Internet 2 Musings

The artistically collaborative possibilities inherent in the new strain of Internet 2 technologies has caused me to think on future projects in a new light. I have an idea for a rock musical, for instance, but because such a notion of "rock musical" is already tainted with cliché connotations, why not make the thing into an event, one with as much an element of the unpredictable as there is of the rehearsed? Perhaps I could explain this in the program, and announce the specific moments when the experimentation will occur. Given the beta-ever-evolving nature of the medium at this stage - and the economics of charging high tickets prices to cover overhead in NYC - I don't think it would be fair to trick audiences into thinking they'd get the same thing every time. Then again, with practice I suppose the whole thing could be made seamless. Clearly, though, a spectator has to go into this with a much more open-minded view of what theatre is and could be.

I am encouraged by the egalitarianism of bringing this capability to the masses via iChat, although clearly the difference between an amateurish vaunt and a more professional one requires some pretty pricey equipment (mixers, monitors, cameras, projectors, screens, and the like). Many of those putting on events like this in the future may choose to bypass many of these components, in which case an already prominent trend of bringing the arts to a more casual home play space is likely to continue in that direction. As with any artistic endeavor, you have to play to the space, and if that space is increasingly people's laptop screens then producers of events in larger traditional theatre and concert hall spaces are to have even more to compete with since the first fallout of the domestic entertainment revolution, the surround sound home theatre. Can the arts survive this? What may finally trump this threat is that man is indeed a social animal... so if someone at home can log in and watch an event from anywhere, they become exposed to it, and may want to bring their friends to it live thereafter, thereby making the streaming version a form of advertising for the real thing (because, clearly, the quality cannot be as good without some parts that are truly in the flesh). We'll see, if we get to the point of 3-D holograms and perfect precision in audio with zero latency then the living real time arts may one day be dead.

Reflections on 2 Events

Last night was a second premiere of my electro-acoustic piece Take Flight Uncertain at NYU, this time with a live percussion ensemble and tape. It was a "Meet the Composer" kind of event, where the composer is asked to come to the stage prior and briefly discuss his/her work. I fear I may have put the players off by mentioning how sobering it is to hear the same piece live when a recorded version using samples at home had already been staged, but what I meant by that is how samples cannot prepare a composer for the challenges of the instruments for which he is writing when the piece goes to live. For instance, I had to rent three of the percussion instruments, which were not easy to find. Second, the tuned water glasses had to be amplified to be heard, and the thunder sheet on hand did not make quite the same extended effects as I was used to hearing from the samples. Interaction with the electronic CD accompaniment was sure to be an artificial construct in that theatre space with the two sources of sound happening at once, one that would have to be practiced to achieve the right balance. Also, in my score preparation I knew it would be challenging to communicate the idea of multiple simultaneous tempi. I think all said and done, though, the piece was delivered exceptionally well, and I was able to convey my feeling of implosion on an airplane which was the impetus behind the piece in the first place. Special thanks to the large supportive audience that came out, the players, Jonathan Haas, and the other composers whose pieces were all really great and wide-ranging.

Prior to this event, Take Flight was part of an Internet 2 event also in Loewe Theatre, entitled "Trying to Connect". This was more informal in intent and less advertised and attended, but the results were every bit as immersive as seeing a live concert music performance. The multimedia and cross-server aspect of this had something to do with it. A great deal of set up was done one day prior, and thanks to Tom Beyer and John Gilbert the equipment - which included 3 giant screens, 3 video cameras, a video mixer and 2 monitors, an audio mixer, and the internet connection powered by, of all things, iChat - performed to great success, and brought the improvisational aspects of the music and dance to a larger-than-life quality. An I2 improv duet with John Gunther at the University of Colorado on two saxophones was for me a great experience, one that I look forward to repeating in future collaborations. Take Flight in this version was rendered as a DVD with iMovie animated photo stills (my own first attempt at "multimedia"), and while some aspects of my video were quite amateurish, I overall have to be pretty happy with my first stab at this - the images were just enough to not stay in the way of the music and terrific dance improvisations, skillfully mixed onto multiple screens by our expert crew. I also enjoyed being part of the collective improvisations with the NYU Composers Ensemble and with Dinu Ghezzo and Tom Beyer. It made for a very varied evening whereby, with artistic and technical sleight of hand, the unpredictable can be made to appear planned and carefully thought out.