Despite the fact that the Katia Labeque Band displayed a high level of technical virtuosity (there were fast runs and multiple shots all performed with the proof of good rehearsal and proper arrangements), I found it very challenging to listen to this concert. And I was not alone: I have never seen so many people get up and leave a show so early in its duration.
Labeque’s “repertoire includes a broad range of seemingly contradictory types of music, in which she moves comfortably from Bach, Brahms, Liszt, Mozart and Stravinsky to Gershwin, ragtime, jazz, Takemitsu, Lutoslawski and the avant-garde approach of young British composers such as Tom Adès or Dave Maric among others.” First off, the music covered a large dynamic range that would change very quickly. Consequently, the tender and calm of the simple and delicate would abruptly become the loud and painful of the gordian and the rough: in short a train wreck. I found the music difficult to appreciate on any level but an intellectual one. Perhaps I was too busy feeling bad about some of the friends I had brought who might not be willing to accept a concert so radical. Or perhaps I had expectations that were not met.
In the final analysis, however, I can understand the importance of pushing boundaries. We assume that controversy coupled with acclaim, discomfort accompanied by necessity and dislike accompanied by admiration are all symptoms of pushing boundaries. And Katia seems to be no exception. But how do we know we are pushing boundaries in the right way? For example, I didn’t notice any significant and experimental time changes – her drummer stayed pretty much within the standard pop 4/4 time signature. I readily admit that I am not an expert in Katia’s repertoire, but the live concert left the harmonic resolution of her diverse synthesis too hidden behind the intellectual front of experimentation.
Ironically, I find it surprising how I am open to experimental art but not necessarily experimental music. Then again, there is a small difference: I have difficulty enjoying painful art.
Tags: music