Interview with Charles Wuorinen Международный Отдел

Международный отдел • International Division ISSN 1997-0854 (Print), 2587-6341 (Online) DOI: 10.17674/1997-0854.2019.4.046-056 Interview with Charles Wuorinen Dear readers of the journal “Problemy muzykal’noj nauki / Music Scholarship”! he editorial board of the journal with composer and performer Harvey T“Problemy muzykalnoj nauki / Music Solberger, he was one of the leaders of the Scholarship” is happy to concert series, the Group present an interview with the for Contemporary Music, famous American composer devoted to performance Charles Wuorinen. At the of works by contemporary present time Wuorinen is the composers. In the 1970s most well-known composer Wuorinen wrote an orchestral of twelve-tone music in the composition A Reliquary for USA. He was born in New Igor Stravinsky, in which he York City in 1938, studied incorporated the last musical at Columbia University in sketches of the great master. New York, and subsequently Wuorinen is the author of taught at many universities Charles Wuorinen. a book on serial music, and conservatories in the Photo by Nina Roberts titled Simple Composition, USA, including Columbia which he characterizes as a University, Manhattan School of Music (New manual for composers, meant to teach them York), Princeton University and Rutgers how to compose music, and not a music University (New Jersey), New England theory book analyzing already composed Conservatory (Massachussetts), etc. In 1970 works. Wuorinen’s music is well-known he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his in the USA and in the countries of Western electronic composition Time’s Encomium, Europe, where there are frequent premiere composed with the use of the RCA Synthesizer performances of his new compositions, at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music among which it becomes proper to name Center. In his music Wuorinen adheres to his eight symphonies, his trilogy of ballets the musical traditions of Schoenberg and based on the theme of Dante’s Divine Stravinsky (especially the latter’s late period), Comedy, compositions for chorus and and asserts that he was most influenced in his orchestra on Biblical themes: Genesis and music by American composers Elliott Carter A Celestial Sphere, music for piano, various and Milton Babbitt and German émigré to the chamber ensembles, percussion ensembles United States Stefan Wolpe. The composer and several operas. Music lovers in Russia was also inspired by the fractal theories of have yet to discover for itself the music mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot. Similar of this intriguing composer (see website to Babbitt, Wuorinen has incorporated www.charleswuorinen.com), and we hope that serial rhythm, in many cases projecting the this interview, which is the first publication latter onto the formal structures of entire about the composer in this country, shall compositions, following his own invented serve as an impetus for further popularization system. From 1962 to the mid-2010s, along of his music in Russia. 46 Уважаемые читатели журнала «Проблемы музыкальной науки / Music Scholarship»! едакция журнала «Проблемы музы- изобретённой системе. С 1962 до сере- Ркальной науки» рада представить ин- дины 2010 годов, вместе с композитором тервью с американским композитором и исполнителем Харви Солбергером, он Чарлзом Уориненом. В настоящее время был одним из руководителей концертной Уоринен является самым известным ком- серии «Group for Contemporary Music» позитором двенадцатитоновой музыки («Группы современной музыки»), ста- в США. Он родился в Нью-Йорке в 1938 вящей задачу исполнения сочинений со- году, обучался композиции в Колумбий- временных композиторов. В 1970-х годах ском университете и впоследствии препо- Уоринен написал сочинение «A Reliquary давал во многих университетах и консер- for Igor Stravinsky» («Усыпальница Игоря ваториях США, включая Колумбийский Стравинского»), где использовал послед- университет, Манхэттенскую школу ние музыкальные наброски Стравинско- музыки (Нью-Йорк), Университет Рат- го. Уоринен – автор книги о серийной герс и Принстонский университет (штат музыке «Simple Composition», которую Нью-Джерси), Консерваторию Новой он характеризует более как пособие для Англии (Массачусетс) и др. В 1970 году композиторов для обучения сочинению он был удостоен Пулитцеровской пре- музыки, нежели как музыкально-теоре- мии за электронное сочинение «Time’s тическую книгу, анализирующую уже Encomium» («Славословие времени»), написанное. Музыка Уоринена широко созданное при помощи синтезатора RCA известна в США и странах Западной Ев- Synthesizer в Студии электронной музыки ропы, где часто звучат его новые сочине- Колумбийского и Принстонского универ- ния, среди которых можно назвать восемь ситетов. В своей музыке Уоринен придер- симфоний, несколько опер, трилогию ба- живается традиций Арнольда Шёнберга летов по «Божественной комедии» Дан- и Игоря Стравинского (в особенности, те, произведения для хора и оркестра на позднего периода), и утверждает, что библейские темы «Genesis» и «A Celestial наибольшее влияние на его музыку ока- Sphere», музыку для фортепиано, раз- зали американские композиторы Эллиотт личных камерных ансамблей, ансамблей Картер и Милтон Бэббитт, а также немец- ударных инструментов. Российской пу- кий эмигрант в США Штефан Вольпе. блике ещё предстоит открыть для себя Он также был вдохновлен фрактальными музыку этого интригующего композито- математическими теориями математика ра (см. сайт: www.charleswuorinen.com), Бенуа Мандельброта. Вслед за Бэббитом, и мы надеемся, что данное интервью, Уоринен в своих сочинениях использо- являющееся первой публикацией о ком- вал серийный ритм, в некоторых случа- позиторе в стране, послужит толчком для ях проектируя его на форму целого со- дальнейшей популяризации его музыки чинения, следуя своей собственной, им в России. 47 Международный отдел • International Division Mr. Wuorinen, can you tell us about the It must be emphasized in this connection style of music you represent? You are known that during the time of my youth there was as a representative of the Uptown School, a an attitude, – which has changed a great deal composer of twelve-tone music, and you have since then, – that everything in the field of new written computer music. music was meant to be a constant redefinition These characterizations are essentially of music, which would continuously take labels, which do not mean anything. Besides place. Each new musical composition would that, they are not necessarily reflective of my present something which has never been done methods. Certainly, I would say that a large before. This was an ideology which spanned part of what I do emerges ultimately from a very wide spectrum of compositional the tradition established by Schoenberg and attitudes. In this regard John Cage had the continued by Milton Babbitt, also with a same attitude as Milton Babbitt did. In lot of influence of the twelve-tone period of fact, before these two particular composers Stravinsky. Nevertheless, these labels are realized how totally opposite they were, very bad to use, because they are substitutes they were even friendly with each other at a for thought and for listening. So I do not certain point. So that was something which think that they are helpful at all. Furthermore, always made me uneasy, even when I was a I do not have any particular capacity for self- very young composer, because I could not portraiture. I just compose the music that I do, see how one could live in a perpetual state of and I leave for others to describe it. I just wish revolution. This is an ideological cause, rather their descriptions were more accurate. than a sense of musical perception. Of course, Could you tell us, where you studied, who the European composers of that time, such as your musical teachers were and what your Boulez and Stockhausen, used this mainly as primary musical influences were? public posture, which had very little artistic My primary artistic professional education meaning. But in America you cannot get came from professional life more than away with that so much, since nobody cares. anything else. I went to Columbia University, These were genuinely held convictions, from where I received my Bachelor’s and albeit in very different ways: Elliott Carter Master’s Degrees. However, the teachers I had interpreted them one way, Milton Babbitt there did not really offer me much of interest, – another way, and John Cage – a third so I do not feel I owe them any particular way. Nonetheless, they all maintained these artistic debt. On the other hand, because attitudes, and this made me uneasy, since I was in New York, I came into contact with I could not see how human beings could live Milton Babbitt, Stepan Wolpe and Elliott in a perpetual state of upheaval. Things had Carter, who were the three major sources of to settle down, in the long run. Changes and inspiration on me. They influenced me not expansions of compositional processes had because I studied with them, which I never to be consolidated. So I took it on myself as did, but because I knew them personally, my vocation to try to assimilate the stylistic heard their music and examined it. I had also traits I developed in my music and not been friends with Edgard Varese, who was no necessarily push them farther, because, as theoretician, needless to say, but his attitudes far as I could see, farther motion towards a on music also had an effect on me. So these supposed “progress” in music represented a are the confessions of an autodidact, more kind of abyss. This is especially in view of than anything else. Such is the way my artistic the fact that the truly revolutionary results personality was shaped. in music had already been achieved in the 48 earliest years of the 20th century, where, on in his music, there was no need for him to read the one hand, there was Stravinsky, on the a theory book or article. It would not be helpful other hand, there was Schoenberg. The rest of for the development of his compositional what essentially happened in the 20th century skills, because, after all, theory depends in music is essentially an afterthought. So this on perception.

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