Luigi Nono and Prometeo
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Special Article Symposium Luigi Nono and Prometeo Helmut LACHENMANN ISOZAKI Arata ASADA Akira CHOKI Seiji Luigi Nono Translation: Alfed BIRNBAUM A Dialectic of Progress and Regression that these sounds appeared in forms broken Helmut LACHENMANN: Between 1958 and down by his own unique methods. NONO did not 1960 I studied composition under Luigi NONO. employ such sonorities in any embellished or This coincided exactly with when Darmstadt [1] was virtuoso or ornamental way; rather his creativity in the throes of searching for a "new music." lay in dissecting closer and closer to the very Three central figures dominated at Darmstadt inner nature of the sounds, creating from within back then: BOULEZ, STOCKHAUSEN and the broken pieces. Works like «Varianti» or «Il NONO. Around the time I began my studies canto sospeso» [the suspended song] exemplify under NONO, while all three utilized the same this approach. We can discern a dialectic of techniques, it was becoming clear that NONO progress and regression in NONO's works from was taking a completely different path from the that period. Trumpet parts, for instance, carry other two. To the other composers, NONO associations with BEETHOVEN's fanfares, the seemed stuck in a neo-Webernian [2] tympanies echo of military music. Even in the expressionist mode. Yet in 1958, when vocal parts we hear something of traditional STOCKHAUSEN came out with «Gruppen» [3] and European bel canto. Not that he uses them as-is; BOULEZ with «Improvisation sur Mallarmé» [4], they're twisted and bent into an expression that both highly ornamental virtuoso works, NONO is all his own. Nor does he take an exotic criticized them as recidivist backtracking to museum-like perspective, merely giving us status quo bourgeois music. Whereas NONO as another walk-through tour of instruments and a composer really delved into the notion of music voices as they were used in other Western as "punctual," which had its beginnings at music. Rather, his "scandalous" experiments at Darmstadt, BOULEZ and STOCKHAUSEN had the time, we might say, lay in breaking down the strayed from such thinking and become more old even as he maintained it. «Fragmente-Stille, ornamental. Not only that, we might even say an Diotima» and «Prometeo» are often cited as that NONO differed from BOULEZ and from major turning points in NONO's ouevre, however, STOCKHAUSEN in his philosophy, the ideology I disagree. I can't help hearing «Prometeo» as behind the music; his concepts of freedom were one gigantic madrigal. That is to say, even as he something radically apart. At the same time, uses the old categories, they are unbelievably NONO once wrote me this in a letter: "Look out transformed, opening up new conduits to the act for BOULEZ. His music is just like of listening. STRAVINSKY's. He's trying to recreate the court music of Louis XIV, who'd stay in the palace ISOZAKI Arata: Personally speaking, around listening to music instead of hunting." when I first met NONO, somehow I gathered that On the other hand, NONO continued to use the this Akiyoshidai International Art Village Concert various affective forms of the tradition—exposed Hall was to be built for the Japan premiere of elements of pathos, for instance, such as in a «Prometeo». fanfare—things that BOULEZ and others had In Paris there is a park called Parc de la Villette. rejected from their structuralist thinking. What Originally fairly outlying, it now finds itself right differed from music up until then, however, was beside the périférique loop road. In the early [1] International Summer Courses for New Austrian composer. Studied under and Bruno MADERNA conducting. Music (Internationale Fereinkurse für Neue SCHÖNBERG; together with SCHÖNBERG STOCKHAUSEN also composed «Carré» Musik) in Darmstadt. Founded in 1946 by and fellow disciple BERG, is said to belong to (1960) for four orchestra groups and four musicologist Wolfgang STEINECKE (1910- the New Vienna School [Neue Wiener choral groups surrounding the audience. 61) for the dissemination of music by Schule]. Created even more rigorously twelve- SCHÖNBERG and others banned under the note works than SCHÖNBERG, while his [4] «Improvisations sur Mallarmé». A work for Nazis. Particularly famous from 1951 on as a latter period works move toward a proto-total soprano and orchestra based upon the poetry mecca for avantgarde music centered on the serialism, making him a hero of the total of MALLARMÉ. Parts I (1957) and II (1957) "total serialism" (a "total" expansion upon serialists. were premiered in January 1958, while Part III SCHÖNBERG's twelve-note "serialism" by (1959) was premiered in June 1959. means of rhythms and dynamics) expounded [3] «Gruppen». In this work the 109-chair Thereafter, he consolidated these together by composers Pièrre BOULEZ (1925- ), orchestra is divided into three groups of 36, with the similarly MALLARMÉ-based Karlheinz STOCKHAUSEN (1928- ) and Luigi 37 and 36 seated left, center and right, each «Tombeau» (1959) and «Don» (1962) under NONO (1924-90). playing at a different tempo so as to create the title «Pli selon pli, portrait de Mallarmé» shifting layers of auditory space. Premiered in (1962, revised 1983). [2] Anton (von) WEBERN (1883-1945). March 1958 with STOCKHAUSEN, BOULEZ Special Article No.27 Winter 1999 InterCommunication 129 '80s, an international competition was held for the architects are hopelessly 20th century, and redoing the park as part of MITTÉRAND's no one's reading forward from here. I don't want Grands Projets [5] . The brief for the competition anything to do with this jury." So saying, he went called for an arts center complete with a large home. I was enthralled with this stand up play of exhibition space, a music school and a concert his. Because two years prior, when I was hall. An international jury was convened of designing the Museum of Contemporary Art in something under 20 persons from around the Los Angeles, I ran into the same sort of deadlock world, myself as one of the judges from the with the client, and just stood up and walked out. architect side, and in the jury representing the Remembering that, I had to think, "Good show!" artist-musicians was NONO. Several other It made me feel close to NONO as a person. Of architects were also on the jury, including Renzo course, when it came time for the second jury, he PIANO [6], and even more landscape designers, came back and judged together with everyone. the chairman of the world's landscaping And that's when the decision went to the association—this was an all-out world effort to proposal by Swiss-born architect Bernard create landscape design here. For a fact, the TSCHUMI [7] —the landscapers lost. And the architects and artists were relegated to the proposal selected at next stage of competitions adjunct role of creating the "receptacle" for the Cité de la musique music facility in the structures. The idea being to make the park Park was by French architect Christian de international, in a word, a gift from Paris to the PORTZAMPARC [8] . The combination of these next century. We reviewed and debated nearly two rounded out the Park and facilities. In the 1,000 proposals sent in from all over the world, midst of all these political circumstances, I but landscapers' proposals were just not realized that when NONO stood up and walked interesting. To the architects, they seemed stuck out, this was his way to break the stalemate wide in 19th century thinking. There were several open, the posture he assumed to get things interesting proposals from architects, but the moving. Now here's a man, I thought, who knows general consensus was that they were how to operate. That's one of the first things unfeasible. The two professional camps were on about him that earned my respect. a collision course and the whole thing became a Then when he was invited to come to Suntory fighting match. Hall in Tokyo [9], I was able to spend more time The French Ministry of Culture who sponsored with him, and we came to a very personal the competition began to think that if this kept up relationship, so much so that ultimately I ended the architects and landscapers of the world were up designing his tomb for him where he was in danger of never speaking to one another buried on Isola San Michele. So when plans again. When all of a sudden NONO stood up and were drawn up for the Hall at Akiyoshidai and said, "So far I've listened to the opinions of both HOSOKAWA Toshio [10] was saying, "Let's do professions, but there's nothing worth «Prometeo» for the launch," I was overjoyed. discussing, nothing to show the 21st century. Actually, it was Renzo PIANO who'd served on The landscapers are hopelessly 19th century, the same jury who created the staging for the [5] Les Grands Projets. Major public urban Manhattan Transcripts (Academy Editions) and «Preludio» (1982), «Tokyo 1985» (1985), redevelopment scheme initiated by former French Architecture and Disjunction (MIT Press). «Utsurohi» (1986), «Hiroshima Requiem» (1989) president François MITTÉRAND. Enlisted many and the opera «King Lear» (1998). Since 1989, as noted contemporary architects to design such [8] Christian de PORTZAMPARC (1944- ). Artistic Director of the Akiyoshidai International projects as the Musée du Louvre Pyramide (I.M. Moroccan-born architect. Won the 1992 Grand Prix Contemporary Music Seminar & Festival he has put PEI), Institut du Monde Arabe (Jean NOUVEL) and d'Architecture of France and 1994 Pritzker Prize. considerable efforts into cultivating a new Parc de la Villette (Bernard TSCHUMI). generation of young Japan composers. [9] In autumn 1987, NONO was invited to Japan [6] Renzo PIANO (1937- ).