BISQC Blog:

Question mark music

Posted by Christy Mackintosh
Wednesday, 1 September 2010

Day Three is upon us and the applause grows as our nine quartets romp through the roses and thorns of the Romantic Round. Bursts of colour are appearing on stage, which was poignantly set in this morning’s talk by the Miró Quartet’s Master of Romance, John Largess.

John Largess seeks truth and feeling in Romantic music. Photo by Don Lee.

“The string quartet is the medium most composers from the 19th century on chose to express their deepest personal feelings and experiences,” John explained, taking us through a garden tour of Romanticism and Nationalism, the seeds of which are rooted in Beethoven.

He then planted the idea of “question mark music” which requires its audience and players to be truth seekers. "How often do we ignore the truth of what we’re feeling in the moment,” he asked, digging into the pith of what makes a performance of Romantic music truly great. It is the level of engagement in the work as we play, and as we listen, that leads to those goosebumpy, “Ah-ha” moments, in music as in life.

But how do four different players communicate an individual, personal experience in a cohesive way, an audience member asked. John, who has done a lot of acting work (and grew up dancing Lithuanian peasant dances, which is clearly a story for another day) explained that there are focusing exercises quartets can do to bring its members together emotionally. Practising in the dark is one. Another, for those playing accompaniment, is to sing the melody in your heart as you play. “It’s like using ‘the force.’ It’s a Jedi Knight technique for string quartets.”

Isn’t that the magic we’re here to harvest?

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Our intrepid BISQC blogger, Christy Mackintosh, is a music lover and freelance writer who lives and works in Banff. She holds degrees in piano performance and English literature, is a contributor to Calgary’s Fast Forward Weekly, has written features for The Globe and Mail, and is working on her first book. She recently participated in The Banff Centre’s Literary Journalism program, where (it could happen to you!) she got a little too used to the buffet at Vistas. She looks forward to feasting of all kinds throughout the exciting week ahead.

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