Over the last seven decades, the role of the conductor has evolved in new music ensembles that perform integrated concerts. It was problematized by John Cage; doubled (or split) by Charles Ives, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Mark Applebaum; manipulated by Thierry De Mey, Simon Steen-Andersen, and Stefan Prins; instrumentalized by Alexander Schubert, Alexander Khubeev, Michael Maierhof, and Pieter Matthynssens; and deployed tactically by Serge Verstockt, Jessie Marino, and Carl Rosman. For these composers and artistic directors and others in their genre, the presence of the conductor is no secondary phenomenon of the music, by an affirmative and active choice to deploy one to meet specific artistic and/or socioeconomic needs. The systematic study of this relatively new and developing situation allowed me to find tools and methods for forming the required piece-specific performance practices with the aim of better functioning as a tactical and curated conductor.
Follow this link to exhibition on research catalogue: Redefining the Conductor's Role
In this book, the Pascal Gielen and I use Michael Beil’s scenic composition as a lens to analyze our contemporary society and social media behavior. They delve into the effects of digitalization and online culture on our perception of the world and ourselves, and explore the impact of technological perfections and corrections on live performance.
Through an essay and an interview with Beil himself, we strive to understand our contemporary hyperreal condition and demonstrate the intrinsic role of music and aesthetics in understanding our human condition. As they argue, beauty is a science, and like science, all our senses are keys to knowledge of the world.
Does not all social media, all our lust for communication and connection, hide our growing loneliness? Join us as we explore these questions and more in “Hide to Show”!
ISBN: 978-94-6475-549-7
For sale at info@nadarensemble.be
available via Google Scholar