April 16–23, 1998
music issue|classical
Rite of Spring
New music ensemble Relâche looks toward a season of change.
|
"Joe was a friend of |
The Relâche Ensemble, feline-like, seems to have more than a few lives. In 20 years, the Philadelphia-based new music group has encountered highlights such as the establishment of several new festivals, educational programs, a remarkable trove of world premiere commissions, as well as tumultuous internal struggles and an abrupt mid-season cancellation of activities in 1995. The man who shepherded the group along this twisted and treacherous road has been Joseph Franklin, who, along with Joseph Showalter, founded the Relâche Ensemble in 1977. Since then, Franklin has led the group to national prominence with a passion and intensity that has inspired many people, but alienated potential friends as well. Last fall he announced his resignation, in order to assume the directorship of the Helena Presents-Myrna Loy Center in Montana.
The departure of Franklin can be viewed as both a peril and an exciting opportunity for a new direction. Franklin came from a generation of new music pioneers who reacted against what they viewed as the static, elitist music of the academics, which was almost exclusively serial in style. The "academy" was portrayed as the enemy of music and people. Never mind that the leaders of the opposing camp, at least in Philadelphia, happened to be perfectly fine folks struggling with many of the same issues as Relâche, namely, limited public interest and dwindling funds.
For the current crop of Relâche performers, who must now act as a democratic body to determine repertoire and commissions, the new direction will be more practical than philosophical. John Dulik, the keyboardist since the ensemble's inception, shares the common view, among younger composers at least, that the lines in new music have blurred. "The universities are now teaching 'downtown' music," says Dulik. He stresses that certain core values will not change.
"Joe Franklin's vision was to perform 20th-century music that grew out of an American experimental tradition. That path will continue with the new era, except that more than one pilot will steer the ship."
Lloyd Shorter, Relâche oboist since 1991, concurs with Dulik's assessment.
"Joe was a friend of Cage and Glass," says Shorter. "He brought some of this music to Philadelphia for the first time. But compartmentalizing doesn't work anymore, and besides, nobody cares. I intend to re-establish ties—rebuild some bridges that were burned."
|
The new Relâche. |
Although precise parameters have yet to be established, the artistic direction of Relâche will be the responsibility of each member.
"We all have to come up with pieces," explains Dulik. "We haven't done the networking of Joe, who worked hard to bring in major figures. We will be feeling our way as a self-governing group, and learning as we go."
Relâche has performed some music by non-living composers in the past, including Ives, Cage, and even Copland, and will probably expand on this trend to an extent that Franklin always resisted. More music of Ives is planned, as well as works by the American iconoclast Nancarrow, and even Prokofiev, whose Overture on Hebrew Themes neatly matches the unusual instrumentation of the Relâche Ensemble.
But the core emphasis will continue to be, as a former marketing slogan put it, "music that expands boundaries." Shorter's more concise motto is "let's explore."
"The music should challenge the performer and the listener to think," says Shorter. "It should cry out Try this! Of course, we need to attract new commissions."
Both Dulik and Shorter, as well as new administrative director Colette Domingues, share excitement and apprehension about the future. Joseph Franklin, in spite of his combative personality, has been a galvanic figure, possessed of considerable persuasive powers as well as a daunting capacity for sheer hard work.
"We will have two major challenges," declares Dulik, "forming an artistic direction and overcoming the financial struggles."
Relâche opened the spring season with a retrospective in honor of 20 years of performing music of our time. All of the pieces were developed by Franklin with composers that have helped shape the sound of the ensemble. The concert had an undeniably sharp focus, and served as an almost nostalgic tribute to the group and its departing founder. But the music also sounded familiar in a way that seemed far removed from any claim to the current musical avant-garde.
The next concert of the season will represent a major shift, both symbolically and in practice. Five brand new pieces will be heard, and this music might also fail to ignite any sparks of innovation. But at least this time five separate attempts will have been made instead of one. Multiply that number by all of the potential concerts of the re-directed Relâche, and the future looks exciting indeed for devotees of new music in Philadelphia.
The Relâche Ensemble, Saturday, April 25, 8 p.m., Ethical Society, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square. New music by Evan Solot, Vito Ricci, Mark Lambert, Andrea Clearfield, Paul Epstein. Info: 574-8246.
