16 Years On: Reflections on Classical Music by Mondavi Center

gateway ROBERT AND MARGRIT MONDAVI CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS UC DAVIS

Inaugural Issue 2018â&#x20AC;&#x201C;19 $5.00

Reflections on Classical Music 16 Years On p. 12

Callas in Concert The Rewards of Programming Risks p. 20

What is Jazz? Two Perspectives

p. 38

THE MASK OF SURVIVAL Black Performance in Dance p. 54

BY DON ROTH

16 Years On Reflections on Classical Music

In June 2002, as I began my tenure as president of the Aspen Music Festival and School, I was given the opportunity to keynote the opening convocation; the audience consisted of Aspen faculty and students, many of whom have subsequently appeared at the Mondavi Center—the likes of Leon Fleisher, James Conlon, the Emerson String Quartet and then-student Yuja Wang. I focused, perhaps to the chagrin of some, on several self-inflicted problematic attitudes prevalent in the world of classical music. Since classical music is such a big part of what we do here at the Mondavi Center, I thought it would make sense, in this inaugural edition of our annual publication, Gateway, to revisit those thoughts, with occasional parenthetical references to Mondavi Center experiences. Toward the end, I’ll take a few moments to see how we are doing, more than 16 years on. —Don Roth, Ph.D., Executive Director, Mondavi Center

y favorite New Yorker cartoon says it all: a simple image of a sparse and ugly landscape, perhaps one of those New York vacant lots I remember as a kid—an old tire, a discarded pencil, a rusting can. The caption is straightforward: “Life without Mozart.” But it really is “life without music” that this image is all about. I know that music won’t solve the troubles of this world or make bad people good (indeed some of the most beautiful and uplifting music was written by some fairly unpleasant characters—just another of life’s mysteries). But without music, we don’t have a chance at evolving into the kind of people, the kind of civilization with the richness of life that we need to counter the grim and macabre absurdities that are flooding

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our world. I believe that creating and making music is a pursuit of great nobility and importance, as necessary and integral to a great society as the work done by doctors, scientists, or business and political leaders.

And yet, while so many of us believe this truth to be self-evident, we would be naïve if we didn’t recognize that we live in a society that consistently marginalizes classical music. By marginalization, I mean the notion that something—in this case, classical music—is seen as not relevant, important or vital. Our society sees classical music as the province of the rich, the old, the intellectual and the social elite—not relevant to the lives of the so-called average person. This has important and negative results. Probably most serious is that when school budgets get tight, music goes first on the chopping block long before athletics or home economics. While great literature is seen as central to the curriculum—who hasn’t read

Julius Caesar in the 10th grade?—it is not likely that students will be taught to see Beethoven in the same light as Shakespeare—not only as important but familiar and central. Part of this marginalization is supported by our press, which seems to take special pleasure in writing about the imminent demise of classical music institutions, such as the orchestra. And yet, after at least 30 years of such warnings, we are all still here. Thankfully, we can say of classical music, as Mark Twain said about similarly inaccurate press notices: “The report of my death was an exaggeration.” Keep in mind that this marginalization was not always the case. If we look backwards, we realize that an American society with a more central role for classical music is not impossible. Toscanini was a popular culture hero in the middle third of the 20th century. And, believe

Photo Illustration by Erin Kelley.

There is no real life without music and, just as important, there is no chance for enlightenment and growth. The rich mix once narrowly defined as Western classical music carries forward a tradition that is among the most magical in the world.

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it or not, new music was primetime fare back in radio days—Fritz Reiner conducted the premiere of the Copland Clarinet Concerto on a nationwide Sunday-evening radio broadcast. Today, although we are a rich and prosperous nation in material terms, we are much less so in matters of the spirit. We keep moving faster and faster—we are rarely away from a kind of quick, faceless, shorthand communication. We are told that attention spans are growing ever shorter, but perhaps there is just not enough, in most of what is put before us, to hold our attention. In much of classical music, however, comes the opportunity for stretching, for the concentration, centering and contemplation that we all need in order to realize our individual and collective potential on this beautiful but fragile planet.

‘Life without Mozart’ is really ‘life without music.’

Cartoon appeared in The New Yorker on Dec. 17, 1979. Drawing by Mick Stevens.

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It is a tall order to shift the cultural paradigm of our country, so that classical music moves from the margins to the center of our collective experiences. What can each one of us involved in this great enterprise do? First of all, let’s stop apologizing and rationalizing. In particular, I think it is a big mistake to focus on nonmusical reasons for the importance of classical music. Maybe Mozart will make you smarter, just as spinach may make you stronger. That certainly doesn’t make anyone like spinach. These are pretty shallow rationalizations for what is in fact one of the most deeply powerful products of our human soul and imagination. Music is at the core of who we are—back to our New Yorker cartoon, without Mozart or Beethoven or Stravinsky or Adams or Copland or so many others, our lives are all greatly impoverished. Let us promote music for what it is and for its intrinsic value—an essential element in our human makeup. And the classical musical tradition provides the opportunity for some of the deepest and richest experiences of any available. We also need to realize that those of us who love classical music have actually helped to create some of the attitudes that have contributed to the current predicament. I will get personal for a second, in order to illustrate some of what works and what gets in the way of bringing more people to classical music. When I was just a poor, ignorant high school rock-androller in Brooklyn blessed with musical friends, our chariot, the

New York subway system, would drop us off next to Carnegie Hall every Sunday, where for 50 cents we found seats literally at the feet of the cello section of the New York Philharmonic. One year, every Sunday was devoted exclusively to works of 20th-century music. Sometimes, Leonard Bernstein would speak to us about why he had chosen this work of Berg or Chavez or Shostakovich. I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to like music written so close to my own time, or that I had to be rich or educated in music to enjoy those works. What I did know was that no one concert was quite like the next, that Bernstein cared deeply about the pieces he picked—these programs were not marketing creations—and that what I needed most was open ears and an engaged mind. I also knew that Bernstein was interested in a wide and eclectic range of music, my beloved Beatles included, so I wasn’t made to feel embarrassed by my non-classical tastes as somehow diminishing my character. There is a lot to learn in that little tale of my misspent youth— understanding of course that Bernstein was a unique and powerful personality and musician [whose centennial we have been celebrating at the Mondavi Center in a number of concerts both this season and last]. But, beyond that, look at some of the differences between his approach and some of the attitudes and accretions we have baked into the cake of classical music today—and that I would like us all to question. Here are four attitudes that we need to ponder and fix:

1 I think it is a big mistake to focus on non-musical reasons for the importance of classical music. Maybe Mozart will make you smarter, just as spinach may make you stronger. That certainly doesn’t make anyone like spinach.

UNDERESTIMATING THE POWER OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC. We have enshrined a canon of works that too often stops, with few exceptions, at the beginning of the past century. And we have assumed that if we are to build more followers for classical music, that it is the chestnuts of the Classical and Romantic canon that are most likely to bring in fresh listeners. But paraphrasing what I once heard John Corigliano say, the musical palate of the 20th century (it was the 20th century when he said it) reflects the world in which we live, a very different world than Mozart’s or Beethoven’s. We cannot imagine, for example, Varese’s Amériques [which the UC Davis Symphony played in Jackson Hall a few seasons ago ] coming from that earlier world. In fact, contemporary music may be the best way for new listeners, especially young listeners, to be invited into classical music. The musical values of contemporary music are in fact closer to the sound world those young listeners live in. I am not arguing, of course, for us to listen exclusively to any one era or genre of music. I am only suggesting that we have underestimated the power of the new to be a mighty magnet to our art. [I commend you to read Kevin Doherty’s well-thought-out take on new music on pg. 28 in this publication.]

hordes of potential listeners who think our music is above and beyond them. No one can argue that the experience of listening to Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 or Beethoven’s Opus 131 or The Rite of Spring is not more intense, more complete, or more rewarding than listening to even the best and most intricate pop music. But snobbery about high and low is irrelevant and only turns people away. A great chef does not cook our every meal and a burger will do once in a while. It is quicker, cheaper and sufficiently filling for a time. Bernstein understood that there could be people of quality and interest working in other forms and that interest in their work did not exclude interest in his. [And it is indeed our programming philosophy at the Mondavi Center to bring the best emerging and established artists working in all the varied genres of music.]

REINFORCING THE ARTIFICIAL DIVISION BETWEEN “HIGH” AND “LOW” IN MUSIC: SNOBBERY IS NOT A VIRTUE. Ironically, in the most democratic society in the world, we have tended to draw the most rigid lines between high and low art. When we do that, it is our music, the “high and mighty” that suffers the most from this distinction. Rather than emphasizing the continuum of music, when we emphasize the chasm between classical and other “popular” music, we are driving away

CONFUSING THE FORM OF THE CONCERT EXPERIENCE WITH ITS CONTENT. At times, it seems like we have enshrined the way we present music instead of the music itself. The current form of presentation in the concert hall is neither very old nor at all necessary to the enjoyment of the music. For those of us who have grown up with these traditions and their quirks and customs, it is quite wonderful to go to an event where the music speaks for itself, and there is nothing that gets in the way of pure listening. But for those who are not familiar with our concert hall rituals, the atmosphere can be intimidating and distracting from the musical experience. If you have ever gone to a church, mosque or synagogue whose traditions you weren’t familiar with—when to stand or sit, where to stand or sit, when to speak out loud and when to be quiet—you are familiar with the 2018–19 SEASON / GATEWAY

kind of discomfort that many people feel in the concert hall. For those people, the way into the experience may need to be a different one. What we do, especially when it is not vocal, choral or operatic, is the most abstract of all the arts. It is written in a nonverbal language that communicates directly past the barriers of culture to the soul. (That is why world music can flourish even with listeners who are not from the cultures where these music styles originate.) That abstract quality, that directness, is the glory of music. But it is also an obstacle for those who have been brought up to believe that they don’t have the tools, skills or education to hear classical music. There already is a large potential audience out there—well-educated, literate and intelligent—for whom classical music is the most intimidating and distant of the arts, because it isn’t in their language and it doesn’t have a story. What that means is that at least some of the time, we are going to need to present our music differently—not dumb down the repertoire or patronize our audiences, but to intelligently provide a context for the music, to do everything we can to open ears and to create engaged listeners. This has worked in several great art forms: instead of killing opera, supertitles have opened it up to larger audiences who often listen more attentively. Audio tours of art exhibits have achieved much the same, with the result that many people look at artworks longer and with more concentration. We can do the same— mostly not during, but around the music.

THE ELEMENT OF SPONTANEITY IN PERFORMANCE. This is another element lost in so many places in the

classical music world. I don’t suppose we will have many concertos, like Beethoven’s second, where the ink was not dry on the parts for the first performance. But how wonderful when an enthusiastic reception in that time brought the repeat of a movement as an encore. How wonderful when audiences were comfortable enough with their response to a piece that they applauded between movements when it felt right (as with the third movement of the Tchaikovsky

2. Eliminating the snobbery about high and low music. 3. Openness to changing the form of the concert experience. 4. Leaving more room for spontaneity in performance. These are starting points to help us think about what we can do to ensure that the number of those whose lives are enriched by classical music grows, rather than shrinks.

We also need to realize that those of us who love classical music have actually helped to create some of the attitudes that have contributed to the current predicament. Pathetique) or remained silent for a time when that felt right, too (after the last movement of the same symphony). After all, the greatest way to listen to our music is live, in real time, in the room with the performers. It is far more difficult for people to find the time, quiet and concentration to engage with even the best-recorded versions of this repertoire. Live and spontaneous always will remain the best way of all—especially when we leave room in the concert hall for a spontaneous reaction on the part of the artist and the audience to what is happening on that particular day or evening.

THESE FOUR AREAS THEN ARE JUST STARTING POINTS FOR US TO THINK ABOUT: 1. Using the power of contemporary music to win new converts.

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Starting points in the enterprise of building diverse audiences sprinkled with people as young, poor and naïve as I was when I took those first subway rides to Carnegie Hall. —June 2002, Aspen, Colorado

That talk, given the same year that the Mondavi Center was to open, seems still relevant to me, but I’m pleased also that a number of these attitudes have started to soften and change in the decade and a half since then, both at the Mondavi Center and around the nation. There are groups and venues that very consciously are using new music to win classical music converts: (Le) Poisson Rouge and SubCulture clubs in New York, the Mercury Soul collective led by Mason Bates in San Francisco and our own Visions events. All of these not only bring new and young audiences to

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Illustration © storm / Adobe Stock.

listen to new classical music, but they often mix that music with good music from popular genres, and also focus on creating a more fluid, informal setting in which to present classical music. They even more often leave room for spontaneity and audience interaction in their events. This kind of approach to classical music is working to demystify the concert experience.

And we see more outstanding musicians who have broken the taboo on speaking to audiences during orchestral concerts, most recently the conductor and violinist Daniel Hope who was here this past year with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and who gave meaningful and insightful introductions before each piece.

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Those of you who were in Jackson Hall for the uplifting performance of Mahler’s 9th Symphony will revel in the memory of the long silence that followed as the last notes died away, with Gustavo Dudamel holding back the applause so that the music could sink in. We need more of that—we need to become comfortable with our own silence when that suits the music best. We are not there yet, but it is wonderful when we are allowed to respond to the music’s character spontaneously rather than ritualistically. Thank you, Gustavo! And, as Kevin Doherty’s piece [pg. 28] points out, there are conductors and orchestras willing to take a chance on putting contemporary music at the center of their programs, notably the Ellington-Glass program performed by Bruckner Orchester Linz refers to the 2017–18 season; while the audience wasn’t a sellout, we had hundreds of students there who were thrilled by music from this century and the last. It also is promising that the Pulitzer Prize jury is willing to see the quality of works beyond the boundaries of traditional “classical” music whether by jazz masters Ornette Coleman (and past frequent Mondavi Center visitor), Wynton Marsalis or, more recently, rapper Kendrick Lamar. In that decade and a half, technology has proven to be a two-edged sword for classical music. I complained in my talk about the Cassandras of the media, but I’d be happy today if newspapers had music writers to write such pieces. Once the major source of information about classical music events, almost all newspapers have diminished such coverage. On the other hand, there is a stream, albeit small, of credible online music journalism, and we are particularly fortunate in Northern California to have San

Perhaps most important to me and you, our Mondavi Center audience members, is that here in Davis, classical music IS popular music. Year after year, our Orchestra and Concert series have more subscribers than any other. And when we make sure the price is right, we attract hundreds of high school and university students to our classical music events. It is a joy for me to work in such an environment, where we can present great music, take risks and where you, our wonderful Mondavi Center audiences, always reward us. Don Roth, Ph.D., is executive director of the Mondavi Center.

LISTEN Gateway: Reflections on Classical Music https://spoti.fi/2QiiOtA

PROFILE

Francisco Classical Voice, one of the best such resources. (Note: I am a board chair of that organization.) And perhaps even more important is that through the major music streaming sites, someone who wants to take a journey through the whole history of classical music can do so cheaply and flexibly. In addition, technology is creating new tools, such as the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Live Note that can allow both the experienced and new classical music concert-goer a real-time resource during performances!

Dr. Petr Janata Why Does Music Move Us? It’s an undeniable fact that music is a lifelong player for people in cultures and countries around the world. Its power evokes the gamut of emotions, and just through sound waves has the ability to describe the indescribable to us. Which begs the question, “Why?” For Petr Janata, understanding our almost evolutionary engagement with music has become his life’s work. As a cognitive neuroscientist, he is especially interested in the basic psychological and neural mechanisms that underlie the strong experiences people have when listening to music. “Knowing that brains really like to extract and understand their environments, I recognized that music is a beautiful way of organizing sound and creating patterns and structure,” he says. “And it’s a really nice method to understand how brains understand information in general.” In addition to this research through the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain, Petr also teaches in the Department of Psychology. Each year he requires his Psychology of Music students to pretend they are a writer for a magazine, select a concert to attend and then write an essay on their experience that draws on the vocabulary and concepts they’ve covered in class.

have never been to a live concert before—never been to a concert hall—and are blown away by the experience,” he says. “I also try to get them to a performance in a genre they either don’t like or have never heard, usually jazz.” Some students affirm their dislike and write about how things are too dissonant; others claim it’s a huge, eye-opening experience for them and are totally blown away by Jackson Hall. Year after year, they write about the caliber of this concert venue. “Normally, I’m blown away each time I walk in there!” he says. “It’s the last thing you’d expect to see in Davis.” Then there’s Vanderhoef Studio. Petr has witnessed firsthand how the cabaret-style venue creates a special vibe for the audience that comes to the studio’s shows. “It’s an entirely different experience. The characteristics of the venue serve to set up expectations that end up interacting with the expectations of the performance itself.” Cue his next research topic. While the “why” question may likely linger for quite some time, one thing is certain: Mondavi Center patrons and students alike know good music when they hear it, and they aren’t afraid to write about it—and come back for more. —Alicia K. Gonzales

“The range of responses has been really broad. I have students who

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