{"id":1353,"date":"2009-10-21T12:05:37","date_gmt":"2009-10-21T17:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nicomuhly.com\/?p=1353"},"modified":"2009-10-21T12:33:10","modified_gmt":"2009-10-21T17:33:10","slug":"fail-whale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nicomuhly.com\/news\/2009\/fail-whale\/","title":{"rendered":"Fail Whale"},"content":{"rendered":"
So the Opera World, despite what you might have been told, really isn’t the same thing as the classical music world. I’ve found a much bigger correlation between the instrumental classical world and, say, indie rock than between instrumental classical and opera “\u201c just in terms of Administrative Strategy, Musicianship, Personalities one encounters. <\/p>\n
I want to briefly talk about the musicianship thing because it’s really interesting to me. With me and my friends “\u201d and I’m thinking specifically of Nadia Sirota, my longtime collaboratrix “\u201d I like to think that the musicianship hierarchy has rhythm very near the top of the scheme, surrounded by its acolytes “making a beautiful sound” and “understanding context.” With opera singers, it’s switched around for good reason “\u201d the “context” is so hugely important inasmuch as it is the entire reason for the opera being there in the first place. This is hugely reductive so it’s better if I speak from specific example. <\/p>\n
Two weeks ago, I was workshopping (I’m so embarrassed to use that as a verb, actually. Let me redact and correct). Two weeks ago, I was overseeing a workshop of this opera I wrote called Two Boys<\/em>. The point of a workshop for opera seems to be multi-faceted “\u201d it means one thing to the producing organization, another thing to the singers, another thing to me as a composer, and another thing to the librettist. Even as the composer, my interests were folded up: does the music work as music? Does the music assist the drama? Does the music bear the correct relationship to the drama? It’s complicated.<\/p>\n The singers I was working with were fabulous, fabulous, fabulous. And I very quickly learned that the more fabulous they were, the more interesting their approach to rhythm was. I also learned that my music has two different kinds of rhythm in it. The first kind is the locked down, Reichy, Rousey syncopated thing that has to be right on the nose: think Jenga. Then there is another thing, a cantabile<\/em> thing, where the rhythm as she is notated is an invisible structure over which fabric is draped. Singers are good at both kinds, but they need to be told (or be able to intuit) which is appropriate.<\/p>\n Another interesting thing about singers (and, to a certain extent, opera pianist\/coaches) “\u201d\u00c2\u00a0sort of like horses, certain fetish-objects spook them. Almost all of these fetish-objects are rhythmic. A bar in 5\/4 is terrifying and nervous making whereas 2\/4 + 3\/4 is completely fine, elegant, gorgeously spun sugar. In my experience, written-out rubato \u00c3\u00a0 la Adams works great if you have an eternity to rehearse it but notating a straight rhythm and then telling them “relax” helps. And, my favorite thing: if there’s a tricky, woodworky dovetailed series of rhythms as a duet, the minute you say to them, “don’t do any of the rhythms. Just do it naturally” is the minute they sing it precisely<\/strong> as the score indicates “\u201c perfectly in time, naturally delivered. I felt like Temple Grandin when I figured that out. Some pictures!<\/p>\n Then, a week after that finished, I spoke, alongside Lisa Bielawa, Rufus Wainwright, and Peter Sellars at the New Yorker<\/em> Festival. Here<\/a> is a slightly misleading recap. I say misleading because Peter actually introduced the “whale” idea. I said, you know, even though it might be this giant deadish thing in some people’s minds, a whale fall<\/a> can be a wonderful place for organisms to grow. Which is, basically, my attitude about all culture things: even if they get huge and bloated and die, it all regenerates in an exciting and possibly shrimp-flavored way. <\/p>\n
\nMe, Joseph Lawson, conductor, Margaret Gawrysiak<\/small><\/p>\n
\nMe with Craig Lucas, the wonderful librettist<\/small>
\nphotos by Matthew Brown<\/small><\/p>\n