This is probably a sign that I listen to too much NPR, but I love those story-behind-the-story kinds of stories. Relatedly, I often find composers to be funny, exceptionally articulate people who, in addition to writing music, just so happen to spend a lot of time sitting alone quietly thinking about the large issues of life. Sometimes these feed into their work, and sometimes not so much. However, if you catch them outside their studios and ply them with coffee and a microphone (or a fancy “composer’s chair” title and a lectern) they will often generously lay some of those deep thoughts on you.
Two fine minds of the music world schooled me recently, and you can check them here:
Molly, David’s thoughts regarding the Pulitzer, his own personal finances (re: his kids teeth!), and how we all have different degrees of comfort when it comes to “risk” were refreshingly honest and helpful.
Thanks Molly for the David Lang interview. I enjoyed hearing David speak a bit about his work process and passion in bringing The Little Match Girl story to life musically-I’m excited to hear the full work on CD. I was also very fascinated by his talk about the Pulitzer Prize and that he states he’s “not any better a composer” after Pulitzer than before, just that he now has that stamp of approval of “serious composer”. His thoughts have mirrored many of my own recently about the vagaries of opportunity and notice. And his question of how many others are out there who also should be taken seriously but for whatever reason aren’t is one that is ultimately an unanswerable, but intriguing thought experiment. I do like how he believes the responisiblity of being respected, well-known, important etc. as deemed by the so-called taste-makers is a call to be even more radical in thought and deed-I love that kind of thinking…(can’t wait to hear 1000 street screamers performed here in NYC some day!)