An oft-cited shortcoming of summer music festivals in which art music is showcased is the lack of contemporary music programming, since the ballyhoo of orchestral programming virtually guarantees success at the box office. The Ravinia Festival in Illinois, however, is attempting to adjust this imbalance. Embedded in its 1986 season was a small jewel - the "New Perspectives Series." The intent of this series is to sample and explore the keen diversity in new music today and in so doing to add another dimension to Ravinia's classical and popular programming. In this series of four musical events the Ravinia festival presented artists who stretch the parameters of contemporary western art music, crisscrossing through non-western music traditions and integrating new levels of global musical elements. Through experimentation and improvisation they also expand their musical vocabulary.
American musicians in the late twentieth century are heirs to what has become a tradition of cross fertilization in music, a myriad of styles and sounds that continue to bewilder, delight confuse, and excite the listener. The new perspective series aims to create just these reactions. This review focuses on the first two concerts of the series.
On July 7, 1986 in the Murray Theatre of Ravinia, the eclectic quartet Oregon opened this series. Together for fifteen years, this group of talented musicians presented an evening of improvisational and composed music (or what is more accurately described as instant composition by the groups guitarist/pianist/composer Ralph Towner). Oregon's music draws upon eastern, African, and European classical music as well as jazz, fusion, and folk music. The four members of this ensemble are able to play a total of well over fifty instruments, have substantial musical training, and create compositions with a wide variety of textures, timbres, and colors.
Often described as new age chamber music, Oregon's unique instrumentation is as follows; Ralph Towner performs on classical, twelve string, and acoustic guitar; piano; Prophet 5 Synthesizer; cornet; and percussion. The group's newest member, Trilok Gurtu (replacing the late sitarist/percussionist Collin Wolcott), a deftly and sensitively handles and tabla, congas, drums, and other pitched percussion instruments. This has stimulated Oregon to develop in new polyrhythmic directions. Glen Moore, primarily an acoustic bassist, is also proficient on flute and piano. Finally, Paul McCandless exploits the outer limits of the oboe, bass clarinet, English horn, soprano saxophone and various whistles.
Having heard Oregon in less formal settings than the Murray Theatre (which is, after all, a recital hall) I was impressed by the visual juxtaposition, or confusion of a stage laid out with both traditional and non-traditional instruments as well as electronic equipment, flanked on either side by organ pies. Furthermore, Gurtu seats himself not on a stool surrounded by the traditional trap set, but on the floor with the percussion equipment all around him, much of which is invisible to the audience.
The first half of the concert was somewhat restrained, as Oregon offered varying compositions from its fifteen-year old repertoires. Perhaps the best example of their seamless style shifts showed up in a very new piece called "Egotopia," composed by Ralph Towner. The instrumentation consisted of plucked and bowed contrabass, bass clarinet, water gong, several types of
...
Read Full Article
|
