BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Ever wanted to clap between movements? Grab a drink and tell the stranger next to you how damn good the music is? So has Brisbane’s Kieran Welch. The Nonsemble violist has curated Dots+Loops, an event which closes the gap between contemporary and classical live performance experiences. With a program of post-genre music – including the Queensland premiere of Steve Reich’s ‘Radio Rewrite’ – the gig presents a “middle ground between the two worlds” of a laid back rock concert and a conservative classical gig.
Kieran Welch, who will perform in the concert, has undertaken music degrees in Queensland – and spent more than a decade DJing with an interest in electronic and popular music. He tells us what it’s like to host a post-genre inspired performance.
Why did you feel the need to bring your music into unconventional venues in the first place?
Many people of my generation (or even the generation or two above me) are much more familiar with experiencing music in a warehouse or a club than in a concert hall. In this sense, the only unconventional thing I’m doing is taking music for instruments and ensembles that have traditionally been more associated with classical music out of the concert hall, and into these kinds of venues. But again, whether this is unconventional or not is a point of view, too, the Minimalists were presenting their music in lofts and rock clubs in Downtown New York back in the ’70s. However, that was in New York – not Brisbane.
The kind of space we look for is informal enough for people who may be really interested in what we’re presenting, but could feel alienated by the formality and tradition of a traditional classical venue, and may well find the whole ‘sit down, shut up’ thing quite wearing after half an hour or so. However, it still needs to allow focus on the music and musicians while they are playing, and be comfortable for the audience.
What are the benefits – for both audience and performer – of hosting a gig outside the concert hall?
I try to keep in mind that for many people, live music is inherently a social thing. Yes, it’s always about the music itself too, and for me sharing music I’m really passionate about is the primary aspect of these shows. But people go to a concert for many other reasons: to hang out with friends, to meet new people, and perhaps even to belong to a group or subculture. The venues we use encourage the social aspect of shows in a number of ways. We keep fixed seating to a minimum, and instead provide easily moveable folding chairs and the like. This makes sure the audience is comfortable for the actual performances, but they can easily get up, walk around and mingle in between sets, and reconfigure seating to different groups. We also use set times more along the lines of a rock or club show, roughly half-hour sets with half an hour in between each. This gives the audience ample time for the social stuff, to discuss the music and grab a drink.
In my experience, gigs outside of the concert hall also allow the performers to connect much more with the audience. In contrast to many concert halls, the venues we’ve used have the performers and audience members all entering the same way, and also don’t have a very prominent stage. I find these small physical differences allow the audience and performers to feel mentally a lot more connected. We’re all equally important parts of the music making and enjoying process, and as a performer, I relish this sort of visceral, close connection with the audience. We also always encourage the audience members and performers alike to stay and mingle after the live performances in the venue.
So why do you think it’s taken so long for audiences and musicians alike to loosen up about these aspects of live performance?
The whole formalised concert hall performance tradition we know in classical music today only really started in the Romantic era. I couldn’t really say why this formalised convention became effectively the only way to experience live classical music well into the late 20th Century. I also don’t think it’s inherently wrong or that it should stop either. The tradition and formality can really make an occasion quite special if you’re in the mood for it, and it does allow one to really deeply focus on the music being presented. But I also don’t think it should be the only way to present or experience musical drawing from the classical tradition. Often, I’d much rather spend my Saturday night hanging out with a bunch of friends, enjoying a beer or two and listening to some great music at a laid back venue, than I would prefer to go and sit and watch a symphony orchestra for a couple of hours straight. But I do very much enjoy the latter at times, too.
The philosophy of Dots+Loops is very focused on post-genre music. Tell me more about this. What does post-genre mean to you – and does this mean that older, ‘genred’ forms of music will eventually fade away and are becoming passe?
For me, post-genre is musical freedom. It means I can combine areas of music that previously seemed quite disparate: electronic, indie and classical music. There doesn’t need to be a dividing line between genres. It’s a philosophy many of my favourite musicians and composers identify with, people such as Nico Muhly, Missy Mazzoli, Bryce Dessner, Ólafur Arnalds, Björk, and Australian composers such as Chris Perren and Robert Davidson.
I don’t think ‘genred’ forms of music will eventually fade away. As much as labels can constrain, it’s also impossible to talk about a movement, or a group, or even one person’s work without using labels. But I think it’s important to treat the labels more as identifying aspects or points of comparison, rather than a constraining mould.
Nonsemble, the Armas Quartet, and the Armilla Quartet and Joe Fallon will perform in Dots+Loops to present the Queensland premiere of Steve Reich’s ‘Radio Rewrite’ along with works by Bryce Dessner and Rob Davidson. 20 March, The Triffid, 7-9 Stratton St, Newstead. For more info go to http://tiny.cc/dlrr and http://www.facebook.com/dotsandloopsbrisbane.
Image supplied.
