Nach Michael Rebhahns Darmstädter Vortrag „Hiermit trete ich aus der Neuen Musik aus“ 2012 hat die schwedische Zeitschrift Nutida Musik einige Komponisten um Statements zu diesem Vortrag gebeten (mein Statement). Hier das couragierte Statement von Joanna Bailie.
Resign from new music? Never, I mean to save it! Here are some simple practical suggestions for rescuing new music from its own cultural irrelevance that I have gathered together in a very short MANIFESTO.
1. Let’s cut our ties with the classical music scene. It is the elderly, deeply conservative and wealthy husband (oh the opera houses and symphony orchestras!) we have been married to all these years who (not so) secretly hates us. We still love the dusty old man though, because we love Beethoven and conservatory-trained musicians. This is not good enough: time to set ourselves free girlfriends!
2. Down with publishers! They absorb funding and contribute a great deal towards the promotion and domination of culturally irrelevant middle-of-the-road New Music.
3. Take some care over curation. Why does New Music think it’s OK to be lazy about which works are arranged on a concert or festival together? And while we’re on the subject, why are sound art, instrumental new music, electronic music and improvisation so rarely presented on the same platform? Surely a little more dialogue between these genres would be beneficial to all.
4. Always keep the following questions in mind when composing: Do any of your culturally-engaged conceptual artist friends understand your music or think it’s interesting? Do they even bother going to your concerts?
5. For ensembles and composers: find a more fruitful and less rigid way of working together, one that is not based on the classical model of composing for three months, making the parts, a few hours of rehearsal, a very short general in the venue and then (one) performance. This modus operandi sucks.
Einige der angesprochenen Aspekte klingen auch in meinen Texten „Institutionen komponieren“ und „Membranmanifest“ an.
