The orchestra's tiki is interesting Report on "Twin Gathering"

"Gathering of Couples" Concerto for Orchestra (Béla Bartók)

Text and photos by Atsushi Yamaguchi

Michael Spencer's (Japan Philharmonic Orchestra Communications Director) music creation workshops have been held remotely due to the COVID-12 pandemic for some time now, but this time, for the first time in a long while, we were able to bring "real microphones" to Suginami, Tokyo. (Held on December 12, 2022)

　In the limited time of two hours, we will explore this masterpiece that contains everything about Bartók's musical life.
　What are the guideposts on this musical journey?

The "The Orchestra's Interesting Teiki" series focuses on the orchestra's regular performances, aiming to help participants enjoy the performances on the day of the concert more deeply by learning about the characteristics and background of the pieces in advance. This multifaceted approach, incorporating not only lectures but also performances by Japan Philharmonic Orchestra members, video viewing, dance, and participants' own performance experiences, allows participants to gain a deeper understanding of the program's track descriptions. Mike calls this workshop a "signposting workshop." A signpost is a guidepost or signpost.

This time, all workshop participants were given tickets to the regular performance, making this the first attempt to further close the gap between the workshop and the regular performance.

The theme of the workshop was Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra, scheduled for performance at his Tokyo regular concert in January 2023. In 1943, Bartók fled war and oppression from his native Hungary to the United States. Despite struggling with illness and poverty, he managed to shine in his final moments with the help of many friends, leaving behind a masterpiece that could be considered his signature work. So how did Mike create a workshop that would "trace the entire work in two hours"?

For now, let's try dancing!

Mike often uses a magic trick called "ice-breaking" at the beginning of a workshop. As the name suggests, it is a warm-up activity to melt the ice and release tension among the participants, warming them up both physically and mentally. However, this ice-breaking activity was the ultimate time-saver. In other words, the ice-breaking activity itself was already a gateway to entering Bartók's worldview. Everyone danced a Hungarian folk dance in a large circle.

Not only the Concerto for Orchestra, but all of Bartók's works are rooted in his life's work, which was his research into the folk songs and dances of Hungary, the Magyar people, and other parts of Eastern Europe. During Bartók's time, what we now call audio recorders were becoming practical thanks to the phonograph invented by Edison. Bartók took advantage of this cutting-edge technology to meticulously conduct fieldwork and record folk music, which was rapidly disappearing due to modernization and the two world wars. This program traces his footsteps through recordings and footage from that time, performances by members of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra (string quartet), and collective dances.

As Bartók incorporated folk music into his works, one of the tricks he took the time to use was "odd time signatures." The main section of the first movement features a distinctive alternating time signature, alternating between duple and triple beats. By clapping along with the performance, I was able to experience the awkwardness that arises with simple duple beat clapping, and I was able to experience this distinctive feature.

Woven color pattern

In the second movement, various wind instruments are paired up to play soloists. In the workshop, participants numbered the instruments in the order in which they appeared, using paper illustrations of the instruments and video recordings of the performance as clues, and traced the changes in color and texture of the instruments. The word "texture" comes from the Latin word for "to weave." Just like the fabric of clothing, we saw that various colors and elements were woven into the music in multiple layers. After a quiet church chorale-like sound played out in the middle section, the wind instruments that appeared in the first half overlapped again to form yet another new shape. The participants also made a lasting impression on the snare drum, another important main character in this movement that did not appear in this "guess the order quiz."

Playing the song of the night

In addition to the folk music sound that runs throughout the entire work, the workshop proceeded while examining the musical characteristics of each movement as "signposts." Of these, the most significant signpost was the third movement, "Night Song," in which Bartók's aesthetics are most strongly expressed.

Participants split into two groups and stood far apart in the gymnasium. Taking up their own percussion instruments, each group discussed and performed the image of "a scene of bats flying in a forest at night." The two separated groups then exchanged sounds. Some imitated and reproduced the sounds made by the other group, and others responded in a different way. The strange sounds that were produced impromptu and intermingled in the spacious gymnasium were a sight that could be described as the beauty of chance.

The following fourth movement features a mocking scene played by trombones, a parody of Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony. Bartók used music to depict his irony. After watching the video of the final movement, which is packed with everything and can be considered the culmination of his musical career, and the brilliance of the brass instruments singing out in the finale, we all formed a large circle again and performed the first dance once more.

Free Design Time and Space (Mutating Workshop)

After the workshop ended, Mike and the facilitators (the teaching staff team) held a discussion to reflect on the day.

Mike initially designed the workshop to focus on the second movement, subtitled "Playing with Pairs," within the limited time of two hours. The pun-like title "Gathering of Couples" was also chosen with this in mind. However, given the goal of learning the pieces for the regular performance in advance, it became necessary to cover all five movements, which led to a major change in the workshop's design. Mike also incorporated the reactions of the participants on the day, improvising as he went, freely changing the shape of the workshop.

As a result, the participants became "pairs" in their musical experience of the third movement. Incidentally, the nocturnal silence of the third movement is suddenly interrupted by the insertion of a heartbreaking orchestral cry. While we experienced this abrupt musical feature, recalling that the original subtitle "Interrupted Intermezzo" was the fourth movement. In other words, perhaps this workshop illuminated the characteristics and essence of the piece from a different perspective, departing from the intention behind Bartók's subtitles for each movement. Conversely, Bartók's music is so multifaceted and ambiguous that we can shed different light on it in any number of ways.

Time and space for children and adults to be together

Looking back on the workshop, another factor cited as a success was the wide range of ages who participated. The elementary and high school students were particularly grateful for the cooperation of teachers from local public schools in Suginami Ward, as well as the children's willingness to participate. The presence of open-minded and intellectually curious children greatly contributed to the success of the improvisation.

When you think about it, it's rare to find a place in today's local communities where adults other than parents and teachers can interact with children in a safe environment. The Japan Philharmonic has a partnership with Suginami Ward, and I believe it was a very productive day, where we were able to get a real sense that the great potential for expanding the breadth and depth of our music creation workshops lies in the bonds we form with the local community.