero with which he can defeat the dragon and rescue the princess.
We, Moving Classics TV, love the combination of classical music with different disciplines: music and painting, music and cinematography, music and digital art, music and poetry. What do you think about these combinations?
Whenever there is an opportunity, I try to combine music with other forms of arts, especially dance, poetry, perfumes and the culinary art. It is an enrichment of the expressive pallet and a way to look a little further “over the border”. I must admit that most of my inspiration I get from other forms of arts. I am also a passionate salsa dancer and an enthusiastic book reader. You can definitely quickly discover it when listening to my music.
Can you give some advice for young people who want to discover classical music for themselves?
Movie music can be a good beginning and generally a combination with the visual. There are also more and more classical video clips that I would highly recommend, on Moving Classics TV, for example. Then I would watch movies and fun documentaries about famous composers (youtube is full of them) and go to some special venues like candle light or midnight concerts. It can quickly become a real passion!
Now it is a common practice in the media to talk that the classical music is getting into the consumption business, do you agree? We are speaking about the supply and demand rules and how to sell your “product” in your case your compositions. How do you see it?
It is nothing strange that a banker talks about money, a politician about politics and a dentist about teeth, if you know what I mean. Business is one important part of musical art but only one, even though not insignificant. You can never reduce music to just a “product”, it doesn’t matter how hard you try, but musicians also have to pay their house renting, medical insurance and instruments that is why we shouldn’t fear to deal with the topic.
On the other hand, the classical music market is highly monopolized and I think it is really a serious issue to speak about.
Do you have expectations what regards your listeners, your audience?
There are more and more new initiatives like concerts in private houses. I have made some very good experiences with it and if somebody is playing with this thought I can only tell you: do it, it is worth it!
What projects are coming up? Do you experiment in your projects?
I am working on a new symphony, finishing its 4th movement very soon, and for the next year I am planning to organize a classical music festival in Hamburg which means a lot of work. But as first I have to finish a piece with the title MOZART UNCENSORED for a tour of Dutch chamber orchestra Kamerata Stradivarius and yes, this fun piece is again an experiment. What I do here is a little like when you cut out some journal pictures and put them together to form new faces telling some new stories. Just instead of the pictures I use some famous motives. The result is surprising and soon you will have an opportunity to enjoy it yourself!
„Uncertainty was yesterday, today is chaos”...Does the increasing complexity in life have an influence on the way the composers of today write music? When I am playing the music of contemporary composers, I ask myself – does this music express the feeling of modernity? When yes, what is it? Can it be captured in words?
„Uncertainty was yesterday, today is chaos”. This was the title of an article that I read last week in the Harvard Business Review. The author speculated that today we had such a great variety of influence factors for making decisions. These factors have unpredictable correlations that make it almost impossible to come to a clear conclusion. Our lives are influenced by giant forces such as mobility, globalisation, non-conformism, cultural and social diversity. No wonder we feel that the complexity is increasing.
Does the increasing complexity in life have an influence on the way the composers of today write music? When I am playing the music of contemporary composers, I ask myself – does this music express the feeling of modernity? When yes, what is it? Can it be captured in words? The search for the feeling of modernity is not new. Let me share with you the thoughts of Charles Baudelaire who was a great poet, an art philosopher and a deep thinker. He believes that any artist is a “spiritual citizen of the universe“ by his or her very nature as a super sensory sensitive person who is very inquisitive and who has an immense yearning for knowledge and understanding. Baudelaire had an interesting thought that the way of artist’s reacting to the world would eventually lead to some cultural progression – in other words, an artist is forever in search of modernity.
There is one more thought by Charles Baudelaire that fascinated me. He says that the hardest part of being “contemporary” artist is to love the present times, embrace them, and not search in the past. He wanted the artists to live in present and enjoy it. To discover the beauty of today and listen to the present. To hear “today” and understand it! That is how artistic motto of Moving Classics TV “Discover the beauty of contemporary piano” and “Listen to our life” was born.
What is contemporary piano? Just by listening quickly to our “Fantasy notes” playlists, your impression will be a mixture of every conceivable genre: from the distant Bach polyphony and Lisztian harmonies to the jazz rhythms, ethno sounds, ambient, minimalism, lounge, pop, to name just a few. It is hard for purists to find a certain sustainable line. But the compositions are just like our life: multi-stylistic, extreme diverse, non-conform, flexible, still fresh, and childishly pure. There is a reason for it too: composers are able to draw their inspiration from a practically limitless array of sources, from Palestrina singing to Lady Gaga viral songs. The absence of limitations nourish the composer’s soul and bring more creative ideas. It is more a question of making a well-thought choice and being loyal to one own beliefs.
The contemporary composers have a much more complex society to deal with. They are trying to meet the taste of a society that is influenced by breaking news and the thoughts of flexibility, comfort and entertainment. Our society is also highly performance-oriented. Internet made music available to everybody at no cost and if people are in search of inspiration or just want to relax or get entertained, they will be listening to music. To be the source of inspiration for the society, contemporary composers compete with the genius of the past. It is often the case that if our society wants to get more “culture”, they go to the concert featuring the 19th century music. Just look at the program of any concert hall in the world. Or just type in Beethoven & Chopin in Google line or YouTube and listen online. It still works. The genius of the past still inspire us.
In a world that seems to be more and more unpredictable and sometimes chaotic, there is a wish to reduce the complexity of life. No wonder new age, ambient or just relaxation music grew in popularity or just any background-oriented music to support our multi-tasking activities. I think an important role of the contemporary music today is to reach new upcoming milieus in the society. A new type of listener needs a new kind of music. A new listener does not want to invest much time in trying to accommodate his or her ear to the music. They are inpatient, they want to be either immediately carried away or they just leave, they want music that allow them to lean back and let the mind wander. Having said that, I would like to conclude with the words of Charles Baudelaire: “Modernity is the transient, the fleeting, the contingent; it is one-half of art, the other being the eternal and the immovable.”
Heureka! Heureka! These were the words of Archimedes after he had stepped into a bath and noticed that the water level rose, whereupon he suddenly understood that the volume of displaced water must be equal to the volume of the part of his body he had submerged. He is said to have been so eager to share his inspiration that he leapt out of his bathtub and ran through the streets of Syracuse naked.
I was always fascinated about the mystery of inspiration. What is behind this phenomenon? Is there a trigger for inspiration?
Perhaps it helps to find an answer if we have a closer look at what composers are saying about their inspiration. Composers face the challenge of transferring emotions into music and putting on paper their original ideas. During my “Fantasy Notes” interviews, I always ask composers about their creative process and how they find their inspiration.
Inspiration is a state of the increased energy that comes out of sudden and leads to some ideas or actions. Some people call it a spontaneous burst of creativity. It is a kind of mind stimulation that is colored by our emotions. Far from being a magic quality, inspiration has even a clear structure. Any stimulation starts with our five senses and our perception of the world around us through taste, smell, touch, sight or hearing. Inspiration starts when we perceive one stimulus through our senses and appreciate it as being important or bearing a meaning to us. Then we start dwelling on this feeling and letting our mind wander in it. We let our thoughts grow around this stimulus; we are mesmerized and preoccupied at the same time. The thoughts and feelings grow and give us the energy and power that is enough to start a kind of deeper fascination. Usually the outcome of this heightened state is the desire for something new to happen. It just occurs on its own; it is like a natural outcome after an initial trigger. No matter how many psychologists described this universal process, it still needs the following mindset.
Most interviewed composers shared these qualities: they are open to experience, have an active imagination, prefer variety and are intellectually curious. They are sensitive to beautiful things and their own inner feelings. They are putting their thoughts into music. They say that it helps to be honest with own feelings and they welcome the unpredictability of life as a chance to create more originality, novelty and beauty. Many composers learnt to use their intuition for better creativity. They are very fast and efficient in registering subtle changes in their perceptions that have not yet reached the thoughts.
All these behavior patterns are not new and there is no miracle behind them. The difference between artists like composers and a “normal” man might be that they make use of a brighter scope of inspiration sources; they are more sensible and go through the sources with a higher intensity and concentration.
This is a link http://movingclassics.tv/blogs/ where you can find 56 “Fantasy notes” interviews with contemporary composers from different countries; they talk about creativity and their compositions. Every week a new composer reveals us how to find creativity in the interview and we record and share one music video. It is fascinating to discover new music and the personality behind the notes. Join us on the musical adventure and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn.
For me it’s the way to express my emotions and feelings about life. Music can say things words can never say.
Do you agree that music is all about fantasy?
Yes and no. Music can put you into a certain mood, creates atmosphere and emotions. And this special mood you are experiencing while listening to a certain piece of music stimulates your imagination. Songs or other pieces of music which affect me help me to be creative.
So for me music is first of all about emotion and atmosphere and then in a wider sense about imagination, creativity and fantasy.
If you were not a professional musician, what would you have been?
Since I was sixteen, there has never been another option than becoming a musician.
The classical music audience is getting old, are you worried about your future?
The classical music business needs to make changes to attract a younger audience. Sometimes I think classical concerts are too conservative. I’m not worried about my future because I want some things to change, but I am wondering whether theses changes are possible as there are conservative people who do not support more modern ways of presenting classical music.
When I say that classical music is searching for new ways or that the classical music is getting a new face, what would come to your mind?
New ways of presenting classical music are necessary today. I am glad and excited about the new ways and I hope the new face comes soon to convince younger people of the beauty of classical music.
Do you think that the classical musician today needs to be more creative? Whats the role of creativity in the musical process for you?
Playing the piano is my profession and passion. For me it’s absolutely important to be creative, for example to improvise and to compose new pieces of music. And I also like to experiment with new forms of teaching music. Besides the usual piano lessons I also offer workshops for classical pianists or students who want to learn to improvise on the piano. During the workshop six people play together and improvise. It is fun but at the same time most of the participants experience music in a new way because they are only used to playing classical pieces. Improvising can be very relaxing and you can express your emotions and thoughts in your own way. Mozart, Beethoven and other composers have been great masters of improvisation.
But also when performing the music of all the great classical composers, you have to be creative to interpret the music in an inspriring way. Who has to bring across the meaning and the feeling of the music to the audience? -It is the musician and he should perform the music in a way that the audience can experience his interpretation. I wanted to become a musician to do exactly this.
That’s why I firmly believe that classical musicians have to be creative to make their audience experience feelings and meaning of the classical music they play.
Do you think we musicians can do something to attract young generation into the classical music concerts? How will you proceed?
First musical education is very important. I think more music lessons in schools, in combination with attending concerts or other musical events, would generate more interest in music. Presently pupils might learn the vita of a classical composer in school without really getting to know his music. Or they are taught to read music but do not play an instrument. What’s the point of this?
As a music teacher you have a big responsibility to kindle your students‘ enthusiam and love for classical music.
As a teacher I have decided to let my students choose the music they want to play in addition to classical compositions. If a student has reached the level to play for example the first movement of the “Moonlight Sonata” by Beethoven- I am pretty sure that he or she has fallen in love with classical music forever even if they do not go on performing music themselves.
We need more musical education for every child to awaken their interest in classical music and musical performances. But it’s important that tickets for concerts are less expensive than they are now.
Both ideas can only be realised if governments are willing to spend more money on the promotion of classical music.
Tell us about your creative process. Do you have your favourite piece (written by you) ? How did you start working on it?
My favorite piece is “Sonnenaufgang” - “Sunrise”. It’s one of my first compositions, full of powerful feelings, mixed with a little bit of melancholy. Like all my compositions I created it by improvising.
While sitting at the piano, I start playing whatever comes to my mind. If I like the tune and the idea I keep repeating it. To collect my ideas to develop them further later I have begun taking videos of my improvisations.
In the beginning all my pieces are improvisations. When I have reached the point that I am happy with them, I write them down. For example, my composition “Goodbye” was only an improvisation for a long time. I simply wanted to express my emotions- nothing more. When I wanted to record it, I i wrote it down and now it is one of my composition.
We, Moving Classics TV, love the combination of classical music with different disciplines: music and painting, music and cinematography, music and digital art, music and poetry. What do you think about these combinations?
They are fantastic. To be open to art in general is a very important aspect of my work as an artist.
I have performed at events which combined classical music and photography or paintings.
Combining different disciplines is an excellent way of making an impact as an artist. When we can do something beautiful together, we as humans should be able to live in peace, shouldn’t we?
Can you give some advice for young people who want to discover classical music for themselves?
The best way of learning about classical music is starting to learn to play an instrument. Another option is to search for the most famous classical pieces, from there go on and look out for the most famous conductors and performers. They are world famous for a very good reason. YouTube is a very good resource. Investing into CDs is also a good idea because of the quality of the sound. And finally look out for concerts.
Now it is a common practice in the media to talk that the classical music is getting into the consumption business, do you agree? We are speaking about the supply and demand rules and how to sell your “product” in your case your compositions. How do you see it?
While composing my music, the music is the only thing, I’m thinking about. The business aspect is of course also important to sell your songs or tickets for your concerts. Having a good management obviously helps a lot. Earning money is part of everyday life, so we as musicians have to think about how to promote our performances and products and what our business plan should look like.
Do you have expectations what regards your listeners, your audience?
I do not have proper expectations. I simply hope that my audience enjoys my music, can share my emotions and thoughts.
What projects are coming up? Do you experiment in your projects?
Yes, I‘m always experimenting. My next important project is the international “Climatekeys” - project by the composer Lola Perrin. She had the idea that pianists all over the world campaign together to raise awareness for environmental problems. „Climatekeys“ events combine
piano concerts with talks about climate change and climate issues. They will take place in autumn with pianists and speakers all over the world.
For Munich I have managed to organize some additional concerts, so we pianists can draw the attention of our audiences to environmental problems. I hope that the events will attract a huge number of people because they are directed at music lovers and environmentally conscious people. I really like the idea of bringing these people together.
Do you think that politics and our society will be increasingly turning to art and taking on topics such as literature, architecture, music, theater, dance, and painting?
Sometimes it makes sense to look back into the history. We would know much of what is happening to us beforehand. Perhaps we will find even answers to the open questions that move us today.
I would particularly like to refer to the Baroque period, the time from the 17th century to the first half of the 18th century. The time was marked by great events: the geocentric world image was questioned and the earth was no longer regarded as the center of the Universe. There were heated religious disputes. These disputes got worse through the emergence of the Protestant church. The 30 years’ war left hunger and many diseases.
People longed for political order, security, clear social conditions and well-founded knowledge. The Baroque has addressed these needs, especially in the Catholic regions of Europe. A new culture has been established that focused on the tradition and sought stability. The idea of progress was re-defined. The compulsion in the society to “search for something new” was no longer regarded as a measure for politics and social development.
Thinking and acting were not focused on science, but on architecture and music. Within the social hierarchy, artists enjoyed a relatively high status, while merchants and entrepreneurship had little prestige, especially since their activity could have been morally questionable.
Compared to the Protestant countries, the Catholic countries were characterized by magnificent buildings and not so much by modern traffic routes for commerce. The military budget was also much lower in Catholic countries. Instead money was spent on cultural activities.
The beneficiary of this policy was not only the upper class. The public luxury of beautiful churches, sumptuous music and elaborate open-air festivals were also accessible to the middle and lower classes of the population.
Back to the present: Today we have many parallels to the emergence of Baroque culture. The global picture has also changed greatly in the course of globalization. In recent years, the religious clashes increased and suddenly there are wars that make many people to become refugees in other countries.
It is hardly surprising that people today are longing for more stability, political order and security as in the old baroque days.
Do you think that politics and our society will be increasingly turning to art and taking on topics such as literature, architecture, music, theater, dance, and painting?
It will be exciting to see whether in the coming years, the arts will become a meaningful part of everyday life, as in Baroque times and to find answers on the questions:
- Is culture also nowadays an option to give a society more stability?
- What kind of cultural activities could blossom?
- Who can be the driver for new developments?
I am looking forward to hearing your opinion! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.
Described by Fanfare Magazine as “one of the most talented and intriguing of living composers,” Lori Laitman has composed multiple operas and choral works, and over 250 songs, setting texts by classical and contemporary poets (including those who perished in the Holocaust). Her music is widely performed, internationally and throughout the United States, and has generated substantial critical acclaim. Read Lori Laitman's interview with Moving Classics TV
1. If you were not a professional musician, would would you have been?
I would have been a jeweler. My sisters and I inherited a love of jewelry from our father. Events were commemorated by buying a specific piece of jewelry. I inherited several pieces — whenever I wear these, I am flooded with wonderful memories and feel very connected to the past.
2. The classical music audience is getting old, are you worried about your future?
Our world has changed, and exposure to classical music is certainly not what it was. I’d even say the most of the world is illiterate with regards to classical music. Yet, I believe there will always be a small core of talented musicians. Hopefully this will be enough to carry the tradition forward, and maybe even help with its rediscovery.
3. Do you think that the classical musician today needs to be more creative? Whats the role of creativity in the musical process for you?
For a composer, creativity is everything. As a composer that mostly writes vocal music, I always hope to “translate” the words into music that illuminates the meaning of the words. I struggle to find the right way to pull sounds out of my head, and transcribe them in the most effective way. Then, I hope my musicians will be able to lift my music off the page and put the sounds back into the world, in a manner that touches people.
4. Do you think we musicians can do something to attract young generation into the classical music concerts? How will you proceed?
You can certainly engage with creative projects, as you do with your visual musical films. But I think the best way to attract a young generation is to start with early education. When I was growing up, cartoons were flooded with classical music excerpts, and this really familiarized children with classical music. There is so little exposure now. I think that Music Appreciation should be taught in the schools, and each child should learn at least one instrument. The thrill of making your own music and gaining some mastery is enticing.
As for myself, I have composed several works for children — for example, the boy choir in my Holocaust oratorio Vedem, and the multiple children’s choruses in my family opera, The Three Feathers. It was so wonderful to work with the kids, and they enthusiastically embraced my music and the performances.
5. Tell us about your creative process. Do you have your favourite piece (written by you) How did you start working on it?
I have several, but here are two: The Metropolitan Tower, my very first art song, is very dear to me. Originally I was a bit embarrassed by it, as it was so strophic and lyrical, and lyricism definitely went against the prevailing compositional grain. But I am so proud of the work, and it was with this composition that I discovered my compositional voice.
If I…, the last of my Four Dickinson Songs cycle, is also very dear to me. It was written as a birthday gift for my dad’s 80th. I wanted to create a melody that he would love, and this very lyrical song, which happens to set my life’s philosophy, has become one of my most popular. I have several versions of it, and am very happy that my dad, who lived to be almost 100, was able to hear all of them.
6. What projects are coming up? Do you experiment in your projects?
I have two upcoming song cycle commissions, both will use Holocaust themes. The first will set Nelly Sachs and will be for soprano and clarinet. The second will likely set Anne Ranasinghe, and will be for soprano, saxophone and piano. I want to finish my chamber opera Uncovered (libretto by Leah Lax, based on her memoir) and I want to finish my grand opera Ludlow (libretto David Mason, based on his verse novel). I wouldn’t say that I experiment, I only search for the best way to set the words.
Who is your favorite contemporary classical composer? Confronted with this question, many of us are puzzled. Classical music seems to be the domain of grand masters of the past like Bach and Beethoven, with some 20st century exceptions like Shostakovich. If you look into the world of literature, the bestseller list is all contemporary writers! The most watched movies are to the great extent produced within the last couple of years. The galleries are full of visitors when the contemporary artists present their work and even the ballet can be proud of contemporary choreography. Only music seems to be the most conservative of all! The best sold CDs still feature Chopin and Liszt. You can have a quick look through some concert venues in your places. No doubt, you will find truly beautiful programs but I bet you will mostly see the same compositions by the history composers of the past. It reminds me of the Alex Ross from the Guardian who wittily noticed: ““The music profession today became focused on the manic polishing of a display of masterpieces” Why does the audience prefer the same old compositions? I found some interesting insights in Internet blogs and forums. One possible sociological explanation is that music is always an acquired taste. The mechanism of an acquired taste works through our family habits, our education and upbringing. Through hearing the music once and relating to it. Then saving it in our brain to recognize it again when the opportunity arises and experience the same emotion. Like every emotional state, it is all very volatile. How often do we change our opinion about the melody, depending on the time of the day or our mood? I always thought that listening to music could be compared with managing our own expectations. The length of the piece in time units is our subjective feeling of time. Here we have the relativity. I like the comparison with driving a car. Imagine two roads with the same length but one is a familiar road back home and another one is a new road we drive for the first time. Our time perceptions will differ. Usually the first road would seem shorter. A new road might be a fun ride full of discovery, but it will still seem longer. Hearing the piece for the first time with unknown harmonies or rhythms can be compared to a walk in forest at night. Another thought by Alex Ross who says “ because concert audiences are essentially trapped in their seats for a set period, they tend to reject unfamiliar work more readily than do gallery visitors, who can move about freely, confronting strange images at their own pace. “ It brings a big smile to my face when I read about the hard times Brahms or Chopin experienced being emerging composers. Their works were rejected with the same reasoning we would give to any aspiring composer. (“New works do not succeed in Leipzig,” a critic said of the premiere of Brahms’s First Piano Concerto in 1859.) Monet’s beautiful impressionistic pictures were turned down by Paris art exhibitions. So he was courageous enough to organize his own events! Classical music in 21st century is much richer than during the times of big Romantic composers. We have a tremendous diversity of styles, different combinations of genres and elements. Imagine how exciting it is to witness the birth of a new composition and be able to talk to the person who created it, to hear what he wanted to say and who he or she is. So many interesting composers deserve more attention! They live our times and reflect it in their music! Their compositions are also our music. Moving Classics TV team is searching for new ways in classical music. With our new initiative “Fantasy Notes – Contemporary Piano Music” we want to discover what living composers have to offer in terms of piano music. Contemporary music is vital if classical music is to survive and grow. As any Internet projects, the success of it depends on the active participation of Internet community. We will be sharing special blogs with interviews where the composers write about their approach to music and their sources of inspiration, about creative process, about their goals and future projects. This way the future audience could learn more about the artists and see who is behind the music. Sometimes it could be a missing link for a better appreciation of their composition. Moving Classics TV is going to share new recordings at our website and in social media. I would like to encourage you to try it, listen and share your thoughts. I am very excited about open dialogue with all of you. If you have any suggestions, ideas or …compositions, please contact me at [email protected]
"My Creativity Break": 3 minutes of slow watching and relaxed listening, human attention and interplay of images and music, possibility to attract more people to classical music through visual keys.
We live in a complex world that is ruled by speed. Everything and everyone is under pressure to go faster. We scroll the headlines of newspapers on our mobile phones and click with great velocity through some photos of our friends in the social media. Our habits of listening to music have changed over the last decades too: Seldom do we sit and just listen. We jog, sleep, shop, walk and kill silence with music. Thanks to YouTube, we devote more time to music listening, but we jump from one clip to another. No wonder that Facebook considers video clips to be a success when they break the limit of 15 seconds! But we all wish to have quiet and pleasurable moments when the time stands still. We want to have enough time for everything that we consider important…
Carl Honore in his book “In Praise of Slowness” in 2004 was the first to explore the slow philosophy and coined the phrase “slow movement” – to comprehend the world more and appreciate its complexity. He writes, “Speed has helped to remake our world in ways that are wonderful and liberating but our obsession with speed has turned it into an addiction. When you accelerate things that should not be accelerated, when you forget how to slow down, there is a price to pay.”
Our answer to the philosophy of “slow movement” is “My Creativity Break”, three minutes of slow watching and relaxed listening. The idea behind is to have a three minutes break from your daily routine and immerge yourself consciously into the world of imagination through watching several images with music. The images and music serve one theme. The theme will change every day: it is a wide range of topics from nature, architecture, and travel to literature and philosophy. The masterpieces of classical music go along with the images and make the visual experience more complete. Music awakes emotions and makes the watching experience more memorable.
The human attention has the limited span and especially when it comes to listening to classical music, many people do not like the idea of using it as soundtrack, or even find it irritating as a background to multitasking. The classical music wants to be foreground. The visual impulses are faster so the eye takes the attention first and guides you to the image. In contrast to videos, “My Creativity Break” uses the still images that remain in front of you for half a minute. It means that there is enough time for an eye to catch the details and divert the attention again to music. The interplay of hearing and listening is truly fascinating. The result is an emotional experience when the image and music are perceived as complementary.
The power of associations is an interesting phenomenon. I remember the moments of listening to Chopin’s Fantasy – Impromptu for the first time sitting in a highly illuminated room or hearing Bach G Moll Organ Prelude for the first time in a room colored blue – these pieces are “colored” for the rest of my life. The listener’s guides always suggest for beginners in classical music appreciation to use the imagination and visualize. To close the eyes and try to imagine the scenes. This trick does not work immediately, it needs training. “My creativity break” could be a way to find the key to classical music pieces through visualization. Imagine somebody who has not discovered a wonderful world of Mahler Music yet stumbling upon “My Creativity Break” with beautiful pictures of creeping fog and being driven by curiosity to listen to the whole 3 minutes of the opening theme of Mahler the First Symphony! Wouldn’t it be a great start for them to go ahead and google it and perhaps even listen to the whole symphony?
I remember hearing the mythological story of the Venus Birth for the first time. I saw the waves of the resounding sea and the soft foam. The sound of roaring sea is music too. Just think about the beginning of the Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano concerto. The ascending and descending notes…
Surely, the hard-core classical music lovers have their ideas for the pieces but even they could discover new aspects in their favorite music through evocative pictures.
There is a saying: better to see something once than to hear about it hundred times. I would like to invite you to discover “My Creativity Break” channel in YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoyohFClv2N8uHpG2ci9ycg
Or in Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MY-CREATIVITY-BREAK-456305311240659/?fref=ts
What is your impression after having watched the video breaks? Do you have particular themes you would like to “hear”? Do you have your favorite pieces that you would like to visualize in the “my creativity break” video? Thank you for your opinion. I am looking forward to interesting discussions, your comments and feedback!
Blog about what business leaders and musicians have in common, design thinking methodology, creativity development and sources of inspiration, my creativity break tool
Business leaders and musicians: what do they have in common? Isn’t it a strange question? At first you could say that these two worlds are so different that one excludes the other. The words “office” and “business” bring the associations in mind like hierarchy, processes, workflow, efficiency, cost savings… Meaning no trills, no entertainment, no distractions. The world of musicians can be described by the artistic freedom, self-realization, creativity, inspiration-driven curiosity, emotions… This is a stereotype thinking but what if we change the worlds and bring “artistry” to the office space? Successful musician knows how to balance the creative and the business side. The personality traits of musicians like hard discipline, patience, perseverance can be of use in any job. And musicians are creative all day long!
That is exactly what the Stanford University scientists did. They developed a methodology “Design thinking” after having observed and analyzed the creative process of artists and musicians with the goal of establishing a new culture for innovations, better products and optimal solutions with customer satisfaction in a business world. I would like to refer you to their website for more insight on it under http://dschool.stanford.edu/use-our-methods/ Sounds cool – but how can it work in practice?
For the business leader things are getting more complex, the analytical and rational way of thinking does not give answers that guarantee success, the trends are changing so fast that we are under pressure. Customers are expecting new creative solutions. And some are sitting at their desk and expect some sort of inspiration to reach them. Being creative or being able to produce something new and original is also a skill that can be trained. It is a dynamic process that should have a sense of purpose. The motivation behind helps to bring you to a creative path with several stations or sources of inspiration, figuratively speaking.
I would like to share with you some thoughts and learnings of musicians that could be useful in the daily life too and could push your creativity.
The visualization is a strong tool to start you going. The very thought of putting you in a role of, let us say, a musician, opens mentally a new perspective and can give you this famous “different angle” of perspective. I would say the ears are the most precious thing for musicians and the ability to hear the nuances in speech or just listening for a longer period with full attention could bring advantages. The concentration on one matter is not easy, but imagine that it is something beautiful that desires your attention - a beautiful melody or a famous tune! The recent Harvard Business Review devoted the whole editorial to the mindfulness at work and emotional cultures in the action. The feeling for a right tempo can be translated in a business language into a feeling for doing things right – in other words, your intuition. I guess musicians are at the best when they are most intuitive in their art. The work in orchestra with its hierarchy and well-defined roles: that of a conductor- leader, first violin, individual instruments with their character, is a fascinating start of leadership, group dynamics and teamwork. Just add the improvisation to it and you get a complete picture for any business leaders with learnings about the readiness to venture, try things out and just do things! Speaking about trying it out, the prototyping and iterations are the corner elements of the design thinking methodology.
The musicians are very inventive when it comes to developing their methods to cope with stress on the stage and fear of failure. I remember one story of my piano coach. Before he starts playing, he would whisper his name to himself. Saying our own name reminds us of the most important source of inspiration for our creativity, namely ourselves. I tried it out too and could see that it brings back the confidence and takes away the fear.
Personally I believe in positive attitude and optimism as the big boosters of creativity. Makes me think of joyful music that lifts the spirits and puts me in a right mood. Positive emotions influence employee satisfaction, performance, quality and customer service – just name it! Positive mood is not possible without the “isles of rest”. Some companies use deliberately the “Pause for Fun”, others schedule some time for meditation, or provide mindfulness apps on people’s work devices to remind them to simply breathe, relax or laugh.
The idea to use music for relaxation pauses comes naturally. The team of Moving Classics TV was working a tool “MY CREATIVITY BREAK”. 3 minutes of relaxed listening and slow watching videos devoted to one topic. You can see the daily “my creativity files” in our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/movingclassicstv or in LinkedIn our Moving Classics TV page https://www.linkedin.com/company/movingclassics-tv I would like to invite you to test it yourself.
What is your experience before and after watching “my creativity break”? How important is creativity in your job? Do you work on improving your creative skills? What do you do for it? Do you make use of music for your personal development? Do you think music and musicians could share some learnings with other professions? If yes, what exactly? Thank you for reading and am looking forward to many interesting discussions.
