Mobility

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The discussion on Chapter V on globalization, the Silk Road project, embodiment, the composer-performer and the specialist performer reminded me of a very recurrent discussion topic during my early years in academia in Brazil: whether the so-called “crossover” repertoire was a worthy musical endeavor. The cross-genre projects like the Silk Road project were often considered of less value by university professors and professional classical musicians in the academic environment. This would be a common discussion in classrooms, masterclasses and concert venues. On the other end of that discussion there were the highly specialized performers and avant-garde composers, very often struggling to find their own space in the musical market. For a long time, these trends were portrayed as antagonists of each other, mimicking the rivalry between Neo-classicism and serialism in the early XX century, while in reality both are high-quality musical expressions and require very specialized, high-skilled interpreters. Although the segregation of music styles seems rather artificial, there is clearly a difference in the reception of these styles.
In the Brazilian classical guitar scene, the main figures of the crossover were the Duo Assad, formed by the brothers Sergio and Odair Assad. The Assad brothers come from a musical family with a popular music background. They grew up playing choro, samba, bossa-nova and other Brazilian music styles with their family. Later the duo received formal classical guitar training from Mrs. Monina Tavora, a former student of Andrés Segovia. The duo achieved great recognition in the guitar scene while studying with Mrs. Tavora, who prohibited them from performing popular music. However, it was only after they freed themselves from the leash of a very strict teacher and embraced Latin American popular music that they achieved world recognition, leading to collaborations with world-renowned musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma. The duo has since then recorded and collaborated with many classical and popular musicians of the highest quality from several countries, which makes them an example of globalized musicians discussed in Chapter V.
Arthur Kampela, a Brazilian composer currently living in New York City, would fall into the category of composer-performer/specialist performer. Kampela’s music requires a performer who is willing to learn a highly complicated notational system that is unique to his music, like his Motets, for 2 Guitars, (after Machaut). In many cases Kampela takes the role of the performer himself, as is the case in his Percussion Study #2. Another example of Kampela’s unique writing is his Exoskeleton. The piece, written for viola, requires the performer to use classical guitar techniques. In other words, it is a piece for viola made for classical guitarists who are willing to dedicate their time and energy to this peculiar work. Unfortunately, it is very common to hear among performers that the demands of a repertoire like Kampela’s music are not worth the time given it also requires a very specialized audience to fully appreciate the work. This situation creates a vicious cycle: the performers avoid this repertoire due to its complexity, and the already small audience for this repertoire gets even fewer opportunities to appreciate live performances, while diminishing the chances to attract new listeners.  
















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