Interview for Early Music America

An interview in which the EMA: Last time we checked in, you were ic song. In both cases the wellsprings of modern day troubadour talks working on Medieval Spanish music inspiration come not from theological about his recent production with an Arabic ensemble from Morocco. speculation but from the lived, or imag- and his plans for the future Recently, you’ve finished a run of per- ined, experience of divine intervention formances of Borrowed Light, based on in human life – the miracle tales of Shaker song, and your collaborators Cantigas on one side, the mystical have been a modern dance company visions of the Shakers on the other. from Finland. That’s And in both cases you have bodies of a big jump. art music, written down by literate JC: Yes, the Boston scribes, that nonetheless draw melodic Camerata and I often inspiration from oral traditions, from get nicked by people currents of folk and popular music. who wish we would EMA: You’ve done two Shaker record- concentrate more on ings, given many performances, and one specific repertoire collaborated on a book of Shaker or another. There was a songs. How did the Finns come into lot of flack a number of the picture? seasons back when we JC: The choreographer, Tero Saarinen, began adding early has been very interested in religious American repertoire to expression and in the life of religious our Medieval/ Renais- communities and spent time in Japan on sance performing pro- a kind of spiritual quest. On the other file. We even lost a state hand, the dance work he fashioned from arts council grant one Shaker song did not turn out to be an year because the review illustration of Shaker life or belief. The committee said our dance movements, the black costumes, programming “lacked and the mostly somber lighting some- focus.” times even contradict the tranquil sim- Well, focus is where plicity of the songs. There’s a lot of you find it. I suppose struggle in the piece – among the mem- PHOTO: PAUL KYTE we could record 30 bers of this imaginary religious commu- madrigal books published in Venice nity and within individual lives. At other between 1550 and 1580, but that’s just times there is a happy flow and a not how my mind works. I like to find glimpse of something beyond the tra- connections that go farther afield and vails of earthly existence. It’s not a that are a bit surprising perhaps. To simple work at all. quote my favorite early music guru, EMA: So did you need to adapt the William Blake, “the tigers of wrath are Shaker music to the choreography? wiser than the horses of instruction.” JC: Not really. Tero and I worked hard EMA: Have you had trouble convincing to find an ordering of the material that people of the connections between would give an overall architecture to the 13th-century Cantigas and Shaker evening and that would support his songs? choreographic ideas. The songs them- JC: Externals of style to one side, there selves, however, were performed as we are in fact deep affinities. You have two have always done them, a cappella,in considerable bodies of religious monod- straightforward fashion, as best we

36 Winter 2006 Early Music America Borrowed Light

understand the Shaker manner. One into the way of Tero’s very specific exception is the famous “Simple Gifts,” vision? which we sang very slowly, as one solo As it turned out, I needn’t have wor- dancer did a spiritual exercise. ried. The reviews ranged from excellent EMA: Do you have an orchestra pit or a to ecstatic, and this despite a deeply reserved space for the live music? deficient sound transmission on the JC: The eight singers are onstage at all opening night: an overhead fan that was times, and they move around almost supposed to be turned off PHOTO: JONAS LUNDQUIST constantly, relating to the eight dancers during the show was and their movements. It’s the most bril- blasting ugly decibels of liant integration of live music and dance noise all over our pre- I have ever witnessed. cious Shaker music. EMA: How have your audiences related It worked anyway – to this? hamdullah, as they say in JC: Last season there were 17 perform- Morocco. And there are ances in Europe, in six different coun- more U.S. and interna- tries. The Italians had the most trouble tional tours in the works with it; the dance is not “decorative” in for this show – of most ways that are familiar to them. They interest to your readers, loved the singing, however. perhaps, a week-long run In other venues – Germany and at the Brooklyn Academy France – we had enthusiastic welcomes. of Music in autumn 2007. The Brits loved it; there were a slew of It will be tough to sched- excellent reviews in the London press. ule because Camerata has Not surprisingly, the most electric an important semester- interactions with the public took long residence at the place in Scandinavia: Stockholm and University of Tennessee Helsinki. I think they recognized the in Knoxville that very place that Tero’s mind inhabits and season, but it’s going to related to it immediately. I remember happen. the stunned silence after the first show EMA: Apart from dancing in Stockholm – it felt like we had all, and education, what’s coming up? More Starting in the autumn of dancers and singers, participated in a Americana? More Medieval? 2008, I’ll be going part time prophetic moment with the Swedish JC: Neither, exactly. Starting in the public. autumn of 2008, I’ll be going part time with the Boston Camerata. EMA: And in America? with the Boston Camerata, and the What I want to do next JC: I was a little nervous about how this board will be recruiting new talent to production would be received here at plan and direct programs. I’d love to say is an outgrowth of the home, at Jabob’s Pillow in Beckett, more about Camerata’s future, but for a Cantigas project. I want Massachusetts. Nobody on the few more months at any rate, the to create an institute where European continent – except perhaps in ensemble’s plans are still under wraps. England – has any particular knowledge I have a big new project in mind for Arabs and Europeans, or awareness of Shakerism. In the U.S., myself, one that will probably take years Christians and Muslims and on the contrary, the Shakers are almost a to work through and that will open up a part of our collective self-image. Would new chapter in my career. Jews, can do serious work in our ingrained ideas of Shakerism get What I want to do next is an music and related disciplines.

Early Music America Winter 2006 37 outgrowth of the Cantigas project and other things we have done in that vein – The Sacred Bridge, the recent Warner Classics recording of A Mediterranean Christmas. As we have worked with musi- cians of Middle Eastern origin, both here and in Morocco, I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing Early Music more important at this point in history than to explore the common roots at Oberlin and meeting points of our respective civilizations. G Bachelor of Music There is such a huge gap of knowledge and understanding – the first thing G Master of Music in performance we need to do is to talk and learn from on historical instruments each other. I can’t do this with politics and economics – and wouldn’t want to G Artist Diploma if I could – but on the level of music, culture, and the arts, there is so much to G Double-degree program leading be discovered! I have a little piece of to both the Bachelor of Arts and that knowledge accumulated in my Bachelor of Music brain; there are others who hold other pieces. We need to meet and talk to put the fragments together once again. So, I want to create an Institute of sorts where Arabs and Europeans, OBERLIN Christians and Muslims and Jews, can The Oberlin Conservatory of Music do serious work in music and related A tradition of excellence disciplines. I figure this is the best con- tribution I can make at this stage of my life to the global malaise we all feel. David Boe organ, organ literature, EMA: That could be a major undertak- history and design, ensembles ing. Have you had any results so far? JC: Once again, I can’t spill all the beans. David Breitman But I can say that initial talks with a program department chair, fortepiano, courses in historical performance European umbrella organization have gone very well. It looks like this new James David Christie institute may have a place to operate organ, organ literature, history and design quite near a major European capital city, Michael Lynn with physical space, logistical support, recorder, baroque flute, ensembles and a portion of the necessary operating The Oberlin Marilyn McDonald budget. Conservatory of Music What they and I will be seeking in baroque violin, ensembles at Oberlin College the coming months is more help in the Catharina Meints viola da gamba, baroque cello, ensembles Office of Admissions form of both in-kind services and fund- 39 West College Street ing. I think I’m allowed to say that part- Alison Melville Oberlin, Ohio 44074 nership with American individuals and recorder, ensembles 440-775-8413 institutions will be warmly welcomed. Steven Plank Other nationalities, too! This is intended musicology, Collegium Musicum www.oberlin.edu to be a multi-layered partnership. Hey, Kathie Lynne Stewart anybody else out there want to help baroque flute Michael Manderen me put this thing together? We might Director of Admissions actually have some fun! I Webb Wiggins harpsichord, continuo, David H. Stull harpsichord literature, ensembles Dean of the Conservatory Those interested in obtaining more information about Cohen’s emerging plans for an interna- tional institute can write [email protected]..

38 Winter 2006 Early Music America