Wolff

To clarify my research topic, I've decided to focus specifically on the performer/audience dynamic within different realms of music (classical - 'old' and 'new', Jazz - 'old and new', and popular styles) and how this affects both/either party. Some particular aspects that I hope to learn include performance anxiety, boredom, expectations, and purpose (why they perform/attend concerts).

I started off this project from with myself as a performer and continued this week with myself as an audience member. This week I attended the Christian Wolff concert where UCSD faculty, graduate students, and Christian Wolff himself came together and presented a concert on his music. I knew going into this that it wouldn't be my cup of tea, but was honestly curious as to what kind of people this music does attract.

For those who don't know, Christian Wolff is a composer of the 'new' Western art music tradition. The music is experimental. While there were certainly interesting moments and concepts: prepared piano, use of speakers, unconventional performance practices (each half consisted of everyone on stage and taking turns to play each piece), and the composer himself, as a whole it didn't interest me. I attribute this mainly to the fact that I simply don't understand it and without program notes to give hints to any compositional processes, I'd be surprised if the music appealed to those un-scholarly about new music as I am.

I paid careful attention to the audience. In fact, I recognized most of them. It mainly consisted of UCSD music faculty, graduate students and undergrads. I noticed that most of those I didn't recognize left either in the middle of performances (to the dismay of many!), in between (a bit more considerate), or at intermission (the second half definitely had a smaller audience). I speculate that they left out of confusion and/or boredom. I wish I had rushed out to talk to them, but I would have also received dirty looks.

And we certainly didn't need more dirty looks. CPMC Concert Hall has such great acoustics that we were able to hear every whisper, page turn, phone drop, foot step, camera flashes, and ringtone! Even Eunah (who also wrote about this concert in her blog) and I who were clearly not interested in the music could not resist shooting glares at every person who made a sound or walked in and out during performances. Not to mention, Professor Charles Curtis who was on stage also glared at several audience members. We've been trained. So, even with regards to experimental music, these stuffy traditions most often associated with classical music persist. I know this was not always the case and would like to research more on how this came to be in another post.

The only people I had a chance to talk to so far about this performance were undergraduate music students. Most of them came for school-related purposes like concert reports. They all admitted either to falling asleep or being bored to tears (if not both). My music theory professor Lei Liang highly suggested that we attend this (we deal exclusively with post-1945 experimental music in this class) and a few that I saw attend for this reason did say they enjoyed it. But then again, they are composers themselves.  I hope to talk to some graduate students and professors as well.

I also am trying to talk to some of the performers, especially Charles Curtis who is proponent of both 'old' and 'new' classical music. I want to know how performing new music affects their nerves. I wonder if it would make them less nervous knowing that 99% won't realize they made a mistake and that many aren't paying attention anyway or if would make them more nervous because they feel more pressure to engage the audience (or anything else that may come up). I also want to know how he perceived the audience situation - as I mentioned, he did much glaring.