By Elliott Grabill
This past weekend it was my great privilege to work with and watch distinguished singer, composer, and artist Meredith Monk. Winner of the 1995 MacArthur "Genius Award" and decreed as "one of America's coolest composers," Ms. Monk's music takes the listener on a spiritual journey through an eclectic array of sound, landscapes, and people. Her vocal style, practically absent of words, explores new domains of possibility and technique.
In concert at Old Cabell Hall on Saturday, Monk's vocals ranged from raw, simple and utterly haunting ancient melodies to angular, zig-zag insect noises: an incredible diversity of musical images probing the deepest parts of the imagination. The first section of the concert featured Monk entirely unaccompanied by instruments or backup vocals. The first piece, a selection from her 1977 Songs from the Hill, was a recurring gesture that took the listener in new, sometimes unexpected directions. While every segment held the original melody, each new phrase delighted the ears with a montage of sound, technique, and texture.
Equally breathtaking were her four duet selections from Facing North (1990), which she performed (again a capella) with Theo Bleckmann. The first movement alternated between a quiet yet dynamic braid of shivering and "zh" sounds, and a louder, lyrical yet jarring section.
The other movements were equally evocative. With simple choreography and gibbering vocalization, Monk and Bleckmann created a striking image of humanity. The concert also featured artists Katie Geissinger, a versatile, virtuoso vocalist who has been working with Monk since 1990, and Allison Sniffin, a musician equally skilled in piano, violin, Theremin and voice. Equipped with lighting, sound design and costumes, the concert was truly a multimedia experience.
The performance closed featuring members of the University Singers with two selections from Monk's opera The Games. As a member of the University Singers, I participated in Monk's vocal master class where she rehearsed these pieces with us. The two numbers expanded our usual collection of singing techniques. The Panda Chant II required us to create rhythmic animal sounds, creating an iconoclastic yet refreshingly non-academic "musique concrete" for vocals.The piece also involved movement and clapping, hinting at an ancient tribal ritual.
Following was the contrasting Astronaut Anthem, a flowing, strikingly simple chant that created an ominous futuristic aura while simultaneously resembling medieval music in its language. With "ah" as the only lyrics written in the score, the piece slowly transports the listener into an evocative sound world that is only completely realized when the listener is returned by a series of soprano "whoops" at the end.
In addition to her vocal master class, Monk gave master classes in composition and movement. She mentioned one pearl of wisdom I found quite notable in her composition master class: "There is a difference between discriminating intelligence and judgment." It reminded me that too often even the most informed listeners will either hail a piece of music as perfect or harshly dismiss it as trash without any objective reason.
Monk made this statement in the context of composers approaching and critiquing their own work, but it is equally relevant for anyone who wishes to appreciate the arts. Clearly we can listen to a piece of music from many different viewpoints. Though people my age tend to prefer music that offers a certain emotional reaction, with imagination and an open mind we are capable of discovering gems we never thought existed in all types of music. Monk's music affirms my strong belief that humanity can create music equivalent in power to our scientific, technological, and philosophical innovations- music with depth will touch us both now and when future peoples look back on our strength, intellect, creativity and love.
At the end of the concert Meredith Monk and her ensemble were given a rousing applause. I believe that the audience was moved by Monk because she offered an experience that was artistically, emotionally, and creatively rich. With her colorful variety of expression, I can think of no other artist with the power to challenge, move, and enlighten the public like Meredith Monk.
By David Faulkner
My first impressions of Meredith Monk's work were not kind. I felt her music embodied what I like least about the avant-garde: experimentation without regard for aesthetics. It is wonderful when musicians explore new ways to create sounds and meld them together, but such experimentation often is presented in an unrefined manner.
Certainly, a substantial portion of Monk's work, especially her pieces for solo voice, sounds as though one is listening in as she explores different ideas without regard to coherence. An example of this is her "Click-songs;" in these, she impressively hums a melody while also producing a variety of vocal "clicks." Despite the obvious difficulty of the technique and her skill in pulling it off, the piece ultimately was a mediocre work of music: It was repetitive and lacked direction. A similar criticism could be applied to several of the other pieces on her CDs and in her recent concert in Old Cabell Hall.
Monk's live performance, however, did much to soften my impression of her. Obviously comfortable on stage after more than 40 years of performing, her presence and dynamism helped to offset the repetitive nature of many of her pieces. Her lack of self-importance made the experimental nature of her work much easier to accept.
Especially rewarding to watch was her interaction with other performers during later pieces; in the intricate duet "Hocket," my emotional state alternated between truly enjoying the performance and being awed at the musical virtuosity being displayed by the two performers, Monk and Theo Bleckmann.
Ultimately, Monk's experimentation with "extended vocal technique," although historically important, too often descends into weirdness for weirdness' sake. For the most part, her performance was enjoyable but was clearly an example of performance art, not concert music. By attending and participating in this event, I feel I was part of an important artistic experience, but I still wouldn't buy a Meredith Monk CD.
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