April 11, 2003
The Friday Five 1. What
1. What was the first band you saw in concert?
I honestly cannot remember. I am assuming by "band" the implication is pop music. Even then, I am not sure. My parents dragged me to all sorts of events, mostly classical music, but other things as well. Here are some firsts that I can remember:
First major symphony orchestra: Boston Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall, under Seiichi Ozawa.
First opera: Marriage of Figaro (standing room, no supertitles, at the age of ten. Loved it) at the Vienna State Opera. Do not know who was directing, or who sang.
First outdoor stadium rock concert: The Grateful Dead
First indoor arena rock concert: The Grateful Dead
First big name jazz performance that I remember: Modern Jazz Quartet
First season subscription to any music series: Sacramento Symphony
2. Who is your favorite artist/band now?
I do not have one particular favorite, but here are some that I find really exciting: Dino Saluzzi, Daniele Sepe, El Gran Silencio, The Academy of Ancient Music, the Kronos Quartet, the Abel Steinberg Winant Trio, Portishead, Celso Piña, Los Tigres del Norte, Banda El Recodo, Pharoah Sanders, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Banda Ionica, the San Francisco Symphony, the Scola Cantorum of The National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, Ry Cooder, Paolo Conte, and others. My apologies to those who are not, for some reason, popping into my mind right now.
3. What's your favorite song?
Cry Me A River.
4. If you could play any instrument, what would it be?
Theorbo or lute.
5. If you could meet any musical icon (past or present), who would it be and why?
Domenico Scarlatti or Claudio Monteverdi. Both are incredibly interesting composers. As a harpsichordist, Scarlatti has meant more to me than any other. Also, I have a couple of technical questions to ask him! As for Monteverdi, I find his vocal writing to be the most moving, incredible use of the human voice out there. The only composer who comes close is Luciano Berio. Also, Monteverdi’s sophisticated placement of the choral and instrumental groups throughout St. Mark’s in Venice prefigured Stockhausen’s and Varese’s spacial placement of sound in a significant way.
Posted by erik at April 11, 2003 11:39 AM | TrackBack