orchestra21

‘I do compose at the piano … It is a thousand times better to compose in direct contact with the physical medium of the sound than to work in the abstract medium produced by one’s imagination.’

Igor Stravinsky on realizing musical ideas at the piano, and depicted in 1913 doing just that for the Rite of Spring.

[Drawing by Jean Cocteau, quote from the composer’s autobiography]

Adoration of the Earth, from Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring

And so it begins … Tonight is the first WCFSO rehearsal for Saturday’s special presentation of Rite. All of my posts between now and then will relate to this amazing score, with some of the same material reappearing onstage this weekend as part of our multimedia exploration of the piece and its history.

One of my favorite moments every artistic season is undoubtedly this, for which our mini maestros prepare by having a conducting lesson in their classrooms. If you’re not a northeast Iowa fourth or fifth grader get a taste for what I teach them about the artform in this breakdown by Daniel J Wakin for The New York TImes.

A sweet mini-doc on Swiss design collective and orchestra21 idols Büro Destruct highlighting the duo’s unique collaborative working method. The video also touches on Büro Destruct’s motto ‘Small City-Big Design’, a message that resonates strongly with me as an artist working to give the lie to the pervasive notion that big musical ideas can’t be realized in small cities.

[via Vimeo, who dig the motion graphics; my favorite effect, at 5:30, is straight analog]

Portugal’s varied musical traditions presented in hundreds of song-length videos, each shot from a single uniquely interesting perspective. Careful, or you may find yourself lost for hours in MPAGDP’s riveting ethnomusicology work.

[via thekidshouldseethis]