I went to part of the EARS concert tonight. Paul Drescher played the 'quadrachord,' an instrument of his own creation. It was a fantastic performance, colliding stylistically with minimalism and post-rock. I think it's fair to say that Drescher really expressed himself in every way possible: not only did he play an original composition, he also created the instrument on which he played it. More than ever, it made me question the values of originality and relevance.
As a kid, I was raised on a hearty diet of Mozart and Beethoven with a smattering of Brahms. As I grew up, I discovered different composers, moving forward chronologically: Chopin, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Barber, Rautavaara, etc. While these don't necessarily echo in my music, they've become a part of my musical subconscious. Essentially, these have melted into a sort of Platonic ideal I try to express.
(That came out sounding much more pretentious than I thought.)
But the point is this: my true musical roots lie in the classical tonal tradition. Music needs to move me. It needs to emote. I love playing games and I love systems, but music is not a zero-sum game. My music is basically a rehashing of what's been done, and that's fine with me. I'm perfectly content sitting in my corner writing whatever moves me. It might be relevant and original only to me, and that's fine, too.
But what I loved about Drescher's performance is that he actually did something that hasn't been done before. Whether or not it'll become relevant to the masses remains to be seen... but it was totally original, and that has to count for something.
No comments:
Post a Comment