Charles Amirkhanian Collection ➔ Composer-to-Composer Festival: Day 3 Discussions, Zakir Hussain and Louis Andriessen (July 10, 1991), 3 of 3
Digital Audio
Event Type
Lectures and Panel DiscussionsOrigin
C AmirkhanianIdentifier
CTC.1991.07.10.CProgram Series
Composer-to-Composer FestivalProgram Length
113 minPart
3 of 3Dates
| broadcast| 1991-07-10 | created
Description
The second composers’ session on July 10, 1991 during the Composer to Composer Festival in Telluride Colorado. Zakir Hussain and Louis Andriessen discuss their work.The recording begins with Charles Amirkhanian announcing that the bells that were meant for Zakir’s performance did not arrive. The composers then try and problem solve where they can get some bells before the performance.
Zakir Hussain begins his presentation by explaining that his early background in music was strictly in Hindustani music and that he was mostly unaware of Western music before coming to the United States. Since moving to the United States he began trying to create a fusion style incorporating his background in Indian classical music with Western styles, while still performing in a traditional context as well.
First he plays an example of a devotional morning raga performed with some Western instruments from his album “Making Music”. Next is an excerpt from “Zakir Hussain and the Rhythm Experience” that was inspired by gamelan music, he explains that it’s his goal to try and make Indian classical music more accessible to the masses in India and in the west.
He then plays a traditional composition from South India with a violin soloist. He explains that it’s difficult to maintain raga structure in fusion music because most harmonic writing will add additional notes outside of the traditional scales. The. next piece played is “Rhythm Sonata in E Major” for tuned Tabla, a fusion work for western styles, latin styles, and traditional Indian styles. Hussain then presents an interactive electroacoustic work for tabla from an album done with Mickey Hart, “At the Edge”.
He finishes off his lecture with a work he recorded with his father (the great tabla master Alla Rakha), that incorporates the four “movements” of solo tabla style and explaining how each work, before playing an excerpt from “Rapanagatun”, a short rap inspired tabla jam.
The group takes a short break before Louis Andriessen’s presentation.
Andriessen begins by saying that he will only be presenting his opera “De Materie”. He explains that the work is in four movements, each 25 minutes, in three acts about Dutch thinkers, the last movement being about Marie Curie.
He moves on to explain the story surrounding the first act and the musical structure of the work.
He also explains that the work was performed with all freelance musicians to avoid having to use the opera orchestra musicians which receive lots of work in Holland. He then goes on to talk about the musical symbolism of the hammers in the first part as they relate to the theme of ship building and anger that the Dutch had towards the Spanish Colonists. He also describes the staging of the work.
After playing the first part of the opera, Andriessen answers questions. He talks about the difficult nature of the music, it’s musical emotion, and the numerology associated with the work. The group decides to break and the session ends.
Genres
World music20th century classical
Musical Selections
Sabah [excerpt] (1987) (3:23) -- Balinese Fantasy (1987) (3:45) -- [traditional S. Indian composition for solo violin with instrumental ensemble] (4:22) -- Rhythm Sonata in E major (1987) (11:58) / Zakir Hussain -- Sky Water [excerpt] (1990) (1:20) / Mickey Hart and Zakir Hussain -- Lineage (1991) (5:00) -- Rapanagatun [excerpt] (1991) (2:18) / Zakir Hussain -- De Materie (Matter) [Part I] (1985-88) (25:15) / Louis AndriessenPerformers
John McLaughlin, acoustic guitar (Sabah)Hariprasad Chaurasia, flute (Sabah)
Zakir Hussain, tabla (All) ; tabla and voice (Lineage, Rapanagatun)
Jan Garbarek, saxophones (Sabah)
The Rhythm Experience (Balinese Fantasy, Rhythm Sonata)
Mickey Hart, processed bells (Sky Water)
Sultan Khan, sarangi (Lineage)
Alla Rakha, tabla and voice (Lineage) ; tabla (Rapanagatun)
Mel Martin, saxophone (Rapanagatun)
Schoenberg Ensemble (De Materie)
Reinbert De Leeuw, conductor (De Materie)
Asko Ensemble With Members Of the Netherlands Chamber Choir (De Materie)
Subjects
Music -- IndiaTabla music
Tabla with instrumental ensemble
Ragas
Operas
Composers -- Netherlands
Songs (High voice) with orchestra
Acknowledgment
Digitized with support from the National Recording Preservation Foundation, The Copland Fund, and the Association for Recorded Sound Collections.Related Event
Composer-to-Composer Festival, 1991Related place
Telluride (Colo.) (was recorded at)Related Entities
Composer-to-Composer FestivalTelluride Institute
Hussain, Zakir, 1951-
Andriessen, Louis, 1939-
Amirkhanian, Charles
McLaughlin, John, 1942-
Hariprasad, Chaurasia
Garbarek, Jan, 1947-
Hart, Mickey
Alla Rakha
Khan, Sultan
Martin, Mel, 1942-