Moving Day

This blog has moved to
rdrussell.com
please update your links!

Courting Performers

I've written before about the importance of getting your piece out to performers. There's an added something else to consider: find performers who are getting gigs for themselves.

Sometimes performers wait around until someone gives them a call and hires them. This means that if they are holding your score in their hands, they won't likely perform your music. They'll be busy waiting around for someone to call them. And when they get that call, they'll perform whatever is asked of them instead of your piece.

Instead, you want to seek out performers who are actively getting their own recitals together -- who are busy with their careers. Get involved with these performers! These are the people you want to know. Your compositions will be contributing to their success, and their success will be contributing to your career.

(Performers reading this: don't forget to keep working at your career and pushing yourself! This always attracts good attention.)

Being a "successful" composer

Recently, a colleague and I were discussing composition and the creative process. I was asked, "Do you consider yourself a successful composer?" and without hesitation I answered, "yes!"

Since then, I have considered this question more deeply. On what criteria can we measure our success? Is it material things like being published by Schirmer? Prizes? Financial independence? Or aesthetic things, like recognition by your colleagues, or simply being satisfied with your own work?

Are you a "successful" composer? How do you come by your answer?

Listening to Music Since 1980

Alex Ross's superb book The Rest is Noise has a great website addendum, full of listening examples. Of particular interest, see this page which features numerous sound examples from music since 1980. I am especially struck by the piece by Golijov, which hardly sounds like "classical" music at all. The Gerard Grisey excerpt sounds as if it was lifted from the TV show "Lost," which is not intended as faint praise! And I continue to be excited by the music I hear from Sofia Gubaidulina.

The larger philosophical question, as you listen: where's the joy? Where's the uptempo music?