[Tango-L] a little about modern opera music

[Nina Pesochinsky]

Dear Astrid, Igor and everyone on the list,

I disagree with the idea of how much power money has over art.  I 
love the voice and art of Montserrat Caballe.  However, this diva has 
not appeared in a major operatic production in at least 20 years (?) 
or so before her retirement.  There is truth in everything that she 
had said in an interview, but that is only one facet of a 
multifaceted gem.  We choose what we see.

To me, the difference between a true artist and people who do art is 
that an artist simply cannot NOT do it.  It is not a matter of 
choice.  As a consequence, it is also not a function of 
money.  Instead, the success is a result of the conviction that the 
artist has about what he or she is doing.  There is a huge power in that.

Have you ever heard Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante perform Vivaldi 
concertos or Boccherini's 'Fandango"?  It is wild.  These musicians 
are incredible.  They are daring.  Their arrangements sound like rock 
music of classical music.  If Virgin company did not record them, 
someone else would have.  It is impossible to not do it.  The power 
of this music and the conviction of the musicians go beyond the 
trappings of this mortal world.  True art enslaves the will.

To me, art connects us to the eternal. How much of ourselves are we 
willing to sell for the security of the material world?  In Jungian 
terms, that depends on the strength of the Prostitute 
archetype.  Artists are people.  Their promoters are also 
people.  Their beliefs carry great influence in regard to the success 
of the teachers they organize.

I am convinced that in tango, people sell out when they lack a core 
understanding of who they are in this dance.  I think that it is only 
a matter of time until they emerge differently.  When they know the 
essence of what they do, the integrity their work has, leaves no 
choice for failure.  It is a matter of evolution for the teachers and 
performers as well as social dancers.  Just because a movie producer 
has discovered a dancer, does not mean that the dancer has found his 
or her identity.

So the question for the artist is - Do you believe in your art enough 
to do it even when no one is willing to pay you for it?

Warmest regards,

Nina


At 12:46 PM 8/20/2006, astrid wrote:
>Difference is that in the old days artists had kings who sponsored them, or
>churches who bought their paintings...
>These days, art is produced with the desire to make money. That is why it is
>so difficult to get anything published.
>And unfortunately, art, music, dance etc. is now produced for a very wide,
>general clientele. And a lot of people are attracted to the flash and trash,
>not to the real thing.
>
>Astrid
>
>-----An internet newspaper ( pretty insignificant ) in Russian language
>published an interview with Montserrat Caballe:
>http://www.utro.ru/articles/2006/08/18/575713.shtml
>
>In the light of recent discussion about music, I'd like to translate a
>little except from the article the best I can.
>Igor.
>
>Newspaper: There are many talks that World is fading away in cultural way:
>art is diminishing, becoming a business. Being one of the titans of the
>modern art, do you agree with such an opinion?
>
>Montserrat Caball$B!&(B http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montserrat_Caball%C3%A9 :
>
>[She speaks about classical vocal music in this interview - Igor]. In 21st
>century and at the end of the last one, 20 century there was development of
>mediocrity. There are very little of creative desires. Music was never a
>laboratory product. Music is always inspiration, spirituality, and spirit of
>a composer. Nowadays, there are very few composers who create with their
>spirit. On the other hand there are hundreds, I would say, thousands
>laboratory composers. We are talking about opera composers in this case,
>about those who make opera music. These composers do not feel calling, a
>need to create real music and devote to it completely. Rather they need to
>receive many contracts to make money and become famous in a year. Maximum in
>five years, but better in a year.
>
>
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