Fab Five Music Talk
Musiqa's latest effort explores the sounds of conversation
The fab-five behind Musiqa's artistic efforts. From left: Karim Al-Zand, RobSmith, Anthony Brandt, Pierre Jalbert and Marcus Karl Maroney.Photo by Mark Dean
Enso QuartetPhoto by Cristina Hirst
If I challenge you to a word association game and blurt out "contemporary classical music," what comes to mind?
Well, I decided to play a social media game and post an inquiry on Facebook, later tossing it to the Twitterverse. Responses ranged from favorite tunes, composers and descriptions including boring, soundtrack, relevant, electronica, gritty, energetic, crucial, bitchin' and dope (Esperanza Spalding and Rebecca Black also made the cut).
We may live in an everything-goes period, almost too vast to describe. Karim Al-Zand, composer and one of Musiqa's local fab five that make-up its artistic board thinks about it this way:
I'm not sure there were ever "rules," really. Principles, yes, but not rules. It's certainly true that we're in an era of unprecedented variety in terms of musical sound (which has happened for lots of different reasons) and that might give the impression of an "anything goes" atmosphere. There continues to be plenty of compositional experimentation too, which can contribute to a sense of musical boundlessness. People argue about this of course, but for me, an effective piece will still exhibit some basic principles of design, broadly speaking, which cross eras and styles. Things having to do with pacing, drama, tension, trajectory, and so on."
If you are interested in what has been sprouting locally in the genre, Musiqa has earned a reputation for innovative collaborations and concert experiences that simply make it fun to explore the expansive world of contemporary music.
Here is the thing about Musiqa: You either love it or you haven't been. Simply put, the group of five composers that head its artistic efforts are anything but scary, boring or intimidating — descriptive words that also do not apply to their music and programming approach.
Anthony Brandt is quite a friendly jolly type of guy and has very little to do with the stereotypical image of a composer living in the safety of the iconic ivory tower. Al-Zand could be the fella with a beer, hanging at the local pub. Marcus Maroney loves to wine and dine. But behind their unpretentious disposition is some serious training, illustrious commissions, prestigious posts and thoughtful philosophies.
If anything, Musiqa concerts allow the safe exploration of what Brandt calls the breaking of schemas. Schemas are the framework by which our intellect investigates, synthesizes and experiences the world, and contemporary music, seeks to expand those boundaries. Breaking them is what helps humans learn and develop higher intelligence.
Sure, you can do so by more drastic methods, maybe some that may even get you disbarred from most social situations, but if attending a Musiqa concert allows you to do so without involving any risk, why not go? Flexing those schematic muscles may also keep you young, lucid and vibrant, a practice that is much cheaper than most facials and skin treatments.
This Saturday at 8 p.m., Musiqa presents "Art of Conversation" as part of its Downtown Series concerts. With the support of the Alley Theatre, the program weaves one act plays by Michael Hollinger, starring Matt Hune and Briana Resa and director by Julia Trabor, with Grammy-nominated Enso String Quartet performing Al-Zand's String Quartet No. 3 "The Art of Conversation," Maroney's Three Pieces for String Quartet, the world premieres of Rob Smith's Spin and Kurt Stallman's Electronic Prelude Following Franz, Now.
Al-Zand's "conversations" compare musical and literal discourse, exploring monologues, soliloquies, duos, cross talks, dialogues and recitations.
Conversation, as it relates to musical analysis, can be described as a series of thematic fragments that seem to respond one another. An open-ended phrase by the violin could be brought to a satisfying resolution on the cello in a Beethoven string quartet. J.S. Bach's Prelude and Fugues have many interwoven melodic and harmonic lines, their execution depends heavily on their recognition and understanding.
Brandt thinks of instrumental conversation as "equal partners each making a unique contribution to an overall blend, able to speak as a single voice with a unified sound or — at a moment's notice — split apart into four distinct parts."
"Contemporary classical music often explores the ambiguities and challenges of conversation," Brandt explained. "How well can we understand one another? How completely can we share our thoughts? These are time-honored questions that drama explores as well."
The string quartet, as an institution in classical chamber music, presents some challenges and opportunities. Unlike a wind quintet, there is a homogeneity in sound that yields an overall blend, in some instances, listeners are unable to distinguish between one instrument and another. According to Brandt, the ensemble has long been one of music's greatest metaphors for human interaction.
"Listeners have heard string quartets musically quarrel and reconcile, struggle or cooperate, allow the spotlight to fall on one member or jostle for attention," he said. "Pairing new works for string quartet with new plays seemed to us like a natural pairing, a way of reflecting similar concerns verbally and non-verbally."
As with all Musiqa concerts, expect the composers to talk music, also allowing the audience ample time to offer its most probing questions.
Musiqa's “The Art of Conversation” is Saturday, 7:30 p.m. at The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets start at $20 with discounts available for seniors and students with ID. Purchase tickets at www.musiqahouston.org.
