NZfM_2017-2ENGL 20.04.17 10:42 Seite 42 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- 42 NZfM_2017-2ENGL 20.04.17 10:42 Seite 43 PORTRAIT ■ «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 43 NZfM_2017-2ENGL 20.04.17 10:42 Seite 44 i t t o l i 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, rea- sons 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.