Category: Robert Dick

Recital Day!

12/14/2016

After a literal nightmare of the subway train being delayed and then a long Uber drive, I arrived 30 minutes late to the venue for our warm up/sound check. Thankfully we still had plenty of time to figure out everything we needed to.

And then…

We had our recital! It was at Spectrum in Manhattan. Jenn and I kicked things off with an improvisation, then Jenn played the Chaconne by Karg-Elert. Robert, Jenn, and I improv-ed, followed by Jennifer and I performing Only the Words Themselves Mean What They Say by Kate Soper. There was another trio improv (Robert on piccolo, Jenn on C flute, me on bass flute), and Jenn and I ended the concert with Robert’s piece Time is a Two-Way Street. It was great to perform while here!

We went out for gourmet wraps afterwards, and it SNOWED! We accompanied Robert to the Essex Street market (looked at fancy cheeses), and then said goodbye on the subway. It’s been a great semester in NYC!

(I may have slept 11 hours following the recital…)

Until next time!

0 Comments

"The gatekeepers are gone."

12/13/2016

0 Comments

We had our last day of Studio – where has the time gone???

Class began by talking about interpretations of CPE Bach’s Sonata in A minor. Jenn was taking a 19th century, Romantic-style inspired approach, stemming from a teacher in Berlin. This teacher took into consideration the resonate chapel-like space the piece may have been written for, and also suggested breaking the piece down into short ideas. Robert argued for the overall effect and internal consistency. He also pointed out that the traverso flute had a light sound in the low register, except for low D, which can clearly be seen in the piece. My favorite part in talking about this piece and the interpretation of it was when Robert played us a recording of an improvisation he did with a cellist and pianist based on the piece. It was VERY different, but still well-informed and cohesive. I know there’s a huge debate concerning authenticity of music from these early eras, but my thought is that you can do a “historical” performance or do one influenced by the entirety of music history, just be informed and have a solid reason for choosing to interpret the music in whichever way you do.

In talking about the different things we learned over the semester, I brought up the fact that sometimes where I am in my menstrual cycle can really impact my lips and therefore my sound, even when I’m doing throat singing. Relatedly, Robert said that he’s found chamomile tea to be the best as an emergency way to warm the lips. Guess I’ll have to try that!

Considering our upcoming performance, we talked a bit about other great performers. Arthur Rubinstein came up, and Robert commented on how Rubinstein was thought to choose one person in the audience and then play to that one person, therefore making everyone in the audience feel as if he was playing just for them. It’s an interesting thought.

Other things:
- There are three universal “rules” according to Robert: 1) Sh*t happens 2) It’s not about you #) F*** them if they can’t take a joke.
- Robert let me try some fancy French cheese he had bought.

French cheese (and wild animal calls)

- Check out Derek Sivers’s website for ideas concerning many different creative aspects for musicians.
- I tried real, legitimate ramen!
- Sarah, Jennifer, and I sat in the FIFTH ROW at Carnegie Hall for a performance by The Orchestra Now (the group Tyson plays with). It was a program of "Denounced" Russian music. I really enjoyed Myaskovsky's Symphony No. 25. Jennifer and I even got to sit backstage with the musicians for a bit (shh).
- Tyson, Jennifer, Sarah, and I watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. All the feels. But we had chili and cornbread to help with the pain.

Until next time!

0 Comments

Intense playing day in Studio

12/12/2016

0 Comments

The lovely and talented Jennifer Voigt came with me to class so that we could work with Robert through the piece we’re doing for the recital (Kate Soper’s Only the Words Themselves Mean What They Say). One of the main things Jennifer suggested during rehearsals was to emphasize gesture (rather than accuracy or technicality), which Robert further supported. Practically, this meant taking more time during speaking parts. The piece begins with the flutist muttering unintelligibly into the flute, basically setting up the tone for the rest of the movement; to make this effective, Robert suggested using harsher syllables and sounds, like ch, f, k, etc. Another flute specific tactic Robert suggested was to literally whistle pitches when the score indicated whistle tones on the bass flute.

Jennifer and I talked through the drama of the piece to better establish the character and feel we wanted to portray. Walking through gesture by gesture was great for establishing this, and it also helped me better understand the compositional structure and elements of the piece. This is a good practice for any piece, and it worked especially well in this case thanks to the inclusion of a text; the composer also includes directions for delivery in the score.

Other things:
- THE APARTMENT HAS A CHRISTMAS TREE! It is at least 8.5 feet tall and it is huge and it is beautiful.
- Sarah, Joe, and I decorated a gingerbread house - an icing Ichi is even represented on it!

Until next time!

0 Comments

"Half-step away from reality"

12/7/2016

0 Comments

We worked with double bassist and improviser Ken Filiano. Basically, we did a few different group sessions of improv, along with each of us playing individually, and there was a discussion following each session.

Playing with a non-flutist was inspiring as far as the different types of sounds that were produced, and I felt pushed to explore how the flute could imitate the bass sounds. Ken also suggested improvising with spoken word artists, like poets, if possible. Relatedly, the book Sing Your Story by Jay Clayton was mentioned as a great resource on improvisation.

In our improvisations, we talked about the ideas of foreground, middle ground, and background; clearly establishing which “ground” you are playing as can help group improvisation. Eye contact with other people in your same ground can also be important to facilitate communication between players.

One exercise for practicing improv is to set up a limitation before you begin. This could mean choosing to play only one or two notes, or using only breath sounds, etc. Doing this will better encourage the exploration of the capabilities of you and your instrument. In other words, limitation can lead to expansion. While we were talking about this idea, either Ken or Robert said, “We don’t know what it is, but it is.”

Ken also presented two different kinds of hearing: 1) hearing music and 2) hearing musical facts. Typically we are strong in one and need to develop the other to be better balanced, and practicing improvisation can help with that.

Some other artists to listen to for funzies:
Gheorghe Zamfir on the Romanian pan flute
Donald Martino (specifically Notturno, for which he won the Pulitzer in 1974)

Until next time!

0 Comments

<<Previous

Recital Day!

"The gatekeepers are gone."

Intense playing day in Studio

"Half-step away from reality"

Categories

Archives