I went to a concert featuring three works by Crumb: The Sleeper, Vox Balaenae, and Voices from the Morning of the Earth (American Songbook VI). The concert is part of a Carnegie Hall series called "Making Music"; each concert in the series spotlights a different contemporary composer, and includes on-stage discussions with the composer.
Sometimes the composer-discussion concept works well; sometimes it doesn't. I went to a concert at the Guggenheim last week featuring Charles Wuorinen. The programme didn't include any information about the works of his that were being performed, and he only talked after they were played. I was willing to endure some confusion and curiosity about his works during their performance, when I thought that he would explain everything afterward. But then, when he finally did speak, he barely said anything about the works played that evening! I'm a pretty hard-core contemporary music supporter, but come ON. You have to throw your audience a bone, especially if your music is difficult (as his definitely is). If you don't give us a chance to understand, or a hint as to what we should be looking out for, how can you expect us to ever appreciate your music on more than a superficial level? And I'm sorry, but I don't abide composers who dismiss the audience as a bunch of idiots who don't know how to listen any more than I abide audiences who dismiss contemporary composers as a bunch of idiots who don't know how to compose.
The Crumb concert was completely different. Before each half of the concert, a Carnegie staffer guided Crumb's discussion along very effectively, asking intelligent questions about each work to be played. While the discussion wasn't too technical for non-musicians, I still found it fascinating; I learned a great deal about both the pieces at hand and about Crumb himself.
And then the performances. OH. MY. GOD. I fell in love with Vox Balaenae and Voices from the Morning of the Earth on the spot. Vox Balaenae, inspired by whale song, was just one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. And the diversity of sound-worlds that Crumb creates in Voices from the Morning of the Earth was breathtaking. I was sitting on the edge of my chair for the whole concert.
All I want to do now is find every CD of Crumb's music owned by the combined forces of CUNY and the NYPL and put it on my computer and spend the next week doing nothing but listening to it. I recommend that you do the same.
