Every musical composition created during the COVID 19 quarantine is a quarantine-composition, even if its title does not say so, even if its notes have nothing to do with the COVID19 chord (look it up, there are at least two versions in circulation online). You live in quarantine, you produce quarantine-art, and there is no way to get away from it. There are of course countless memes how classical music composers, designers, writers and gamers đ are the ones for whom nothing has really changed during the stay-at-home order, but that, as funny and true it sounds, is a misunderstanding. It is very different to stay home and work while the world outside is buzzing with action. Choosing self-isolation and reflecting on the world’s affairs makes for a totally different artistic output. Then there is art we have been making for the last two months that was meant to be released for your “quarantine-audience” in the first place. Most of the songs, short pieces, poems, plays produced in quarantine-times have ben written in mind with or were adapted to the social distancing circumstances. ‘ZOOM’ the now worldwide-known video-conferencing platform has it in its name: we are all zooming in. We can only see a frame, we can only record/ broadcast so much data (limited length), we are not supposed to overdo our online video messaging (that was a no-no from the start, apparently people don’t watch anything over a minute or minute and a half), and so on. We all have to deal with the the special circumstances for every parameter.
Since March 14 I have finished a composition for two voices and clapping (intended for one singer performing a duet with herself, see also: the acapella app), one for clarinet and piano (this one ended up a pretty substantial piece with its 13 minutes length), and a very short casual composition for piano solo. I have started writing a new opera (no spoilers yet for this project, sorry), and have completed a scene and a half of it. I have also joined the Art of Virus project initiated by KornĂ©l Fekete KovĂĄcs and the Modern Art Orchestra. For this interesting “internet-virus” concept I have produced my 40 second long etude for big band and sampled animal sounds, entitled ‘Murder in the ZOO”. Soon all the compositions will be uploaded to a website, until then here is the article (in Hungarian) about ‘Art of Virus’ with a few videos included.
Virus and isolation do not stop creativity. However I truly cannot wait to be able to perform in front of a live audience again: no video-frame and (self-)imposed time limits. Nothing replaces the personal connection with my fellow musicians and the audience.
A fenti linken lehet olvasni Fekete KovĂĄcs KornĂ©l Ă©s a Modern Art Orchestra projektje ‘Art of Virus’ projektjĂ©rĆl, amelyhez Ă©n is hozzĂĄjĂĄrultam egy mintegy 40 mĂĄsodperces darabbal. CĂme: GyilkossĂĄg az ĂĄllatkertben.
KarantĂ©n idejĂ©n alkotott mƱvek akkor is karantĂ©n-mƱvek lesznek, ha sem tĂ©mĂĄjukban, sem anyagukban (Ă©rdemes a YouTube-on rĂĄkeresni a COVID19 akkordra) nem akarnak reflektĂĄlni alkotĂłjuk aktuĂĄlis helyzetĂ©re. VisszatĂ©rĆ poĂ©n, miszerint zeneszerzĆknek, ĂrĂłknak Ă©s gamereknek đ semmi sem vĂĄltozott az elmĂșlt kĂ©t hĂłnapban, ugyanĂșgy otthon, egyedĂŒl magĂĄnyosan dolgoznak mint azelĆtt. Persze nem ugyanaz mƱvĂ©szetĂŒnkkel egy nyĂŒzsgĆ vilĂĄgra reflektĂĄlni, mint szĂĄzmilliĂłk sorsĂĄban, keserƱsĂ©gĂ©ben, frusztrĂĄciĂłjĂĄban osztozni. EbbĆl a szempontbĂłl nincs menekvĂ©s. Nincs olyan maszk ami megĂĄllĂtsa a COVID19 mƱvĂ©szeti alkotĂĄsokra gyakorolt hatĂĄsĂĄt, mĂ©g akkor sem lĂĄtszĂłlag nincsenek szimptĂłmĂĄk. Ott vannak aztĂĄn azok a mƱvek, amelyek kifejezetten a helyzetre reagĂĄlva, az adott speciĂĄlis körĂŒlmĂ©nyekre kitalĂĄlva szĂŒlettek. Ăn mĂĄr nagyon vĂĄrom, hogy ne a ‘ZOOM’ platform ingyenes 40, vagy az internetes videĂł ĂŒzenetek elvĂĄrt mĂĄsfĂ©l perce hatĂĄrozza meg egy beszĂ©lgetĂ©s vagy egy monolĂłg hosszĂĄt. SzĂvesebben vennĂ©m azt is, ha az ĂrandĂł zenedarabok komplexitĂĄsĂĄt nem az izolĂĄlt zenĂ©szek technikai felszereltsĂ©gĂ©hez kellen igazĂtani. A lĂ©nyeg: a szemĂ©lyes kontaktusnak, azaz az egy lĂ©gtĂ©rben elĆadott Ă©s befogadott Ă©lĆ mƱvĂ©szetnek nincs alternatĂvĂĄja.
MĂĄrcius 14 Ăłta, a fenti ‘Murder in the ZOO’ mellett komponĂĄltam kĂ©t darabot, melyek megfelelnek a karantĂ©n körĂŒlmĂ©nyeknek (egy rövid zongora szĂłlĂł mƱvet, Ă©s egy dalt, amelyben az Ă©nekes sajĂĄt magĂĄval duettezik), valamint egy klarinĂ©t-zongora darabot, amely kifejezetten a szokĂĄsos koncert körĂŒlmĂ©nyek között Ă©l csak meg. Ez utĂłbbi 13 perc lett, tehĂĄt elĂ©g jelentĆs mind anyagĂĄban, mind pedig hosszĂĄt tekintve. MegĂrtam mĂĄsfĂ©l jelenetet egy Ășj operĂĄbĂłl, amelyrĆl itt nem tudok Ă©s nem is szeretnĂ©k mĂ©g mesĂ©lni.
ZOOM: rĂĄközelĂtĂ©s, nagyĂtĂĄs. TalĂĄlĂł nĂ©v egy konferencia platformnak, de az alkotĂłmƱvĂ©szek jelenlegi helyzetĂ©nek is. A munkĂĄval egy percre sem ĂĄlltam le, de most mĂĄr, szĂvem szerint, nĂ©znĂ©m megint a teljes kĂ©pet.