I’m studying for my Music class and don’t understand how to answer this. Can you help me study?
The live performance art scene is vibrant and thriving in New York City. I’m sure you all, pre-shutdown, had attended a live event (be it theater, music, broadway, comedy…) that resonated with you in a meaningful way. Share one of those moments with the class, but also use it as a chance to use some of your learned vocabulary to more deeply appreciate what is happening with the music Ideally please leave a link for us to experience some of what you’re talking about. My preference is for you all to post about something with LIVE MUSIC, but if you saw an especially captivating theatrical performance or want to talk about a piece of art or cinema, I am open to that as well. (At least 3 paragraphs)
I’ll give you an example of what I might post for this question:
As someone who is a female conductor and a performance artist, I am really interested in women who do similar work. I will tell you that there are very FEW of them out there! Female conductors in general (after all, have I used one example this semester that showcases one?) are few and far between! I have yet to get to see Barbara Hannigan *live*, but she is clearly quite a force. She was previously a trained singer, but then found the world of conducting, and is sometimes asked to do both at the same time. Here’s an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFFpzip-SZk
This piece, by Ligeti, is clearly from the 20/21st century: there’s a lot of metric inconsistency and extended techniques used. The instrumentation here also uses a number of secondary instruments, which are pre-Romantic era additions. The dynamics are all over the place, ranging wildly from loud to soft, and while the texture is mostly homophonic (about the lead singer and everyone supporting her) there is a lot of complexity within the accompaniment. It’s a wildly theatrical performance with strange interplay between the vocalist and ensemble which boarders on the absurd. I love how the 20/21st century doesn’t always have to be so serious—it can also be fun and bizarre.
There are other performances of her just singing it, like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QttUcKZ8NMU ; but I’ll have to admit, I like her doing the entire thing all by herself. Clearly she has memorized a very detailed score with a number of irregularities which make the process of memorizing it incredibly difficult. She’s on my list to see live, especially this piece. As far as conducting goes, I would also really love to try my hand at this work—it seems especially fun and challenging all at the same time. It’s on my ‘bucket list’—! I hope you enjoyed watching a little of someone I look up to.
