BY NAOMI JOHNSON
Contemporary music is full of juxtapositions: great flurries of notes and ethereal suspense, the intimacy of a single instrument and the clashing of impossible harmonies. No juxtaposition seems greater, though, than realising all these things in the pristine beauty of rural northern Italy.
For two weeks in early July, Australian conductor/composer Evan Lawson and I had the privilege of experiencing just that when we attended the SoundSCAPE Festival in Maccagno. New music and new friends while nestled away in the foothills of the Alps, you’d be forgiven for thinking the whole purpose was to spend two weeks in paradise. Music first, though!
The SoundSCAPE festival has been a highlight of my musical calendar for the past three years. I came across it almost by accident when a half-obscured poster on Melbourne University’s composition notice board in early 2013 invited us for two weeks of new music in the Italian Alps. Asking around, I found that a few of my peers had been there and the festival came with good recommendations, particularly for its small cohort and individual focus for performers. While accommodation in a local religious retreat is quite rustic and the rehearsal schedule was less well-organised than in previous years, there is a wonderful atmosphere to the whole event. From the very start, there is a sense of family, and the big communal kitchen at Casa Emmaus encouraged long lunches and many collaborative cooking ventures. It was a great place to hang with the other participants, chatting about new music and exchanging scores.
Each year, SoundSCAPE welcomes about 30 young composers and 20 young performers from around the world, though most students a typically from the United States. This year, there were two flute students, though in previous years there have been three or four. The festival schedule was busy, bordering on hectic for some. As a performer, I was allocated four newly commissioned works by participating composers studying in the US. Each was stimulating and challenging in its own way; one prompted me to explore timbral playing and develop greater control of whistle tones, while another called for great swoops of air on the bass flute. Each composer was asked to write for an instrumentation new to them, and the results for us were great fun – think cello, clarinet and double bass!
Rehearsals of these works were the festival’s central focus, and I was excited to premiere each in concerts in the second week. As a returning SoundSCAPEr, I am always impressed by the variety of compositional styles embraced at the festival. Returning for the third time, I have continued to be challenged both as a player and in my opinions on contemporary music. No matter what we were presented with, there was an expectation we would knuckle down and give it our very best to produce energetic, committed music that the composers would be proud of. Each new work was greeted with enthusiasm and there are already discussions underway for future collaborations.
Around the commission pieces, there was a full timetable of concerts, lectures and workshops. The concerts presented a wide range of music, and included features of guest composers, resident ensembles and faculty. Tom Rosenkranz’s piano recital on July 6 was a particular highlight, with ‘Piano Hero #1’ by Stefan Prins and ‘Rough, Unhouseled, unannealed’ by Andres Carrizo showing the full spectrum of his artistic interests.
Ensemble in residence Eastman BroadBand presented its concert on July 7, featuring new commissions from SoundSCAPE participants alongside works by head of composition Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon with fearless and exhilarating soprano Tony Arnold. By complete contrast, Irish artist in residence Jennifer Walshe’s performance of ‘The Total Mountain’ on July 11 was an entertaining and thought-provoking examination of individuality and society in a digital age. Walshe’s lecture complemented this perfectly as it provided an insight into her music and social media-trawling compositional process. Other lectures included topics such as composing for harp, a project on writing music for the speaking voice, and matters of etiquette in composer-performer collaborations. I was excited to speak on contemporary trends in Australian music, and the session was greeted enthusiastically by other participants.
Composers spent their afternoons attending and presenting at daily colloquium sessions, along with writing a one-minute-large ensemble work for the Fresh Ink concert of brand new works on the festival’s penultimate day. This element of the course encouraged them to respond to Maccagno and the festival atmosphere, writing a work that reflected on their experiences but was also performance ready in only a week and a half! For composers and performers alike, this was often followed by a dip in the lake and perhaps a spot of yoga, before daily improvisation classes encouraged us to get creative in a totally different way. Using games and exercises to give structural tools and ultimately encourage free improvisation, these sessions constantly pushed our musical boundaries with some great results.
All instruments are welcome at SoundSCAPE subject to audition, but the opportunity to work with specialist faculty such as pianist Tom Rosenkrantz and soprano Tony Arnold is particularly invigorating. Flute faculty Lisa Cella worked closely with us in ensemble coaching sessions, helping us to negotiate contemporary techniques and complicated scores.
Lunchtime institute recitals allowed us to showcase solo works, along with some rapidly-organised chamber performances. I was particularly excited to play in the flute concert on the festival’s penultimate day, in which we performed duets by Jane Rigler and Stuart Saunders-Smith alongside Philip Glass’s ‘Piece in the Shape of a Square’. Over the past three years, the flute classes have allowed me to confront and perform chamber music I wouldn’t come across in my regular studies, such as the Gubaidulina quartet and ‘White Liquid Amber’ – a devilish trio for quarter tone piccolos by Czernowin. A quick dip in the deliciously cool lake, dinner of fresh pasta and cheese, then it was back to the auditorium for another concert.
With a relatively small cohort, there is a real sense of family and growth for each participant, no matter where they’re at in their studies and careers. There is usually a small but enthusiastic cohort of Australians, and it would be great to see that tradition continue. Over the years at the festival, I have made wonderful new friends (some of whom I’m continuing to work with), and thoroughly challenged both my skills as a performer and my concepts of new music.
And for when quarter tones and nested polyrhythms get a little too much? There’s a stunning lake, mountains, and 15 different gelato flavours to get through at the local cafe! Viva la musica contemporana!
Images supplied. Credit: Tina Tallon.
