Julian HuntExecutive Editor

It is with great pleas-ure that I am able to introduce this pre-view edition of SOM TIMES, the new stu-

dent initiated and administered periodi-cal for art music in Canberra, focused on the School of Music. We have set ourselves many aims with this initiative, not least is the desire to remedy the sense of segregation that sometimes exists between the various areas within the School. By establishing a common source for information, we gain an efficient means of learning about what our colleagues are doing. More importantly we hope to foster an increased sense of community by facilitating the further development of a microcosm, within the School of Music, of the professional music scene beyond. By this I mean that when the performance majors give a concert they can expect to be reviewed by their fellow students in other areas, when musicol-ogy majors complete a poignant essay they have somewhere to publish it, and so on, thus building a meaningful dia-logue between us all. Furthermore, we will branch out

beyond the School itself to provide news and commentary about a number of art music concerts and organisations in the ACT, partly in recognition of the ties between the School and most of the art music that happens in the nation’s capi-tal, and partly in order to attract a wider audience. The month of June was a hectic one, with end of semester exams, essays, etc. Considering too that we are in early stages of development, we don’t have a full issue to publish yet. Instead, this edi-tion provides a taste of what is to come in future months. We have opinion pieces, reviews, some research, and an events guide. There is, I like to think, something for everyone. The project is still in its infancy, and we are still keenly searching for stu-dents who might be interested in joining our team of editors, reviewers, journal-ists, and researchers. If you’re a music student, this is your paper and I strongly encourage any suggestions, contribu-tions, or offers to play an active role in making this a success. I should mention too that this publication will have two sides to it. One is the PDF/hardcopy format you see before you now. This will be released monthly (at least, for ten months of the year). The other is the website itself,

which will be updated continually and allow for real-time feedback from read-ers. This ought to give the project a real dynamic to it and should be online with-in the next few months. Finally, I’d like to thank all the people involved in making this project a reality. The ANU Music Students’ As-sociation gave me a position on their ex-ecutive body for the purpose of carrying out this project and have provided in-valuable resources and encouragement. I received a great deal of support from School of Music staff, both academic and administrative for which I am very grate-ful. Last but not least, those students who responded to the call for contributions to the publication, particularly Research Editor Alexander O’Sullivan and Jazz Editor Andrew Kimber, without whom this edition would have practically no content. Thankyou.

Inside:Interface 2Reviews 3Feature 4Research 6Events Guide 8

Pitching a new voice: the introductionPreview Edition - June 2010www.somtimes.info

Interface

Musicology students Elizabeth Collier and Alexander O’Sullivan discuss the interface between per-former, composer, work, and audi-ence with composition student John Yoon.Page 2.

6 June: ANU SoM Orchestra

Jazz editor Andrew Kimber reflects on his experience playing tenor sax in the orchestra, page 5.

Alex O’Sullivan reviews the concert.

Page 4.

Research

Research editor Alexander O’Sullivan explores some dubious influences on musical taste in an exposition on authenticity.

Page 6.

Interface with Elizabeth Collier, Alexander O’Sullivan and John Yoon.Two musicologists and a composer discuss the interface between performer, work, composer and audience:

Alex: Not meaning to beat about the bush, let’s begin. Where does a musical work reside?John: Not with the composer –Liz: It is a creation of the composer, but then becomes separate.A: A lot of analysis and discussion written before 1990 seems to infer that the performer is a shady interloper between com-poser and audience.J: I subscribe to the “Nuclear Bomb” theory of composition. The composer’s act of composition is like the dropping of a bomb. After the work is disseminated, the composer cannot influence it further.L: But surely the fact that the compositional bomb is set off by the composer accounts for their importance.J: I’m saying after this crucial act of dissemination, it becomes the performers responsibility to take on the work.L: Isn’t the work just a script for the performer?A: If I could interrupt...If composers are merely writers of rough guides to performance, why are they considered so important? Why does one listen to the radio and say “that’s Beethoven” rather than “that’s Alfred Brendel”?L: This is beginning to sound a bit “death of the author” -J: No. The composer’s personality is always present within the work. The act of publication severs the work’s ties to the com-poser’s influence.A: But it is hard to think of any composer that didn’t interfere with their works after publication. What about the Bruckner problem? Even Mahler would tweak small details after hearing the work for the first time?J: We would have to consider the versions as different works.A: But that’s ridiculous. Even if he changed a single note in an hour long symphony, would that be considered a different work?J: I’m not a big fan of composers being involved in the perfor-mance of their works, or even talking about them after publica-tion.A: Most composers do that today, if only to reveal what cannot be seen due to the imperfections of notation.J: It is a poor composer who cannot indicate what they want through notation.A: Do you believe we overemphasise musical works as being the building block of Western Art Music? Other cultures are far more performer oriented, or consider the work insepara-ble from some extra-musical function. What about notions of authenticity? If the score is just a guide, why do we spend so much time trying to work out what the composer had to say?L: I believe that when people claim authenticity, they are really projecting their own beliefs upon the music. Consider the new -isms that are now a standard part of writing about music. Why must we consider a feminist approach to Mozart if Feminism did not exist in Mozart’s time?A: In that case, do you deny the presence of secondary domi-

nants in Mozart’s music, given that they were only codified in the 20th century by Walter Piston?J: I just don’t like the retroactive application of cultural theory. I don’t think the composer’s intent is particularly important.A: But isn’t all our discussion rather post-Beethovenian? A work being an individual expression of a composer’s inner thoughts is certainly foreign to music before the 19th century.J: Perhaps we should look at works as being self-contained...A: Autonomous? That idea is certainly not fashionable at the moment.L: Surely context is important. We must choose whether our own context, or the context of the time the work was written, is more important.J: One shouldn’t worry about context from the past.L: What about the Star Wars argument? Can you say that the Imperial March could some day be considered appropriate music for a wedding? Surely we cannot separate the music from its original context?J: That could happen.A: So what is the purpose of composition? Why do people compose? Surely there is enough music to last the next thou-sand years?J: Are you saying that architects should stop as well?A: Surely Architecture is more functional than music...J: Visual artists then.J&L: The purpose of composition is to convey ideas to an audi-ence.A: But most artists don’t have anything very interesting to say.L: Surely that could be a fitting description of society as a whole. I find most modern art to be a lens, in which the viewer can attach meaning as they please.A: In that case the infinitude of interpretations really means that any work of art really means nothing. It can have no intrinsic value past what people are prepared to give it. Can we salvage a model for music?J&L: Yes. We have Composer → Work → Performer → Audi-ence. Each actor creates and destroys information as the model unfolds.J: One could view it like sewerage treatment...At this point, the discussion terminated

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We are looking for students to contribute reviews and essays, conduct interviews, and keep us informed about what’s going on.

If you have information you want published or you want to be a part of the team, contact the executive editor on

editor@somtimes.info

2

Julian HuntSchool of Music postgraduate student Si-mon Pauperis performed a programme of Giovanni Bottesini at Wesley Music Cen-tre, 2 June, as part of Wesley’s Wednesday Lunchtime Live Series. It was a delight-ful display by the Bass player of some of music’s more curious contributions to the canon which left the audience renewed and elated. If I had to choose the least likely solo instrument, short of Wagner Tuba or Triangle, it would be Double Bass. No surprise then that a concert advertised as ‘Double Bass Gymnastics’ accompa-nied by a photo of ANU postgraduate Simon Pauperis leisurely driving along in a vintage convertible holding his hard case through the roof stands out in the concert schedule. The title and image suggested something unusual, perhaps a little quirky, and the concert did not dis-appoint. The atmosphere of the Wesley Music Centre’s recital hall lent itself to the programme of Giovanni Bottesini,

the nineteenth century bass virtuoso and composer, which was well received by the – at times exuberant – audience. Simon owned the stage from the moment he walked onto it, confidently announcing each piece and even throw-ing in the odd joke to lighten the mood. First was the Concerto in F# minor, first and second movements. Terry Lam ac-companied on piano as Simon navigated the metre-long finger board with an ease only meticulous hours of daily practise can deliver, at times leaping from either end numerous times in the one pas-sage (hence the ‘gymnastics’, as he had explained at the start). The harmonics were solid, the double stopping of the first movement cadenza delightfully well tuned, and whenever his fingers did oc-casionally land in the wrong spot, Simon quickly adjusted accordingly. Occasionally performers can be a little stubborn about concert etiquette, but I was pleased to see Simon grace-fully acknowledge the applause between movements.

After the concerto it was time for the D minor Elegy. At this point Terry no longer had to replicate a symphony or-chestra and could play a part originally conceived for piano, allowing a more authentic ensemble to emerge. Finally, Justin Bullock replaced Terry on stage for the final work of the programme, the first movement of the Grand Duo No. 2 in C minor for two double basses. Although one would probably have to admit this was the least polished performance of the day – plenty of fa-cial expressions gave it away – if I had to choose, this was my favourite. It was an uplifting end to the show. I wasn’t the only one either. Towards the end, I no-ticed one gentleman to my left. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen someone look so happy. The whole audience loved it; it was a rare treat and a feat of musicianship that the two bassists held it together so well. The very last note was particularly delightful. I highly doubt it occurred that way in the score, but it undoubtedly made for an improvement.

Simon keeps his balance, sets high bar

ReviewsAdam Cook (Piano) Performance 6 Recital. Llewellyn Hall.Scriabin: Sonata No.9, Shostakovich: Sonata Nos. 1 and 2.

Alexander O’Sullivan I left Mr Cook’s recital amazed at his stamina, or more specifically his ability to walk nonchalantly off stage after the bracket. The intensity of the programme would have, I believe, defeated many seasoned professionals. Upon receiving the pro-gramme, I worried that the afternoon would be rather dull, com-prising three fairly substantial Russian piano works (which I was not familiar with) written over the space of only thirty years. Aleksandr Scryabin has always remained somewhat of a closed book to me, seeming unnecessarily difficult and divorced from the “grand narrative” of Western Art Music. He was also by all accounts a bit of a sook – consider Mr Cook’s recount of the composer’s creative process: “he was bed-ridden, screaming, then sobbing, finally silent”. We are informed that the Ninth So-nata, known as the ‘Black Mass’, represents the “irreversible cor-ruption of the soul”. These themes might sound a bit intense for a quiet Thursday afternoon, but Mr Cook’s technique and artistry were certainly capable of capturing the audience. I found myself in a state of extreme tension throughout the work, finding little time to admire the more neglected aspects of pianism that Mr Cook displayed, including an especially fine pedal technique. The second work was the early one-movement sonata written by Dmitry Shostakovich at the age of nineteen. One is struck by the juvenile character of the work, featuring thick

dissonance and an emphasis on athleticism in the playing. Mr Cook notes that the composer was noted to have performed in a highly modernist way, using little rubato and emphasising the linear aspects of the composition. This performance could not have contrasted more with Shostakovich: the approach was one of gesture, achieved through an amazing level of tonal contrast and carefully shaded voicing. The second sonata of Shostakovich (whom Mr Cook insists on transliterating as Woctakobny) represents a complete stylistic rethink. Instead of a meandering one movement form, the work is composed in a typical three movement plan of fast-slow-fast. The first two movements were on the whole success-ful in presenting a clear dramatic argument. However, the final theme and variations fails to maintain the clear logic of the work. I believe that the so-called neo-classicist movement requires more inventiveness than the theme and variations structure can allow. But perhaps this is just my personal opinion (my least fa-vourite Beethoven and Mozart sonatas are those with theme and variation movements). Mr Cook shows an amazing aptitude at extended piano techniques, and possesses a wide range of expressive timbres (from burnished, brutal tones to rapid, ethereal high passage-work). One wishes that the Theory exams were not scheduled at the same time as this performance, as many were forced to attend to their counterpoint rather than hearing this remarkable performance.

3

School of Music Orchestra. June 6 Llewellyn Hall. Conducted by Mark Shiell.Programme: Gershwin: An American in Paris, Lambert: Piano Concerto, Dvorak: Symphony No. 9

Alexander O’Sullivan Perhaps the most amaz-ing thing about this concert was its pricing. Free admis-sion attracted an enormous crowd, many of whom would have been supporting members of the orchestra. However, upon talking with some people after the event, I discovered that there were more than a few who had seen the posters, and were coming along to hear an orchestra for the first time. Perhaps this community outreach was the most laud-able aspect of the entire enterprise. The programming was certainly interesting, begin-ning with Gershwin’s popu-lar An American in Paris. The programmatic aspects

of the work were clearly laid out by the composer in the notes for the first concert in collaboration with Deems Taylor (perhaps best known as the presenter in Disney’s Fantasia). However, the enjoyment of the work lies in its garish colours and pulsating rhythmic vitality. The orchestra conquered most of the challenges ef-fectively, the only negative being a gross imbalance between the sections (only three violas!). After a well managed stage reset, the string play-ers, two trumpets and tim-pani remained to accom-pany Mr Anthony Smith in Constant Lambert’s single-movement Piano Concerto. The performance was un-dertaken in relation to Mr Smith’s soon to be complet-ed PhD on the composer. The work itself was certainly interesting enough to justify a performance. One hears elements of Ravel, Debussy, and especially Stravinsky

(through the use of trans-parent textures and reduced orchestration). Lambert (1905-1951) was quite young when he wrote the work, and one feels that he is exploring the possibilities and limitations of instru-mentation and form. After interval, the or-chestra presented Antonin Dvorak’s Ninth Symphony. Dvorak’s works are often described as being drunk on melody, and this work features many memorable tunes. Unfortunately, the rather prosaic develop-ment of the ideas offers few surprises, and by the Trio of the third movement, I found myself wondering what I would be having for dinner. The wisdom of pro-gramming such a popular work should be questioned. It is understandably an audience drawcard and a necessary piece of reper-toire, but it also features many exposed, well-known passages requiring an im-

possible perfection from the players. However, despite the challenges, the assem-bled students shone, rightly earning the praise of the large crowd. A special men-tion to the brass section, for a well-controlled and tight opening to the second movement. The conductor Mark Shiell kept everything fairly slick, and was not afraid to depart from mainstream interpretations in the more popular works. Sometimes it seemed that the players were surprised by a sudden slackening for a second sub-ject followed or an accelera-tion to the cadential theme – but I felt the surprise added to the excitement. It is nice to think that we were witnessing real music mak-ing, rather than over-re-hearsed banality. One hopes the orchestra will continue to include a greater empha-sis on Twentieth Century repertoire in its program-ming.

Feature: ANU School of Music Orchestra Performance, 6 June

Andrew Kimber On Wednesday 2 June Sande Evans treated an al-most full house in the Band Room of the Peter Karmel Building. Sande Evans is one of Australia’s longest serving and most loved Tenor Saxophonists and a particular favour-ite of many of Canberra’s saxophonists. Her first set was comprised of some of her latest works and featured her Trio of Brett Hirst on Bass and Toby Hall on Drums. Sande’s sound is so flexible to the mood of the piece that she is performing, most noticeably when performing an Indian Raga. The sound of her Soprano Saxophone moulds beautifully with the sound of Indian harmonies and rhythms.

The second set was a suite of music that had quite a personal theme for Sande, and the music definitely matched the story behind the music. The band grew in this set with the addi-tion of Miroslav Bukovsky on trumpet, James Greening on Trombone and Luke Sweeting on Piano. Not only was the suite an emotional journey but it was a complete showcase of some of Australia’s greatest improvisers. In particular, Luke Sweeting – a former ANU School of Music student – stole the show in this set. His chords and soloing accurately representing thunder and rain as per Sande’s explanation of her suite. All in all it was one of the best Jazz gigs in Canberra of the year.

Sande Evans4

Andrew KimberJazz Editor

On the 6th of June some of the Jazz students were fortunate enough to play with the School of Music Orches-tra in “An American In Paris”. Namely, Tom Fell and I on Baritone and Tenor Saxophones respectively, which was a real good opportunity for two young saxophonists – and the orchestra and audience in general – as the saxophone is rarely included in orchestral reper-toire. Playing in an orchestra is very similar to playing in a large Jazz band, however there were quite a few differences to get used to straight away. For starters, in Jazz we try to hear the other musicians at all times. However, with so many musicians on such a big stage it was a little hard to hear at first. Seeing Trombones moving their slides and not hearing them clearly, for example, was quite disconcerting. Although in some Big Bands I’m sure many saxophonists would give any-thing to have the Trombone’s move their slides and not be heard. The other main difference that took some getting used to was the conductor’s count in. For us we have a nice long count in, at least a bar length, while in rehearsals and the concert we were only getting one beat count in. This difficulty was also felt with the changes in tempo. It is funny how the American based music has drifted far away from the European based music. Jazz in particular does not often use the conventional Italian terms for Tempo: Allegro, Andante etc. so seeing these kind of things on the page was a big brain buster forcing us to think into our early musical edu-cation to ascertain what these terms meant. The other thing was how the meaning of tempo is a little different across the genres. While some terms like Allegro (120-168bpm) and Presto (168-200bpm) mean fast and very fast respectively, in the Be bop and Post bop styles of Jazz 200bpm is often considered the moderate tempo, and

in some tunes such as Charlie Parker’s “Constellation” and John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” the tempos are 300bpm, with some recordings going up to and above 350bpm. This meant that mean-ing of the tempos were sometimes lost on us. Obviously, we watch the con-ductor and play to his pace, but some-times found ourselves expecting to go faster than we actually went. While much of the Classical terminology we did remember from our younger days and from their occasional use in Jazz, there were many terms that we could not remember. So in this regard I have learnt a lot. In terms of the instrument’s tone amongst the orchestra, I thought it filled out the sound perfectly. Sitting between the Horns and the Clarinets the sound really blended the two fami-lies of instruments nicely together. A lot of people where very positive about the presence of the saxophone sound in the overall mix. Unfortunately I cannot comment on that, as when I was on stage all I could hear was an Alto to my left and a Baritone to my right, and the very beautiful sound of Liz Mitchell’s Piccolo that was pointed more or less straight at my ear drum. From all reports though the presence of the instrument was received well. The last thing that all of the Jazz musicians playing in the Orches-tra noticed was the completely differ-ent skills and abilities between us all. Things that we found incredibly easy were the difficult parts of the score for our Classical counterparts. While the things that we found nearly impossible where considered quite easy by the Classical musicians. It is really inter-esting how we all must take certain skills for granted. For example, for the Jazz players their were many synco-pated semiquaver rhythms that we could sight read quite comfortably, yet some of the written Articulations we really struggled to play the same as the classical majors. In Jazz we often read music with no articulation and so we add our own, and that habit can be quite bad while reading whole passages in

Gershwin’s piece that did not have articulation. It was quite hard not to put in our usual improvised articula-tion. Another fascinating note was if the Flute music had been put in front of us I doubt we would have been able to play much of that at all. This is a point that I think we should all learn from. The things that we play every day are the things that we become good at, therefore we are accidentally neglecting other aspects of music. While it may be completely normal for Jazz music not to use the Classical terms for speed, dynamics and how the piece should be played, that should not stop us from knowing the terminology fluently. While we might play a specific way of articu-lating passages from day to day, we should still be able to make crisp stac-catos or strong accents that are written without feeling the need to improvise our own. This was one of the most en-joyable performing experiences of my life and I really hope that the school of music offers many more saxophonists a place to perform in the Orchestra.

Bridging the divide: Saxing up the classical

5

Alexander O’SullivanResearch Editor

Taste in musical performance is a subjective thing – or is it? Most performers will tell you that style is often a matter of personal prefer-ence, but it is my opinion that what is consid-ered good taste is rigidly policed by the music industry.

Perhaps a brief story will illustrate... On the first evening of the Ninth Biannual Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference, the delegates gathered in one of the more ornate rooms of the King’s School, Parramatta, to attend a performance of three minor keyed Haydn sonatas performed by Geoffrey Lancaster on fortepiano. The performance was certainly demanding on the listener: we could not enter a normal concert stupor, where we sit there, letting the music wash over ourselves. I found this process exhausting, but one would not call it dull. Over breakfast the next morning, I found myself seated with a few promi-nent teachers from Victoria, including the president of that state’s MTA. The teachers proceeded to explain to me that Dr Lancaster had subdued his “weird” and “bizarre” performing style over the years, yet still did not understand the classical style. They explained that he did not have a set tempo for the works; that he slowed down for slow movements; and worst of all, that he destroyed Haydn’s melodic line. The unspoken judgement was that the performance displayed an appalling deficiency of good taste. Clearly a rigid notion of good taste has become established in institutions such as the AMEB, the MTAs and universities. This essay will discuss the historical background of the concepts of Au-thenticity (which is what people really mean when they talk about taste), and Canonism, and will then discuss the continuing main-tenance of this doctrines by the music industry and its representa-tives. It will also discuss the Early Music Movement, and its victory and subsequent stranglehold on performance orthodoxy. Two well reasoned discussions of the rise of the Early Music Movement are found in Richard Taruskin’s Text and Act (1995) and Frederick Neumann’s New Essays on Performance Prac-tice (1989). Neumann provides a brief history of the movement, tracing its origins as far back as medieval theorists, who attempted to reconstruct the music of Classical Antiquity. Many medieval scholars created theories of acoustics and tuning taking Classical texts as their influence. The next notable incarnation of the Early Music Movement was in early 17th century Florence, in which the Camerata attempted to reconstruct Greek Drama, inventing opera. Neumann refers to this as the “most epic attempt at authenticity” in the history of Western Art Music. There is an interesting parallel with the more recent movement, in the way both groups claimed scholarly privilege, and both reflected the style of their own time more than that of the past. Overall, the lifespan of written musics has increased markedly in the past few hundred years The beginnings of Canonism can be traced to 1780s Vi-enna, where the Baron Gottfried van Swieten championed the then old-fashioned music of Händel and Bach, commissioning Mozart to rearrange the Messiah for contemporary forces, including wind instruments and horns. It is important to note that authenticity was not tied to Canonism before the 20th century. Neumann points to an interesting parallel in the field of architecture. The construction of cathedrals could take hundreds of years, but the new additions did not conform to older styles. Rather, the designers would add sections in using the style of their time. Thus, the final building represents a constructive dialogue of many styles and periods. The rise of nationalistic feeling from the middle of the 19th century saw newly formed countries like Germany constructing

historical narratives, usually by appropriating art from their past. Mendellsohn’s famous revival of the St Matthew Passion may have exposed the qualities of Bach’s music beyond the academic, but it was the need for a German musical hero that really started the re-vival of his music. The newly established middle class desired a spir-ituality that neither the government, nor the church could provide. The last decades of the century saw the rise of the monks of Soles-mes, the return to Palestrina and other Renaissance composers in churches, and the construction of ‘period’ instruments, for example the clarino trumpet and the harpsichord. However, they were made in a form that Bach, or any other pre-19th century composer would scarcely have recognised. The harpsichord itself was popularised by Wanda Landowska, who gave her first recital on the instrument in 1903. In her highly influential guide to historically informed performance1, she pleads for the use of original instruments and chastises modern editors for departing from composers’ intentions and instead following their own personal feelings. Unfortunately for Authenticity, her harpsichord had a 16 foot stop and an iron frame, which again would have been foreign to Bach. Influential as Landowska was, the true founder of the authenticity movement was Arnold Dolmetsch, who built many instruments himself and wrote the first text to discuss issues in tempo, rhythm and expres-sive markings in any academic detail2. He made frequent references to period treatises, and his work had considerable influence on the movement as a whole, even if he was later proved wrong in many details. We will now move forward fifty years to discuss the transi-tion of authentic performance from theory to ideology. According to the The New Grove, the musical community began to acknowl-edge the power of the Early Music Movement in the early 1980s, when the more conservative elements of the Western Art Music Industry, such as orchestras and opera companies, began to employ the movement’s star performers. Record companies, which had been quick to capitalise on the movement, witnessed a sales explo-sion; causing the existing ‘modern’ style to become unfashionable. Victory came in 1989, when the Orchestra of the Age of Enlighten-ment was contracted to play at the Glyndebourne Opera Festival instead of the London Philharmonic. American Universities began to abandon traditional chamber groups in favour of early ensembles (often with the words Cantorum or Schola in the title). Rather than laying out a history of the movement in Text and Act, Richard Taruskin confines himself to a discussion of its ideology and philosophy. His thesis is that the movement is primar-ily informed by Neoclassicism and Modernism, and relies on then inherent positivism in academic musicology which discouraged in-dependent thought. He talks about the rise of Werktreue, in which scores are worshipped as the fundamental text. He points to an interesting definition of performance practice from The New Grove: “the amount and kind of deviation from a precisely deter-mined ideal tolerated (or even encouraged) by composers” It seems that performers are “deviants” who muddle the message of the music, and intrude on the interface between composer and audience. Taruskin summarises the ideology of the movement in two aspects: Transcendence and Formalism. Tran-scendence is, funnily enough, a Romantic idea which says that the great works of the Western Canon (for example the Jupiter sympho-ny) are not of this world, and that by listening to them we undergo an individual spiritual transformation. Formalism is related to trends in Musicology before the outbreak of the New Musicology, in which works are considered autonomous organic entities with intrinsic value and meaning, and are not connected to any other extra-musical considerations3. Familiar examples of Formalism include post-tonal analysis and Schenkerian analysis, which both assert the organic coherence of great music at different structural levels. It may be said that rigid positivism in studies of Per-formance Practise is now irrelevant given the rise of the New

Research6

Musicology, which attempts to apply postmodernism (along with all the other isms: feminism, Marxism, race studies, gender studies, even disability studies4) to music studies. However, in the majority of text produced for a non-academic audience concerning music, the conservative view still reigns. I will turn to some examples of music journalism from the latest issues of Gramophone and Lime-light magazines, both representative of the mainstream Western Art Music Industry. Gramophone, as its name would suggest, is primar-ily concerned with record reviews. Its critics assign value to certain performances over others, often involving issues of Transcendence and Taste in their arguments. Limelight is the magazine of ABC Classic FM, Australia’s only national Classical Music network. Being magazines, both publications rely on personalities, be they per-formers, radio announcers, or even their own critics, in order to sell off the stands. The May 2010 issue of Gramophone was consulted. My eye is first drawn to the cover, which promises “unrivalled critics”. The publication seems to be mainly concerning with the cult of record-ing5. There is a special feature on Berg’s Violin Concerto, in which the critics rank the recordings in order to provide a recommenda-tion for the library of the readers (all the readers are assumed to be building libraries of great performances of great works). Before commencing the reviews, the writers devote the majority of the introduction to the following:• TheworkwaswrittenfivemonthsbeforeBerg’sdeath.Thus the work has special significance as it represents the compos-er’s dying thoughts.• TheworkisdedicatedtothememoryofManonGropius,daughter of Alma Mahler and Walter Gropius, who died tragically young. Thus the work is full of dark and regretful emotions.• BenjaminBrittenapprovedoftheworkatitspremiere.Thus it must be a fantastic work, because a fantastic composer like Britten likes it. We are led to believe that a successful performance of the work can only be achieved by a soloist who identifies with Berg and the tragic accompanying story. Performers are described as having “a special relationship with the work”, as if that it is only way to per-form. In the actual record reviews, the critics talk of performances using adjectives such as: intensity, reflectiveness, forcefulness, elegance, serenity, protest and even deliberation. As they work their way chronologically through the discography, they talk of the work perhaps becoming too familiar. This would obviously not be right, because Berg is a difficult composer who can only be appreciated by connoisseurs and not by the masses. The Werktreue/Urtext move-ment has made its way to Berg (the concerto was only published 75 years ago) with a new corrected edition prepared by Douglas Jar-man receiving its first recording in 2003 (billed as the first record-ing of the authentic score). Clearly, the reviewers are obeying the ideologies of Transcendence and Formalism. I will now display how the critics reflect on issues of taste and authenticity. The positivistic view opines that the performance of the classics has already achieved its highest form. For example, a review of a new recording of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the reviewer only cares to compare it to that of Furtwängler. Another reviewer chastises Thibaudet for not following the score correctly in playing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. One wonders how the reviewer would reconcile the score with Gershwin’s own piano roll recording, or indeed with his rather inauthentic recording with Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra. Most scholars would agree that Western Art Music is a work based culture, with performers, composers, and context be-ing sidelined. However, works only go part of the way to selling a product (one can only be moved by so many Classic 100 surveys). The May 2010 issue of Limelight reveals the new source of audience engagement: the performer. The cover features a small photo of bar-itone Teddy Tahu Rhodes, certainly one of the most talked about lo-cal singers of the moment. The photo features him topless. Need we

say anymore? The industry realised long ago, that if one constrains oneself to a particular canon, eventually people will buy all the records of that canon, and stop their purchasing once it is complete. However, by promoting performers over works, the industry can sell a consumer many performances of the same work, multiplying its profits accordingly. Nevertheless, listeners do not seem to care about who is performing, according to the letters page of this issue. Many listeners wrote to complain about a particular radio presenter, who does not enunciate the names of composers and works clearly, and does not even bother to read out Köchel numbers! An opinion piece by Guy Noble tells us that it okay to like the Classics more than contemporary music because most performers of contem-porary music cannot play it as it is too difficult. Ironically, he also exclaims in the same article that it is progressiveness that made the great composers great. I will leave the reader to explore the fallacies and contradictions in this argument. In this age of instant gratification and knowledge, critics have filled the space of education. Why should one bother study-ing the intricacies of musical performance if the critics are able to tell us the best performances anyway? Thinking and appreciation have been outsourced. For the critics, teachers and academics to be in agreement, it is important for their to be a clearly understood ideology about the works. These are great works which “go like this” and have essential qualities that are divorced from human interpre-tation. This view, developed through the Wektreue idea through the Early Music Movement to its eventual ossification in music jour-nalism, makes our lives easier, but at the cost of individuality and creativity of expression.

Notes:1. Musique ancienne (1909)2. The Interpretation of the Music of the XVII and XVIII Centuries Revealed by Contemporary Evidence (London, 1915)3. These ideologies are peculiar to Musicology, and are explored in Joesph Kerman’s famous article: “How We Got into Analysis, and How to Get out”, Critical Inquiry, Vol.7 No.2, 1980, University of Chicago Press, as well as in the compendium Rethinking Music, ed. Nicholas Cook and Mark Everist, 1999, OUP, NY.4. The reader is directed to the Bibliography in Rethinking Music, which provides a new ‘canon’ of texts for the New Musicology.5. This cult is fully explored in The recording angel: music, records and culture from Aristotle to Zappa, Evan Eisenberg, Pan Books, London 1988

References:• Brown,HowardMayer,“PerformingPracticeI”ThenewGrove dictionary of music and musicians, ed. by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrell (2nd ed. rev.; London: Macmillan; New York: Grove’s Dictionaries, 2001) vol. 19, 349• Cook,Nicholas&Everist,Mark(ed.).RethinkingMusic(Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1999)• Haskell,Harry,“EarlyMusic”ThenewGrovedictionaryofmusic and musicians, ed. by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrell (2nd ed. rev.; London: Macmillan; New York: Grove’s Dictionaries, 2001) vol. 7, 831• Kerman,Joseph.“HowwegotintoAnalysis,andhowtoget out”, Critical Inquiry 7/2 (1980) 311-331• Neumann,Frederick.NewEssaysonPerformancePractice(Ann Arbor; London: U.M.I Research Press, 1989)• Samson,Jim,“Canon”ThenewGrovedictionaryofmusicand musicians, ed. by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrell (2nd ed. rev.; London: Macmillan; New York: Grove’s Dictionaries, 2001) vol. 5, 7• Taruskin,Richard.TextandAct:EssaysonMusicandPerformance (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995)

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Thursday 1st JulyJazz GartersTheatre 3 8pmAfter last years successful launch, the Rep brings you the second season of Jazz Garters. Combining comedy, cabaret, jazz, broadway and dance.$35/$27ph: 6257 1950 Friday 2nd JulyAngela Little “Celtic Fire”Street Theatre 8pmNew musical show which combines the ethereal voice of Angela Little (from Baz Luhmann’s ‘Australia’) with the excitement of Irish dancing, tribal rhythms, cinematic sounds, and visual projections.$25/$20ph: 6247 1223Jazz GartersTheatre 3 8pmSee entry on 2nd July Saturday 3rd JulyJohn Waters sings Jacques BrelCanberra Theatre 8pmNoted actor and singer John Waters will perform a concert highlighting the songs of French Chanson singer-songwriter Jacques Brel.all tickets $60ph:6275 2700Jazz GartersTheatre 3 2pm and 8pmSee entry on 2nd July Sunday 4th JulyMarcela Fiorillo Studio ConcertWesley Music Centre 3pmStudents of prominent Canberra piano teacher Marcela Fiorillo perform.Free admissionph: 0417 670 785Jazz GartersTheatre 3 4pmSee entry on 2nd July Tuesday 6th JulyChuck Yates QuartetThe God’s Cafe 8pmPianist Chuck Yates is joined by bassist Ron Philpott, drummer Colin Hoorweg and tenor saxophonist James Ryan.$18/$12ph: 6248 5538 Wednesday 7th JulyWednesday Lunchtime LiveWesley Music Centre 12:40pmTalented piano students from Marie Cull’s studio perform Schumann, Grieg, Schubert and Stravinsky.$2 Tickets at doorph: 6232 7248 Thursday 8th JulyMusica Viva: Paul LewisLlewellyn Hall 7pmHighly regarded Beethoven pianist Paul Lewis plays Mozart, Schumann and

Beethoven on his third Australian tour.$33-$69ph: 132 849Jazz GartersTheatre 3 8pmSee entry on 2nd July Friday 9th July3ofmillions, Anonymeye and Cat CatStreet Theatre 8pmThis trio investigate all reaches of improvi-sation, staying true to the spontaneity and experimentalism laid down in their precur-sors of blues, jazz, electro-acoustics, noise and industrial rock.$15/$10ph: 6247 1223Jazz GartersTheatre 3 8pmSee entry on 2nd July Saturday 10th JulyAustralian Chamber Orchestra“Barefoot Fiddler”Llewellyn Hall 8pmFeaturing violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja and the music of Kats-Chernin, Schütz, Mansurian, Vivaldi, Haydn and Veress.$35-$59 CSOM student rush $17http://www.aco.com.au/ph: 1800 444 444Jazz GartersTheatre 3 2pm and 8pmSee entry on 2nd July Sunday 11th JulyFarewell Eloise FisherWesley Music Centre 3pmConcert in benefit of prominent local clari-nettist Eloise Fisher who is travelling to New York to study at Juilliard. Featuring Anthony Smith and Barbara Jane Gilby.$5-$20 Tickets at doorph:6232 7248 Tuesday 13th JulyNew Zealand Youth ChoirWesley Church 7:30pmPerforming works by Rachmaninoff, Pend-erecki, Leek, NZ composers and others.$5-$25Tickets at doorph:6232 7248 Wednesday 14th JulyNew Zealand Youth ChoirWar Memorial 12pmFree concertWednesday Lunchtime LiveWesley Music Centre 12:40pmOboist Jess Donohue and guitarist Cal Hen-shaw are joined by pianist Anthony Smith in works by Schumann, Mangore, Berkeley and Nielsen.$2 Tickets at doorph: 6232 7248 Saturday 17th JulyAustralian Youth OrchestraLlewellyn Hall 2:30pm2010 International Tour Launch, conducted by Mark Elder. Includes Rachmaninoff ’s

2nd Symphony and Prokofiev’s 3rd Piano Concerto.$20/$10http://www.ticketek.com.au/ph:132 849 Sunday 18th JulyJeremy Tatchell“Sacred Genius – Tortured Sould”Wesley Music Centre 3pmBaritone Jeremy Tatchell sings three Bach cantatas and Schumann’s Liederkreis.$10-$25 Tickets at doorph: 6232 7248 Wednesday 21th JulyWednesday Lunchtime LiveWesley Music Centre 12:40pmThe cast of Canberra Philharmonic’s “The Boy from Oz” perform excerpts from the show.$2 Tickets at doorph: 6232 7248 Friday 23rd JulyDavid Pereira Concert Series – Concert 3Wesley Music Centre 7:30pmCellist David Pereira is joined by violinist Natsuko Yoshimoto and pianist Timothy Young in the music of Bach, Beethoven and Brahms; as well as works by Australian com-posers Alicia Grant and John Peterson, who will be in attendance.$10-$30ph: 0404 499 348 for advance sales Saturday 24rd JulyDavid Pereira Concert Series – Concert 3Wesley Music Centre 3pmSee blurb 23rd July.$10-$30ph: 0404 499 348 for advance salesThe Griffyn Ensemble“Tales from Heaven”Belconnen Arts Centre 5pmFrom a possessed Romeo and Juliet to an interplanetary First Temptation, Canberra’s premier chamber ensemble present a spir-itual performance of divine music. Featuring music by Górecki, Crumb, the Klezmatics and Michael Sollis.$30/$20 Bookings onlyph: 6173 3300 Sunday 25th JulyRising Stars of OrganWesley Church 3pmFeaturing prominent local organists play-ing the music of Bach, Buxtehude, Vivaldi, Dupré, Prokofiev, Duruflé, Thallben-Ball, Eben and Hakim.$5-$20 Tickets at doorph: 6232 7248Art Song Canberra Season of Song 3Wesley Music Centre 3pmFeaturing soprano Tanya Aspelmeier and tenor Knut Schoch with pianist Alan Hicks performing Wolf ’s Italian Songbook.$10-$30Tickets at doorph: 6232 7248

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Tuesday 27th JulyMandinka SoundStreet Theatre 8pmThrough music, dance and song, this uniqueshow will take audiences on a journey thattraces West African culture in contemporaryAustralia back to its roots in the ancientMandinka empire of West Africa.$20/$15http://www.thestreet.org.au/ph:6247 1223 Wednesday 28th JulyWednesday Lunchtime LiveWesley Music Centre 12:40pmProminent local pianist Robert Schmidliperforms Mozart’s Sonata in A major andBeethoven’s Les Adieux sonata.$2 Tickets at doorph: 6232 7248 Saturday 31st JulyWilhelm QuartetSt Philip’s Church O’Connor 7:30pmPerforming Beethoven and Schumann quartets,and joined by local pianist Colin Forbesfor Brahms’s F minor quintet.$35/$30http://camra.asn.au/ Venue InformationLlewellyn HallANU School of MusicWilliam Herbert Place (off Childers Street)Actonhttp://music.anu.edu.au/ph: 6125 5700Street TheatreCorner Childers Street and University AvenueCanberra Cityhttp://www.thestreet.org.au/ph: 6247 1519Wesley Music Centre and ChurchNational Circuit Forresthttp://www.wesleycanberra.org.au/ph: 6295 3680Belconnen Arts Centre118 Emu Bank Belconnenhttp://www.belconnenartscentre.com.au/ph: 6173 3300St Philip’s Church O’ConnorCorner Macpherson and Moorhouse StreetsO’Connorhttp://www.stphilipsoconnor.org.au/War MemorialTreloar Crescent Campbellhttp://www.awm.gov.au/ph: 6243 4211Theatre 3Ellery Crescent Actonhttp://www.canberrarep.org.au/ph: 6257 1950Canberra TheatreCivic Square, London Circuit Canberra Cityhttp://www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au/ph: 6275 2700

Events GuideFor more upcoming events, seehttp://music.anu.edu.au/events

School of Music Ball30 JulyGrand Ballroom, Rex Hotel$40Black Tiecontact: ext.anumsa@gmail.com

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