It's your choice

Shouldn't we play music that people want to hear?

A colleague I respect very highly asked me that question recently. And I'm pretty sure why he asked. He knows that I collaborate frequently with emerging composers and that the resulting work sometimes exists outside of certain listeners' comfort zones--his included. Like Ms. Gould from a previous post, he simply has a more conservative sonic pallate. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that and I happen to find his Mozart mezmerizing and his Bach exquisite. But I think deep down what he really meant was, "Why would you let anyone write you a piece of music that sounds like that?"

Implicit in that question is the idea that the performer can exercise a certain amount of control over the collaborating composer. Can I do that? Maybe. Should I do it? No.

The truth is, I never tell a composer what to write. Why would I? I’ve chosen to work with that particular composer because I believe in his or her voice, not because I have an agenda on my instrument. However, if the composer were to ask me if I was looking to explore anything specific or if I had any ideas, I'd be happy to share them. It's just not my place to impose those issues from the beginning. To be sure, there have been a few times I was sorry I didn't lay down some parameters with regard to range, extended techniques, or the eight levels of pianissimo. But even in those instances I'm up for a challenge, even if I'm certain of the outcome.

The bottom line: You can choose who you work with. You can't tell them what to do.