Yin and Yang
A little counterbalance to Sam's post on the Rozhdestvensky meltdown over at the Boston Symphony (to which I have mixed feelings. The first reaction is, "Oh, come on!" - it's about the music in the end, not the egos, what's with the unbecoming hissy fit? The second reaction; well, he does come from an era where artists of his caliber were treated with a certain respect and gravitas that has largely been abandoned in the current marketing-driven era, and I can understand his consternation at feeling deeply insulted. Perspective is a funny thing, isn't it?)
In any case, as much as conductors can be the source of kerfulffle, they can act as a peacemaker of sorts; I'm thinking of a recent New York times article profiling Daniel Barenboim. Barenboim, amongst his myriad other activities, which run the gamut from guest conducting at the Met to premiering, as pianist, Elliott Carter's "Interventions" with the Boston Symphony, is the conductor of the West-Eastern Divan, an orchestras of young Arabs and Israelis that he founded in 1999 with Edward Said.
Barenboim on his ensemble: “The Divan is deeply nonpolitical in the end. In other words, it’s not in any way linked to the situation in Israel and the occupied territories. If we all end up killing each other in the Middle East, then we at the Divan would have had 10 years of a beautiful experience. Or else this is 10 years of preparing for a beautiful situation. Either way, it’s worthwhile.”
It's an endeavor that promises harmony on the common ground of music for people who have little common ground, and one that deserves the lauds it receives.
But what caught my eye in this article was an excerpt from Barenboim's recently published book, “Music Quickens Time” (Verso Books). I've often spoken of the deep comfort I feel on the podium; I've never been able to adequately explain what that is - and Barenboim comes much closer to the sentiment than I've been able to express:
“When playing music, it is possible to achieve a unique state of peace, partly due to the fact that one can control, through sound, the relationship between life and death...Since every note produced by a human being has a human quality, there is a feeling of death with the end of each one, and through that experience there is a transcendence of all the emotions that these notes can have in their short lives; in a way, one is in direct contact with timelessness.”
Good stuff, however you look at it.
In any case, as much as conductors can be the source of kerfulffle, they can act as a peacemaker of sorts; I'm thinking of a recent New York times article profiling Daniel Barenboim. Barenboim, amongst his myriad other activities, which run the gamut from guest conducting at the Met to premiering, as pianist, Elliott Carter's "Interventions" with the Boston Symphony, is the conductor of the West-Eastern Divan, an orchestras of young Arabs and Israelis that he founded in 1999 with Edward Said.
Barenboim on his ensemble: “The Divan is deeply nonpolitical in the end. In other words, it’s not in any way linked to the situation in Israel and the occupied territories. If we all end up killing each other in the Middle East, then we at the Divan would have had 10 years of a beautiful experience. Or else this is 10 years of preparing for a beautiful situation. Either way, it’s worthwhile.”
It's an endeavor that promises harmony on the common ground of music for people who have little common ground, and one that deserves the lauds it receives.
But what caught my eye in this article was an excerpt from Barenboim's recently published book, “Music Quickens Time” (Verso Books). I've often spoken of the deep comfort I feel on the podium; I've never been able to adequately explain what that is - and Barenboim comes much closer to the sentiment than I've been able to express:
“When playing music, it is possible to achieve a unique state of peace, partly due to the fact that one can control, through sound, the relationship between life and death...Since every note produced by a human being has a human quality, there is a feeling of death with the end of each one, and through that experience there is a transcendence of all the emotions that these notes can have in their short lives; in a way, one is in direct contact with timelessness.”
Good stuff, however you look at it.
posted by Sarah at
9:43 AM
1 Comments:
I understand Barenboim's description about playing music, but I don't think it's limited to performance. When I listen to music, I often "step inside" of it, as I think of it, and become one with its world. That can produce all kinds of emotions as well as mental images as I listen. I often feel that I'm in an altered state of consciousness, much the way meditation produces a different state.
Having said all that, it's a plus to feel that way while performing and I like that it's such a positive, spiritual place....
Thanks for sharing this.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home