AN ARCHITECTURE of SOCIETY the AMERICAN COMPOSER ANDREW NORMAN Fbyro Manne Ann Lanzilottie Lanzilotti

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AN ARCHITECTURE OF SOCIETY THE AMERICAN COMPOSER ANDREW NORMAN fbyro mAnne Ann Lanzilottie Lanzilotti

Andrew Norman, born in 1979, is a young composer from California who explores the structures of mosaics, buildings and human society on a perceptual and audible level in his music.

■ Try. Split. Suspend. Switch. «I really love seeing people make choices Play. Many of the titles for Andrew Nor- and taking risks on stage … to take a risk, man’s recent works are both a window into to have a defnite idea about the interpre- formal devices used in the piece and an in- tation of a piece … To me, the heart and vitation for the audience to engage in active soul of written music is about creating listening. Often, Norman presents a com- something with enough depth and com- plex texture at the beginning of a work plexity, but also enough openness in it to that is slowly untangled through actions in allow for many different realizations… the orchestra – actions which sometimes And that has also led me into really explo- contradict each other as the orchestra tries ring this idea of human interaction in to resolve the formal puzzle of non-linear music. How can I open up that space on narratives. Processing these contradictions the written page for human beings to be in a meaningful way requires both the calm human beings when they play music?»1 ability to recognize them, and the empathy For those unfamiliar with Norman’s to take on diferent perspectives. Contem- music, here is an introduction to two of his porary music requires one to confront pre- works: The Companion Guide to Rome and conceived notions of sound, and challenges Play. the listener to process these contradictions in real time. Therefore, although listening THE COMPANION GUIDE TO ROME to a classical music concert is often consi- The Companion Guide to Rome (2010) is a dered a passive activity, Norman is asking string trio inspired by churches in Rome. the audience to make it an active one by The piece is a journey through various questioning their aesthetic assumptions and musical styles: Norman experiments with being open to problem-solving. different ideas of physicality, coordination, n o s

Norman does this not only with narra- and narrative in these miniatures. The work r e d

tive, but also in the way he employs exten- was premiered in 2010 at Radialsystem V n A

a s

ded techniques. While many modern com- in Berlin by the Scharoun Ensemble, and s e J

posers use extended techniques to enhance was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music © the texture and complexity of their works, in 2012. Norman’s awareness of the instruments al- Each movement of The Companion lows for an incredible range of sound. He Guide to Rome uses diferent compositional develops and chooses the techniques he techniques to express visual metaphor in musicologist Alex Ross, «Geometrically uses through tactile experimentation on the churches. For example, Norman uses elegant patterns of expanding and con- the piano and viola – his two primary in- musical palindromes in the second move- tracting intervals give [Norman’s] structu- struments. Because of this, the techniques ment, Benedetto, to represent the cosma- res an architectural solidity.»2 Just as sud- are comfortable to execute and are gene- tesque foors of San Benedetto in Piscinula. denly as the movement started, it is cut of rated with an awareness of the physicality The movement sounds like a lost string in the middle of the last palindrome, only and energy required of the performer. In trio by Maurice Ravel reimagined by M.C. to be re-visited later in the work. an interview for New Music Box Norman Escher (https://soundcloud.com/psny/an- Perhaps the most humorous of the mo- states: drew-norman-benedetto). In the words of vements, Lorenzo starts with a tight six-

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«How can I open up that space on the written page for human beings to be human beings when they play music?» | Andrew Norman

teenth-note hocket in the three strings the sound from elegant and precise to the movement is named, San Lorenzo fuori running quickly through the circle of ffths, rough, rude, and sloppy.» Watching this la Mura, in particular, a specifc place in the picking up where Benedetto was abruptly happen live, one may observe that the syn- cosmatesque foor that was broken and re- cut of. However, instead of moving back chronized physicality it takes to play toget- paired in a sloppy manner. Lorenzo marks through the palindrome, the players are her at the beginning of the movement an important turning point in the piece: asked to «gradually fall apart» both in changes dramatically as the three players the players allow the texture to fall apart rhythmic tightness and in timbral cleanliness. begin break away from the hocket. This through a transition to noncoordinated In the score, Norman indicates, «change musical gesture refects the church for which playing. In allowing the music to fall apart

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z brains and changed the ways we express 2017 Composer of the Year, and the Gra- n a L

e ourselves, about the blurring boundaries of wemeyer Prize for Musical Composition n n A reality in the internet age, the murky for Play. Given such press, Norman could © grounds where video games and drone be pushing his upcoming projects, but in- warfare meet, for instance, or where cyber- stead he has taken the opportunity to voice bullying and real world violence converge. his concerns about the classical music Play touches on the corrupting infuence community. In an interview with NPR in of power and the collapse and rebirth of response to receiving the Grawemeyer, social systems, but it is also explores the Norman chose to: «… call attention to the physicality and joy of instrumental playing, fact that there are problems. For instance, as well as the many potential meanings of this award has been given to three women coordinated human activity – how the dis- out of its 30-year history. And to me that's play of massed human synchronicity can kind of an issue. And in all honesty, I’m a represent both the communal best and co- white man and I get lots of commissions ercive worst of our race.7 and there are systemic reasons for that, reasons we should all be talking about … The THE VOICES OF OUR TIME canon is so overwhelmingly white and Norman has received a lot of press recently male, but we can use new music to fx that for being awarded both Musical America’s problem. There are so many voices who

Fascinating structures | the old Cosmatesque mosaic floor (12th–14th century) of the San Benedetto church in Piscinula (Italy)

and «failing» to stay together, the players can continue on, fnding new systems of organization and methods of refection in 3 C 2 solo 2" m.s.p. III the fnal movements of the work. Vln. I 2 U Ó ˜˜˜ & n n (light finger)" 3 solo approx. 10" q = 60 pitchless slow motion bow, m.s.p. III PLAY (2013, REV. 2016) Vln. I 3 U & ! ˜ ˜ n n 7 solo (light finger)" Play is a sprawling symphonic work in three pitchless slow bow, m.s.p. approx. III q = 60 Vln. 1 7 ˜ ˜˜ &n n movements, or «levels» as they are named. (light finger)" approx. 1 solo q = 60 6" m.s.p. Stunning timbres are highlighted by rapid 3 Vln. II 1 U # & ! O OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO O O O O OO O OO O O O O O O O O O OO O O O O O O O O O O On jump cuts in a formal maze of interwoven 2 solo " F 4" m.s.p. 3 narratives. The piece begins with all these Vln. II 1 U # ! O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O & OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO O O O OO OO OO OO OO O O n narratives in conflict with each other. As " 1 solo f IV 7" stationary bounce*, tip the work unfolds, the audience begins to accel. rit. Vla. 1 U B ! œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. 2 solo hear singular voices emerge, and may fol- p stationary bounce*, tip 9" accel. rit. U Vla. 2 B ! low their individual journeys through the œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. 3 p 3 solo 13" m.s.p. piece. o Vc. 3 U o œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ? ! œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Norman is intrigued by the many ways " p 4 solo 16" m.s.p. o that physicality can be involved in sound. Vc. 4 U o œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ? ! œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 1 solo n 9" on the bridge Certain techniques require seemingly small no pitch or tone " p U O O Cb. 1 ? ! physical motion but create extreme timbral 2 solo n n 5" on the bridge f no pitch or tone U O O distortion such as the technique Norman Cb. 2 ? ! n n calls heavy bow pressure with light fnge- f red tremolo.4 Others, like the pitchless bounce and noisy shift5 involve large phy- ª D sical gestures from the players that produce 4 1 2 6 1" 2" 3" approx. U almost no sound. Drawing the audience’s q = 144 U U B Cl. 2 b œœœ#œ attention to the physical aspects of perfor- & 3 " p 3 solo IV stationary bounce*, tip 5 solo mance emphasizes the humanity of the in- accel. rit. stationary bounce*, tip accel. rit. Vla. A ...... B dividual players on stage. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œœ œœ œœ œœ # œ œ œ œ p 4 solo 6 solo . . . n . stationary bounce*, tip p stationary bounce*, tip In program notes that Norman wrote accel. rit. accel. rit. Vla. B ...... B œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œœ œœ œœ œœ # œ œ œ œ

for the recent performance of the revised c Startp just after Vla. 3 ﬁnishes. . . . n. i

Startp just after Vla. 5 starts, like an echo. s u

version of Play by the Los Angeles Philhar- M

t t o h

monic, he says: c *stationary bounce: Bounce the bow, at the tip, without any up- or down-bow motion, only vertical rebound. S

Ideally, ﬁnd the "sweet spot" where the bow will bounce itself, without impulses from the wrist or arm. A tighter bow helps.

about choice, chance, free will, and control, Exploring social systems as a musical metaphor | Andrew Nor- about how technology has rewired our man: «Play» for orchestra (2013/16), score p. 118 44 NZfM_2017-2ENGL 20.04.17 10:42 Seite 45

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should be heard in the concert hall today, a c i n

of people whose music refects a wide va- a s u S

riety of experiences. That, to me, is the most important issue right now for con- © temporary classical music and classical music generally — how to get what hap- pens in the concert hall to refect the di- verse society that we are. I think that or- chestras have such an opportunity, especi- ally now in this really conficted, conten- tious moment, to say something powerful and meaningful about our own time, with all of the voices of our own time.»8 In his acceptance speech as Musical America’s 2017 Composer of the Year Norman went on to say: «I have been bles- sed with way more than my fair share of opportunities in this feld, way more chan- ces than I deserve to cultivate my voice, to grow as a musician, and to learn from great artists and mentors. I’ve also, and perhaps most importantly, been given the opportunity to fail, to fail repeatedly, and to fail in public, and I’m so grateful for that. . . . I can’t help but feel that this gift of failure also puts me in an incredibly privileged position. I think about all the composers In search of new sounds and performance techniques | Andrew Norman in rehearsals with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra who have not been granted the same good fortune that I have, composers who don’t get the chance to fail because they don’t discussing social issues allow for conversa- 6 see: https://vimeo.com/115079850. get the chance at all, and I wonder what tions that otherwise might not be possible 7 see: Norman: [Programmbook to Play], http://andrewnor- manmusic.com/archives/220. we as a community can do about it. . . . it between people of opposing political 8 Norman: «Andrew Norman Wins the Grawemeyer Award is our foremost responsibility as musical ci- views. In the premiere of the revised ver- for Music», interview by Tom Huizenga, in: Deceptive tizens to fnd [these voices], to cultivate sion of Play this fall, I was sitting behind an Cadence from NPR Classical, 28.11.2016, www.npr.org/ sections/deceptivecadence/2016/11/28/502559072/ them, to give them plenty of opportunities elderly couple that was whispering to each andrew-norman-wins-the-grawemeyer-award-for-music. to succeed and to fail, and ultimately to let other the whole time, leaning over the 9 Norman: «On Being Named Composer of the Year by Musical America», in: New Music Box, 9.12.2016, them take the art form to places we cannot edge to see what was happening on stage. www.newmusicbox.org/articles/on-being-named-composer- 9 yet imagine.» At the climax of the piece when all the in- of-the-year-by-musical-america. To those who don’t know Norman, dividual narratives fnally join together to these comments may seem surprising. Ho- create a unifed melody, the couple sud- wever, one of the narratives of Play is the denly held hands. In these moments, art in- personal journey of each individual in the spires us to fnd each other. If audience orchestra having the opportunity to try out members can be swept away by the expe- ideas that fail many times before fnding rience of live performance, then perhaps in ■ INFO the one that they were searching for all empathizing with members of the ensem- WORLD PREMIERS along. Voices in the back of the orchestra, ble, they can begin to extend that empathy [Violin Concerto]. traditionally not in roles of leadership, are to others whom they would traditionally Jennifer Koh (violin), Peter Oundjian (conductor), Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra given solos that inspire the rest of the or- not give a voice to in their own lives. ■ October 14/ 15, 2017 Los Angeles / USA chestra to also break out and fnd their voi- 1 Andrew Norman: «Andrew Norman: Empowering Perfor- A Trip to the Moon. A new opera for children and adults ces. In the premiere of the new version of mance», interview by Alexandra Gardner, in: New Music to sing and perform Box, www.newmusicbox.org/articles/andrew-norman- Play in October in Los Angeles, Norman June 17/ 18, 2017 Philharmonie, Berlin empowering-performance/ (accessed February 1, 2014). highlighted this aspect of the piece by sha- July 9, 2017 Barbican Centre, London 2 Alex Ross: «Composer of the Year 2017: Andrew Norman», March 2/ 3, 2018 Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles king the hands of the two solo violin play- in: Musical America Worldwide, http://www.musicalamerica. com/pages/?pagename=2017_Composer_Norman ers at the back of the sections instead of the CD 3 For a more detailed analysis of the piece see: Anne Lanzi- concertmaster’s hand, as is traditional. ■ Andrew Norman: Play for lotti: «‹Cut to a Different World›. Andrew Norman», in: Music Orchestra; Gil Rose, Boston & Literature 26.10.2016, www.musicandliterature.org/featu- Clearly, Norman is trying to fnd ways Modern Orchestra Project;

res/2016/10/25/cut-to-a-different-world-andrew-norman. to discuss these ideas of opportunity, privi- BMOP/sound 1040 4 see: https://soundcloud.com/psny/andrew-norman-bene- lege, and diversity in the concert hall in detto. musical terms. These metaphorical ways of 5 see: https://vimeo.com/115079848.