00:00:02.130 - 00:00:16.800

Unknown: Where you watch us eat? That seems to be what we'll be doing. My pleasure. Let me introduce everyone. You probably met at least two of the people on the panel from the concert last night composer, Michael Dougherty, whose piece we played

00:00:16.800 - 00:00:31.950

last night Metropolis Symphony. And Chris Caliendo, whose piece we played, and he also performed. So you know, the two of them already and tonight, Miguel del Aguila is up first on the show. And john cassock is just he's moonlighting here for

00:00:31.950 - 00:00:46.680

us, because he's, are you a composer, john, every. He's a decomposer. He said, He's our, he's our super percussion soloists tonight on the piece by Joe schwertner. And I think most of you met Joe shawanna. He's been here, he's actually come

00:00:46.680 - 00:01:01.950

out twice. And he sends his best regards. He was he had a gig in Europe, and he couldn't, or didn't want to leave I some nerve. But anyway, I thought maybe we'd start by letting john say a couple words about the schwertner piece. And john is

00:01:01.950 - 00:01:15.870

with the St. Louis Symphony, so he has a lot of experience working on new music and working with contemporary composers. And not only that, he's some he's such a good sport. He wants to do a little percussion, virtuoso demonstration for you today as

00:01:15.870 - 00:01:31.410

well. So I thought, um, this is my first time doing the the schwertner piece I I liked the piece a lot. It's very, um, it uses tons of mallets is that the the main instrument? Yeah, the the mallet instruments or the tuned instruments of the

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percussion family. We have untuned instruments, which was scanned in metal and wood also in the piece. But the mallets are tuned just like a panel. Except there's a vibraphone, and a xylophone and marimba, and these give us the ability to

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hear an actual tune being played from the percussion. And this piece is unusual in that, to me, it's the probably the best percussion concerto I've played because of it not only incorporating over 35 instruments on the stage, but

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the way the music is written shows the virtuosity of what's possible on the percussion instruments. I think for years and years, percussion has not been in the forefront as a solo instrument in front of an orchestra. And that day is now

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coming, the composers are beginning to understand the language of the instruments and how to write for them in a virtual so way. Now, I want to talk about that a little bit with I brought a little tambourine. And when people

00:02:34.170 - 00:02:54.930

think of tambourine at church, you know, it goes like this. And what I want to show you and demonstrate for you is how virtual also each instrument can be if combining the different ethnic approaches of percussion instruments worldwide, and

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learning the different techniques and then writing for these instruments and you come up with a piece like this one, so I'm going to demonstrate a little tambourine. So solo for you now.

00:03:04.020 - 00:05:57.810

I'm gonna go out to that mic. Well, I don't think you've placed tambourine tonight at all. Thank you. I do weddings and bar mitzvahs. But I think what's so interesting too, is that all the

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pieces you'll hear, certainly at this festival, especially this time, use a lot of percussion. And they use percussion and unique, I think and novel and new ways, which is hard to do. When so much has been written, but you can hear about what kind

00:06:12.570 - 00:06:26.160

of range of percussion instrument has, um, I know that Michael daddy's working on a percussion concerto now a commission from National Symphony, isn't it? And I heard that even asked if you could tape John's cadenza to. So I

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think, you know, everybody's open to always learning new things. For me. It's fascinating. Um, you know, the most conductor's I think, at least when you're starting out, unless you come from the percussion section, they don't

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know a thing about percussion, you know, or how to ask for stuff. And I mean, I remember the first audit percussion auditions I listened to the guy played the first tambourine guy, I put his leg up on the chair, start playing on his knee, I

00:06:48.030 - 00:06:57.870

thought, Oh, what's this guy doing? Where'd he come from? You know, I couldn't. I never knew that. Actually. That's how they play the instrument sometimes. And then the next guy came in, he didn't do the neat thing. So I gave him a much lower mark,

00:06:57.870 - 00:07:14.490

you know, I'm. But maybe, for those of you who heard the metropolis Symphony last night, you heard lots of percussion, I mean, lots of whistles and the flex stones and things used in a very different way. Maybe I'm supposed to open up for

00:07:14.490 - 00:07:25.110

questions, right. But if this is, we'll get to questions in a minute. So because I'm so fascinated by it, maybe you guys can talk a little bit about using percussion in your pieces, Michael first and then Miguel?

00:07:26.820 - 00:07:39.810

Well, the way, the way that I work with percussion is I actually have to have the instruments. So in my studio, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I've collected all sorts of instruments, and I fool around in them. And I think that's a

00:07:39.810 - 00:07:51.690

great way to write what do you do? Do you actually work with the instruments when you're writing? No, actually, I don't have any instrument. But um, I use them mainly when when the music suggests the color of the

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instrument itself. But your piece using the Congress? Well, like a piece like conga line in hell, you cannot write it without a conga drum.

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But I find the challenge like all the things we were hearing done on the tambourine like hitting it in different places, hitting on your head on your rear end or whatever. And how to notate all that, right. That's the challenge. How do you write

00:08:18.060 - 00:08:29.340

all that? Damn, right pictures? choreography, right, something like that. Yeah. So I think that's one of the challenges or one of the

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exciting things is that because percussion uses so many things from different parts of the world, there's all these techniques that we need to learn about, and that's why there's great professional players around I asked him questions and

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try to get as many ideas as I can from them. It's it's exciting, though, to be part to have an orchestra that's really alive and changing all the time, you know, because percussion instruments, the addition of the percussion, and

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all the new things, is really the newest addition to the orchestra. I mean, and you can keep adding things and in the progression department, you know, the sky's the limit. I've almost seen everything but I'm sure I haven't quite yet. You

00:09:06.840 - 00:09:18.810

know the brake drums that are literally brake drums from cars have you heard we've heard them last night right in in Europeans, Michael right there actually, you know, these guys like spend half their time going in the junkyard. That's what

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we're paying them to do. I was told last time I needed these for my piano concerto cars don't use those brake drums anymore. Oh, so when did they stop doing that

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you have to use from older cars 1958 you better be careful I'm going to fast for you tonight. So um, and but I wanted to add about the percussion. My the my approach

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the way I discovered the percussion instruments is totally different than I think what other composers would because growing up in in South America, you get used to see this whole orchestra especially in Carnival world. lighthouse

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Carnival like Brazil, this whole orchestra of percussion. And actually, to me, that was just music I had that music has no need for any melody instruments or stringed instruments. It's just pure percussion. And, and that's why very often I just

00:10:17.250 - 00:10:31.830

think of the percussion as the real support of the over over piece, whereas, I'm sorry to say that, but some melody instruments and it has secondary. So you can say to me, just don't say it to them. And how about

00:10:31.830 - 00:10:45.720

you, Chris, I do use a lot of percussion in your writing. It's actually I, if anything, this experience with john and having met you for the first time, actually, last night, if you was two nights ago that john demonstrated in a rehearsal,

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this this work, and his playing ability, which makes me feel like you're more of a maverick, that anything on the ability to play all these instruments, so well, I always have to marvel at a percussionist because I play I play guitar. That's one

00:11:00.420 - 00:11:13.500

instrument, but they have to master so many. And not only is john pushing the boundaries of how these instrument to be played, he really is fabulous on all these instruments. And to answer your question I, I really just basically with percussion,

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I write what I feel. And like Michael says, if there are things that I need to be able to capture, that that are in percussion use that that is idiomatic expression, like what I did in the trio constantina where I'm uplifting, old styles

00:11:28.470 - 00:11:41.700

of music, in the earliest periods into a modern form, I go directly to the player for for knowledge and for an appropriate way to write that, but I really feel that to answer your question, Marin, what how I use percussion is really quite

00:11:41.700 - 00:11:52.950

remedial to what Michaels doing it's it's, it's not as much of a calling in my music as, as I prioritize rhythm, and the other elements of music. I probably this is an area where I probably could gain

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more experience playing guitar. I mean, the probably the last thing you want in your orchestra is percussion. I mean, just for a competition was very, very hard to orchestrate. So you can be heard Yeah,

00:12:02.580 - 00:12:14.460

it actually made some changes. We were We were util we were going to use some ratchets. We decided to make the ratchet can only play at a certain volume on most john has found out a way to play behind his back a ratchet while he's rolling something

00:12:14.460 - 00:12:23.550

else. I don't know. But But we decided to make some changes that you weren't aware of in the percussion use so that we could hear the guitar more effectively. Yeah, that's interesting. No, I

00:12:23.550 - 00:12:38.070

think one of the greatest challenges is that percussion to balance it out with the symphony orchestra, for example, most of the 19th century music, the only percussion is the timpani. And the strings are carrying the carrying the weight and and the

00:12:38.070 - 00:12:51.150

rhythm of the orchestra. But if you start bringing in all the percussion instruments, I've been working for yours, a way to balance it out, so that you can still hear the strings and hear the percussion tune and lots of the music we listen to is done

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with, you know, where everything is miked. So, I'm sure some of you watched MTV or some of the videos will they'll have a rock group playing. And then they'll have a string section backing up the group and you can hear the strings, even though they got

00:13:04.110 - 00:13:17.610

mics on the strings. It's really hard once you start bringing in electronics, a lot of percussion, to balance it out. So I think that that's something that I'm working on. I'm sure. The other you know, everybody hears think is thinking about is

00:13:17.610 - 00:13:28.050

how to put it all together and make it work within the acoustics of the concert hall. It's quite true. So why don't we open up for questions from everybody? And of course, Phyllis is ready. Yes.

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This will lead to a wider question. I noticed last night seems for the first time that the percussion was not just on one side and the back was on the other side of the back. And was that because there's so much of it? Or was it a stereo effect

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you were after? You heard over the strings as you were saying, Michael,

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which? So the question I'll repeat the question so everybody can hear the questions about the percussion setup last night for specifically for Michael's piece, the metropolis Symphony, where they were split on both sides of the stage. Was that

00:14:15.330 - 00:14:31.410

intentional? Or did they just want to torture everyone in the orchestra? And sorry, that's my audition. And I think we use more earplugs. No, I think Chris Rouse still wins on the earplug department. And now the question is, how does the conductor then

00:14:31.440 - 00:14:43.980

decide about setting up the orchestra? I'll let Michael answer the question because this is his concept for this setup of the percussion. It was simply for to create a stereo effect, just as you said,

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right, because I grew up listening to records where you remember in the 60s, they'd have the saxophone on one side, and then they'd have the trumpet on the other and if you turned your your balance on your receiver to the right, you couldn't hear the

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trumpet right or or with the Beatles, some of the old records, The Beatles are on one speaker, but they're not on the other speaker. So I always like that i idea so that so so so comes from that.

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And with a lot of times with new music, the composers will really specify in the score, I don't have any of my scores with me, I could show you. But in the first page right after the instrumentation, they list all the instrumentation, you know,

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just with words, so you know what you need. And then the next page will often be a diagram of how they want the orchestra set up. This is a sort of a new thing. Because, you know, there's so many instruments, a lot of times, it's difficult to

00:15:37.620 - 00:15:51.180

accommodate, I think, ideally, Michael would have liked to have four stations across the back of the stage, but because of our hole, it's not quite possible, because the horns wouldn't then play against the back wall, and I wasn't willing to lose that

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quality of sound. So it's a bit of a negotiation. You'll see next week with the Frank Zappa piece we're doing, he mixes the orchestra up entirely, I don't think I'll ever know who I'm supposed to be cueing because, you know, for the conductor, I

00:16:02.580 - 00:16:13.380

mean, you can stretch it to a certain extent, but sometimes I'll go to orchestras where they have the weirdest setup, you know, first of all, the, the violins are split one side to the other that, you know, and you're conducting something,

00:16:13.380 - 00:16:24.180

especially if you're doing from memory, you know, you've done it a few times, and you're, oh, sorry, oh, excuse me out, you know, constantly oops, where are we? And, you know, in Europe, they set up the bras differently. And the horns are

00:16:24.180 - 00:16:38.310

more like in two rows, usually things like that. So, you know, many orchestras have different setups, and I try to set the orchestra up really just for the sound, how the hall sounds, to me. And it's very helpful, though, to get input from the

00:16:38.310 - 00:16:52.200

composers. Do you? Do you ever put diagrams in your? Yeah, yeah, it's needed. But I think most of the time, this setup is decided by the percussionist being able to go from instrument to

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instrument without having to bump into many other instruments of the order of your the way in which you use the percussion instruments in your piece. Pretty much decides the setup? Yeah. But unless you conceive it in a certain way, I think the

00:17:05.580 - 00:17:19.230

way Michael, had a concept of it was that there distinct often the percussionist john can talk to this have to share instruments, right. I mean, you guys are always running around. Yeah, we, when we see a score, we'll actually choreograph,

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who's going to go when, where and walk through it. In the rehearsals, sometimes you're even counting steps, or handing the specific sticks, you just played to the next player, while you're picking something else up while you're walking to the next

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instrument. So it the where we place the instruments is strategic and how we get there is strategic. And that's all worked out in the rehearsals. And usually it's not too hard. But it's definitely an element in the factor that's involved

00:17:46.890 - 00:17:59.580

within the section. So definitely, and our stages a challenge, as you may have noticed, is pretty small. So the guys are are usually when I see them running, I know just just stay calm, and they'll check in

00:17:59.580 - 00:18:12.090

with me, you know, but I see the look. What happens is that they they finally stop moving, and then they have to check. Okay, I got my this I got my marimba. You know what I mean? They're checking everything. And then they look at me and they're

00:18:12.090 - 00:18:52.560

ready. It's so that's how I know. Yeah. Any other questions for these? Yes. Every problem is relevant to? Oh, that's a good question. So the question is about the

00:18:52.560 - 00:19:09.030

notating notating, the percussion instruments and how much of a challenge it really must be, and how much technology technology can help with that, you know, in terms of maybe even doing a demo and putting it in with the score or the solo part?

00:19:09.810 - 00:19:28.320

I don't know. I want to say that. I'll pick up the tambourine again. If I were to notate I'm going to punch it now. And each composer up here might have a different thought in his mind about what that means to him. Should he make an

00:19:28.320 - 00:19:45.450

axe and right next to it, PUNCH? Should he make a fist with a tambourine, which means punch. You see what I'm saying? So there's no actual notation that has been established. It's always been historical that the composer makes up his own

00:19:45.450 - 00:19:57.960

language. Now, it might be wise to have a universal percussion language, I don't know, but it's not there yet. And it's unique. When we study a percussion score, like this piece I'm playing tonight. There's a whole language of how to hit where to

00:19:57.960 - 00:20:11.970

hit and when to hit it. And so you have to study that to understand what the composer's desire is, and then be able to put your interpretation into it as the other part of it. So, a universal language might be good, but on the other hand,

00:20:11.970 - 00:20:27.750

maybe this continual individuality and uniqueness might be good too, because you get to learn the composer's style in his own creativity by his own notation. I think, regardless how, how much the percussion language is

00:20:27.750 - 00:20:46.290

evolving in the 20th century, I'm always amazed to find how much the classical notation still works. And actually, in the 50s, composers came with all these funny ways of writing music, which became very close to a Picasso painting. And every

00:20:46.290 - 00:21:01.950

composer developed their own notation. And the interesting thing is, when you heard all that it just sounded like, as you heard it, you could write it down all in classical notation. And for most instruments, I think it's it's what most

00:21:01.950 - 00:21:16.410

composers are doing is just using classical notation, because it's the most universal language. And it's important for us composers, that somebody tomorrow in western Mongolia can just pick up our music and performance without having to

00:21:16.410 - 00:21:30.810

ask what that is. And, and then using common sense, you know, write the notes, but then write with words. Often in the scores, what will happen is that there'll be certainly in the conductor score, there's lots and lots of

00:21:31.050 - 00:21:46.050

explanations. So I mean, and Mala Mala really started this off, and there's lots of notes, he didn't trust any conductor. I mean, he was, that's it, he says, conductor do this, don't do that, do this, do that. And, you know, their little Asterix

00:21:46.080 - 00:21:59.760

next to everything and at the bottom of the page, or there'll be a key at the beginning. I mean, I think if a composer has to explain too many things, that's pretty much a sign that there's a problem. Really, it's sort of interesting, that often

00:21:59.760 - 00:22:12.120

the cleanest scores, you know, that are just, you know, the couple explanations about the person's vocabulary, perhaps. But that's about it, because they use a consistent, it's not as though every page they have some new notation that they're

00:22:12.120 - 00:22:25.170

using. But some composers like that, I mean, that was especially a trend as Miguel said, you know, the 50s 60s, especially 70s, where, you know, every page was so complex, that, you know, you almost tear your hair out. And and in the end,

00:22:25.170 - 00:22:36.120

how much did it really matter? You know, that that's the problem. I think, when you have to invest so much time and energy and just figuring out what the piece is. Everyone, especially these days, that's it you won't get played? I think,

00:22:36.360 - 00:22:51.150

absolutely. I would, I took a course and UCLA, we all do research and bibliography. And my teacher was adamant about creating a consistent way of of annotating your bibliography and how you

00:22:51.240 - 00:23:05.190

all this different types of spacing and the font and, and I think consistency is absolutely the most practical method. I mean, if there is a language, it's it's, it's, it's ideal that what Michaels Miguel said is correct that in Germany and

00:23:05.190 - 00:23:18.210

Italy, and that we could all interpret the music identically, as best as possible. Because otherwise it's it's rampid. It's exciting. We have so much little practice time, little rehearsal time, there's so much time in John's personal life, we were

00:23:18.210 - 00:23:29.430

not just composers and musicians where we're hopefully have a harmonious adult adult knows about us that incorporates family mortgages, things like this. So there's not so much time to have to learn an entire new language again, and it's

00:23:29.430 - 00:23:38.550

awfully draining and again, when parents that it's absolutely ideal at the at the at the end, it really has to mean something because our audiences deserve to be enlightened. So, bah, bah, bah,

00:23:38.880 - 00:23:59.160

good. Okay. Thanks. Did you know yeah, you brought up the tearing your hair out. rotation is so complex. I mean, what about the piece itself? Where he was saying that only good music is what he called difficult music.

00:24:00.300 - 00:24:09.840

And that is he was friends with Milton Babbitt. How important is difficulties in terms of greatness? So can it be a great piece? That's easy, such as?

00:24:11.700 - 00:24:29.850

Oh, boy, okay. here's the here's a light question. Have you tried to play Metropolis? Oh, accessible, maybe that maybe that's the word we should? So this is a very philosophical question really about? Whether

00:24:29.970 - 00:24:44.670

I'm trying to interpret the question, so I can just repeat it. Does music have to be difficult and I think difficult not only for musicians, but audience is what you were talking about difficult access in order to be great music. And

00:24:44.670 - 00:25:03.570

so I would say, absolutely, I think that's absurd, absurd statement. But it's one that led composers and led our audiences right out of the concert hall, in the 60s and 70s. In my opinion, and you See today that, you know, this is not what's

00:25:03.600 - 00:25:20.130

interesting. And I think complexity for the sake of complexity is, is meaningless. I think complexity for the sake of, of finding meaning. Music needs to be an emotional experience. And if you can't relate to it, how can you have

00:25:20.130 - 00:25:34.710

an emotional experience? I mean, maybe that's very simplistic of me and naive. But I feel that if there's a piece that I as a pretty sophisticated musician, can't bear to listen to, how could I possibly subject my audience to that? I don't know.

00:25:34.710 - 00:25:49.530

That's, that's my issue. But I don't know. I think, as a composer, I feel very strongly about complexity. And I, it's a very individual thing, every composer is things different about it. But for me, it's exactly the opposite. When

00:25:49.530 - 00:26:10.710

something is very complex, I'm suspicious that they are hiding behind it. If you need to write 20 pages, essay about you wanting to go to a restroom, then something is wrong with your communication skills. So as a composer, I always strive

00:26:10.710 - 00:26:29.190

exactly for the opposite. I tried to simplify it to get to the core of what it is, I want to say, with the lead with the least amount of complexity and instruments. And I think when you look at the great composers of the past, they were those

00:26:29.190 - 00:26:49.890

that were able to just move you to tears with one one note on the cello or or just and I think that's real genius. This, these composers who need, you know, huge orchestra and three hour long piece and just to make an effect on you, I think while the

00:26:49.890 - 00:27:06.570

effect is that you have a headache, but it's interesting. I mean, this, this will open up a very interesting conversation, I think, because you just see the trend. The trend now is is really for composers to relate

00:27:06.570 - 00:27:20.790

to the audience. And I think maybe it's a good thing that we had to go through a very serious downsizing and assessing of where, where we were as as some symphonic organizations, certainly in the 80s 70s and 80s. Trying to figure that out.

00:27:21.840 - 00:27:34.410

I think maybe there's another side to this. It's not just about the complexity, but it's about when you think about Michael's piece, which incorporates sort of pop pop culture, right? It's a little bit of that, that I think can

00:27:34.410 - 00:27:45.780

really we were talking about Michaels. The piece was performed in was it in London that was performed, and he was completely panicked about the review of what it would be of course, because as soon as you do something like that, you're

00:27:45.780 - 00:28:02.700

just opening yourself up to be murdered basically, by the critics. And surprisingly, they liked it. I don't know what was wrong with them that day. But um, you know, this is a problem. Whenever you write a piece that can be grasped, or has some kind

00:28:02.700 - 00:28:16.260

of, I don't want to call it lowbrow. Because Superman to me, you know. And the piece lives without the without the connotation. I mean, that's the that's the key. If a piece can't survive without the idea of Superman, there's no point to

00:28:16.260 - 00:28:29.730

the piece, actually, the art principle of us I shouldn't. I hope she's not here. Don't tell her I told you. She said, after the concert last night, she said, You know, I didn't know that piece was about Superman. Until Michael spoke about it at

00:28:29.730 - 00:28:43.830

the concert. I mean, she thought she was just an absolute idiot. But I thought that was a great statement, you know, because she never occurred to her. And, and that's the that's the key. If the peace can, you know, and your peace would exist without

00:28:43.830 - 00:28:56.460

the program without hell yes, I think it would be. Yes. Oh, sorry. No, I was just saying one thing that one of the things I can't do is fix a car. And when I take my car to a mechanic, and they

00:28:56.460 - 00:29:09.390

open up the hood, and you look at that engine, you know, you see all the complexity going on in there. That to the mechanic probably is very simple. And yet, All I care about is that I can get in the car and drive off, you know. And so I think,

00:29:09.690 - 00:29:25.200

as a composer, there's all the mechanics that one's aware of of counterpoint and tambor and music history and all those things. And then and then you're trying to put that all together, and you're aware of that, but then for the listener, they're,

00:29:25.230 - 00:29:39.510

they're along for the ride. And I think that if you can do that, that works as a component. Just following up on what you were saying. With this question, it

00:29:39.510 - 00:29:51.210

seems to be quite highly programmatic. Is that the trend in modern American contemporary American music? Or was that your choice? The question is that or the common is that a lot of the

00:29:51.210 - 00:30:03.420

music in this festival seems to be highly programmatic. And is that a trend in American music or just my choice? I think you'll notice that this weekend, particularly is Highly programmatic. And it was it's really strictly my choice. I

00:30:03.420 - 00:30:21.630

don't think there's a trend toward highly programmatic music. I think next week, the only piece that has a program per se would be the Zappa piece, which is about a vacuum cleaner salesman and maybe the Bernstein serenade which is based on

00:30:21.630 - 00:30:33.300

Plato's symposium. But if I didn't tell you the story about the serenade, you wouldn't I think you wouldn't get it. But I think it's I think it's mixed. You know, people are probably about the same amount of people writing program music today as

00:30:33.300 - 00:30:52.620

we're Yeah. Yes. The question is, how many of the composers are, would consider themselves neo romanticist? Or have been influenced by that movement? I

00:30:52.620 - 00:31:10.590

think composers in general, we hate to be associated with anything. We're very individualist. And but we always get put the staples of what we are. And I, I personally think that every good composer was a romantic because romanticism in

00:31:10.590 - 00:31:29.250

music, it's was always to express high emotions and express the human part of the Creator and not just the mechanical one. And I think in that sense, there are many more Neo romantics today than than they were 20 years ago. But if

00:31:29.250 - 00:31:45.300

they consider themselves or I myself, me romantic, I don't think so. Maybe the question is, who are your influences are that as well,

00:31:46.290 - 00:32:08.520

it's the influences are so vast, the globe. In my case, for example, I think it starts with folk music from Latin America, from Africa, from jazz, from pop music from all ages, the 40s, the 50s, and then Renaissance music, Monteverde to all the

00:32:08.520 - 00:32:29.730

centuries is just, I think we are lucky, very lucky as composers to live now in these pluralistic society where which is, go to the web, and we can get almost anything we want instantly. And the amount of influences we have, it's so, so

00:32:29.730 - 00:32:43.440

vast that it's very hard to really say like, it was 100 years ago, I was a student of this person, and I continue that school. We don't continue any schools, which is make whatever we want. Or I do, I'd

00:32:46.500 - 00:33:00.420

be interested to hear what everybody listens to including Marin. But what I listened to is weird, I either listen to really, really avant garde music from Europe, or I listened to am radio, there's a station that plays like Frank Sinatra, Tony

00:33:00.420 - 00:33:10.950

Bennett, Dean Martin, that kind of stuff and I so I flipped it. I flipped the channel between listening and am radio and then going to my CD collection to really strange music. So whatever that means.

00:33:11.760 - 00:33:27.450

I don't know if the question is, what do you listen to? Or do you codify yourself as in the romantic but I think if I think we could take all these questions and get down to very basic philosophy. For myself, the most unbelievable

00:33:27.450 - 00:33:41.940

communication I have is is is this unadulterated communication with my very inner soul. So I don't go to outside influences to understand what my soul is trying to influence upon my art form. It's it that that process does not make any sense to me.

00:33:42.720 - 00:33:58.020

I've written 240 variations on what I consider the American Tango, but I never listened to Argentine Tango to write my own Tango. Of course you do. And, but I didn't do it academically. I didn't research this to write a new style of Tango. Somehow,

00:33:58.230 - 00:34:11.820

deep inside and looking for this inspirational truth behind what I am I the material comes and I write it and I think that there was no pure way to write music and if you want to call that romanticism, I can tie that and easily to literature of the 19th

00:34:11.820 - 00:34:25.560

century to music to art. We saw the the advent of dusty outski of Vermeer, the painter we saw the fabulous crescendo of Victor Hugo's works on literature these were men who manifest into their soul they were looked inside themselves to find virtue and

00:34:25.560 - 00:34:40.470

value not from society not from statistics not to judge their own Creed's by what society is doing, what they wanted to do, and, and on their own volition. And in this, we look back and Herald that period as as a period of of incredible worth

00:34:40.470 - 00:34:57.090

and value to us. That's still in recordings that still has an appeal to our audiences. And this is what I looked at as a truth for myself in creating my style of music, not influenced by other art forms, but trying very hard to keep myself

00:34:57.090 - 00:35:06.870

centered on what is locked inside the collective subconscious. That young call this immense psyche, which I believe governs millions of ages, it's millions of ages, all that ties all people together.

00:35:09.060 - 00:35:24.300

I'd like to mention, as a musician in an orchestra, from the musician standpoint, these musicians you hear play at the festival are responsible and required to learn any music that's been written over the last three or 400 years. And to

00:35:24.300 - 00:35:40.080

do it well. And I think the interesting thing, for me when I listen to music, I'm even if it's something that I didn't, I wouldn't consider, consider my favorite thing to listen to, I'm required to have to play something like that. So what I'm

00:35:40.080 - 00:35:57.240

always listening for is the excellence or the artistry in every style of composer and trying to connect that to my own creativity, so that I can represent that composer's desire and his piece the best that he would like it, and also to put

00:35:57.240 - 00:36:11.520

my own signature on the way I interpret it. So I just want to throw in a musician's point of view, know how flexible we have to be in our listening, it's not always just what we enjoy is because we're responsible to be artists to perform every piece

00:36:11.550 - 00:36:24.450

the best we can. That's interesting. Um, you know, I'm, I'm probably the only conductor that doesn't really have a huge CD collection or a very, I don't even have a very good stereo system, I actually

00:36:24.450 - 00:36:39.780

don't like to listen to CDs of classical music. I'm suspicious of them. Because I know what you can do in the recording process now. And I guess I know you can make a perfect CD, um, the things I like to listen to our live performances. I like

00:36:39.780 - 00:36:54.900

Bernstein's recordings, where I hear him groan. I like I like to listen for the noise when the musicians turn the pages because they didn't care about getting everything, all the noise out. I guess I like the human quality of that. And I generally don't

00:36:54.900 - 00:37:08.310

listen much to the classical music on CD these days. You know, I enjoy recording, I enjoy the process of making records a lot. But once I'm out of the sessions, I'm not interested in them anymore. I don't think I've ever listened to one of my

00:37:08.310 - 00:37:19.590

recordings again. I mean, that I probably shouldn't admit that. But do you know what I'm saying? One them to be there because I want to preserve the music and I want to say something. But I want people to come to the live concerts. Sometimes when I hear

00:37:19.590 - 00:37:33.060

a tape of a live concert, it doesn't capture really what happened at the concert. Do you know what I mean? Some I have to listen to the tapes for the grants A lot of times, and I'll say, oh, gee, that was kind of messy. But you know, that was

00:37:33.060 - 00:37:47.010

not the important thing. In the moment of the performance. The important thing was that the audience was their energy and their focus was with us and the musicians were highly energized. And it was the emotional impact of the moment. As far as other

00:37:47.010 - 00:37:59.940

music You know, I grew up my dad, it was a Frank Sinatra freak. I we had every single right I mean, I thought he would make me crazy with that stuff. And I still love it. And, you know, I listened to more jazz and dance music. I like a lot.

00:37:59.940 - 00:38:17.190

But I think music is a dangerous thing these days because music is used all over the place that it actually makes me crazy. I think our society uses music far too often. to no avail, you know that I was just in LA and, and not that LA is the only place

00:38:17.190 - 00:38:29.820

but there was music in the hotel lobby, there was music in the elevator. I went to the gym, I couldn't even listen to my own Walkman because the music they had playing was so loud. I went to the gym this morning before the rehearsal, they had music

00:38:29.820 - 00:38:45.120

on, you know, 630 in the morning, I don't know it becomes sort of a dulling experience rather than an emotional experience. Um, so I have trouble understanding why we why we put so much of that stuff in our environment. I don't think

00:38:45.120 - 00:38:57.510

we need it. I think it'd be nice to have some quiet time in the elevator. You know, it's okay. I can be by myself for five minutes. You know, people are like they have to have this makes me crazy. I don't know. Do you agree? Maybe we should start

00:38:57.510 - 00:39:12.360

our own city where Noten no music is that meaningful? I think it's a vicious circle cycles circle because the more you are bombarded by all kinds of media, which is seems to be the fashion. The more you dissented dissent.

00:39:13.260 - 00:39:26.190

The censored desensitize ties yourself to it. And then the more bombardment you need, and at the end you have actually walking stones people who can't just enjoy anything if it's not 3 million

00:39:26.190 - 00:39:35.820

times. I can I can barely I mean, I'm not that's as you can tell, I'm not turned off by loud music. I mean, I like loud music in the concert hall. I'm really I like a lot more than the musicians

00:39:35.820 - 00:39:52.710

too. And, but I have trouble going to films even I don't know, I wonder what's going on. I can't bear it. It it ruins my experience because I can't listen in a calm way and interact with the experience, but I don't know. Maybe I'm just

00:39:52.710 - 00:40:11.490

getting old. Second question I've seen how the composer's interact with mirror when you're rehearsing. I wonder how you felt not taking direction from

00:40:11.490 - 00:40:28.350

her after you may have given her the direction. So this is for Chris about where did the middle the lyrical part of the trail concertino come from? And was he annoyed that I would give him direction after he gave me direction? How's that

00:40:28.350 - 00:40:46.320

for something? Something like that. Now I have to be ultimately candid. That's alright. I don't mind you can say anything actually, neither do I. But the lyricism from the three of Constantino Thank you. I

00:40:46.320 - 00:40:58.590

always think in philosophical terms, I don't mean to, to be didactic about art, but I, I would think the lyricism came from my Bonnie's mother. And what I mean by that is I had the, the wonderful significance of growing up in a European

00:40:58.590 - 00:41:13.770

household. My parents are from Italy. And if there's anything I learned from my mother, and I continually do is, is how cooking in the household brought people together. And that social grace had his lyrical quality, had his romantic appeal. I saw

00:41:13.770 - 00:41:25.740

how quickly people just absolutely fell in love with her. And I was luckily lucky enough to have much much a part of of that in my soul, which is yearning to be gregarious, and to bring people to me. And that translates in the art I think

00:41:25.740 - 00:41:39.240

that translates in my absolute wistfulness to bring lyricism and romanticism back to audiences. And maybe there was a personal thing about knowing my mother's smiling when musics being played, but that Lincoln s gesture to capture an American

00:41:39.270 - 00:41:53.910

spirit. I'm so grateful. I'm a New York City boy with European parents and that I can identify with that immigration movement, where my father who was uneducated, high school education came into the country and taught me self discipline

00:41:53.910 - 00:42:07.290

and how important it is that you can teach yourself being that he didn't have a college education, he himself became master of five or six different trades. really wonderful appealing gentlemen. And I think all that self discipline in that that very

00:42:07.290 - 00:42:25.380

grounded roots, basic roots of conduct translate into a very consonant life, inner spirit, rather than dissonant, or complex or confusing. With Marian that was, I now have the opportunity to say thank you. I've said, I kept telling Mary

00:42:25.440 - 00:42:38.640

in this, we have a few seconds together on stage. Thank you, Mary, thank you what she's going no problem, no problem. And I'm what I want to say thank you for is that my dad taught me guitar when I was six years old. And by nine, I was playing here and

00:42:38.640 - 00:42:53.670

there at the Elks club. And I started recognizing I had to give to play and I was making 25 cents or 50 cents, they're playing mala gwalia for the Elks club in Huntington somewhere. And, and, and then I grew into playing the guitar quite quite

00:42:54.000 - 00:43:05.460

at a higher level, no question. I took it in college, and it became absolutely a part of my life. But these hands have been broken several times in a number of head on car collisions with car accidents. And I've had the therapy and I've had all kinds

00:43:05.460 - 00:43:21.720

of times when I thought I would not be able to play again. And this is the first time I've ever played guitar with an orchestra. And this was such a dream for me. And that's really why I wanted to say thank you, because I lived a dream and it was an in

00:43:21.720 - 00:43:32.700

that fellowship. It was the first time I had to look at a conductor and take guidance from because usually I look at Rachel a violinist and and she's model is going, you know, this is where we're supposed to go. And here I was, depending on Marin,

00:43:32.700 - 00:43:46.410

and thank God, we have a wonderful conductor because she made it very easy for me. Thank you. Yes. A little bit more technical question.

00:44:01.170 - 00:44:17.340

The question is how to really how have I been picking the pieces? And I would say what I didn't mean to say that I don't listen to new CDs. I listened to a lot of new CDs. I don't listen to you know, Mahler one non new release of Mahler one. I look,

00:44:17.370 - 00:44:29.340

listen. I actually am one of those odd conductors that I actually listened to everything everybody sends me. And Elon will attest to that. When I come out here like for one day, there's a box of stuff and I just sit there and listen to it.

00:44:29.850 - 00:44:45.090

That's how I met Chris. Was there a tape he sent? And, but generally, I mean, generally I don't think I select the music from unsolicited material. That's not generally how it happens. It generally happens through through a relationship

00:44:45.330 - 00:45:02.760

that you learn about a composer of a composer Michael Doherty, he 10 years ago, what a short piece he wrote one a composing contest that I was judging. And that's how I came into contact first with his music And I took that piece around then I liked

00:45:02.760 - 00:45:17.490

it a lot. And, you know, somehow then we got separated went separate ways. But I kept following I got his CD to the opera, he wrote Jackie O. And then I got the metropolis CD. And then I got sold on that. So that's how that went. with

00:45:17.490 - 00:45:33.300

Miguel. I heard Emily Wang play of Sonata of his a piano sonata last year. And I thought, Oh, this is great, great stuff. And so then, and I have a, I sort of have the hotline, or they've maybe they have the hotline to me, all the music publishers,

00:45:33.480 - 00:45:47.160

you know, have my, they have my numbers, believe me. And so they kind of know me, because I do a lot of new music. And so when something interesting comes in, often they'll send me a piece and say, Oh, I think I thought you might be interested in this.

00:45:47.430 - 00:46:01.710

And that happens to you know, I'd like to get more familiar and I'm gonna try to pick Michael's brain with more of the European contemporary composers because I just don't know them and don't have a relationship with them yet. But often, you

00:46:01.710 - 00:46:16.170

know, when I I got hooked on Chris Ross's music also just wanders music before I ever met them. I'm not exactly sure i think is the tape they sent or, or this or that. And, and sometimes now I get asked to do premieres of pieces, and that

00:46:16.170 - 00:46:31.830

way I get introduced to the pieces as well. So I hope you're enjoying them. I think this year is particularly spectacular this weekend. The composers are I think they're vital and and to me is the thing I like is their vital and they're they're

00:46:31.830 - 00:46:38.700

serious, but they're fun to you know they can they don't have to take themselves quite so seriously. I like that part. Yes, sir.