Louis Andriessen: Writing to Vermeer (Nonesuch)
Purchased at the Jerry's Records dollar sale today
Okay. So much for self reflection and/or existential angst and/or self pitying. I posted a link to my previous blog entry to my Facebook page, and I think for a change too many people connected to it. So enough of that, and no porn movie soundtracks this time to be embarrassed about.
I have probably written this, but I'm not much of an opera guy. I've been challenged on this before: "Have you ever actually gone to see an opera?" I was asked, by Erin Snyder. I guess I have, not a big production, and nothing like standard rep such as La Boheme. Hell, I was in a modern chamber opera once, playing soprano saxophone and interacting with the singers and dancers.
Part of my personal negative bias has to do with my previously-stated disinterest in vocal music in general. I mean, that's very broad to say, because I don't hate singers and I've worked with quite a few. I've always felt more attraction to the instruments and largely find them more interesting. The singer in rock bands is often the "front man" but also frequently the least interesting musician.
Another element is that the period of grand opera, reaching its heights at the end of the 19th century. Meh. Again, it's too broad to say I don't care for 19th century European music in general, but it's also largely true.
And 20th century opera, that presents other issues. I absolutely do not enjoy that really wide vibrato, operatic style. I don't think it lends itself well to modern works, particularly atonal works. As for 20th century operas themselves, there's that tendency the music to kind of go and go and go, shifting, but rarely settling. I understand the need to leave the aria and recitative form in the past, but maybe I'd like to hear a more defined song now and then. But again, it depends on the work.
Louis Andriessen's a composer I know little about. When Philip Glass came to speak to the CMU music department, he was asked how he felt about being grouped with, and compared to, a particular set of composers over and over. He said, what he found interesting is how dissimilar his music was compared to Fred Rzewski, John Adams, Terry Riley, Louis Andriessen. (If you noticed he didn't mention Steve Reich's name, so did I immediately.)
I guess Andriessen's music sometimes touches on so-called minimalism. This opera wouldn't be one of those pieces. I guess if I must find a comparison, it would be more Neoclassical Stravinsky, but even that is strained. It doesn't sound like Stravinsky (at least much of the time), but you're kind of in the same neoghborhood.
I never said this blog was high end academic analysis.
I notice his orchestrations, which sound good. Crisp. Nice bass clarinet part, something he may have in common with Stravinsky.
Perhaps the Neoclassical side is appropriate for a work dedicated to and inspired by Vermeer. He certainly doesn't make the music sound in any way 17th century, but the classicism might be appropriate to Vermeer's highly ordered, classically arranged paintings. Despite my general preference for modern art, I always make my way through the maze of galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to find the room with the Vermeer paintings, when I visit. They are stunning, moving, in ways I can't describe. They're so quietly perfect. It's difficult to believe anything can be that perfect. I find myself actually holding back tears when I view them. The nearby Rembrandts are great too.
Is it shallow to write that I basically like the music? But when would I ever have the opportunity to see this work performed? Composers continue to write operas. It's a big enough deal for current composers to have their works staged. What of this piece? Or Andriessen's two other operas? (Or more, this one of three in collaboration with filmmaker Peter Greenaway.)
Eh. time to get back to some work myself.
No comments:
Post a Comment