Tuesday 4 August 2009

星期五的音樂課20090731

上星期五的音樂課,畫中左邊的人的比例較細,右邊的人比例大一點,因為我移前坐了小許,而這畫未完成時就停筆了。和上星期一樣,這是致送給老師和同學的。

這天講John Cage 和 Merce Cunningham,而我那天剛由朋友forward的email 中得知Merce Cunningham 剛剛逝世。

阿龔喜歡John Cage 的一句話 "I have nothing to say and I am saying it" 而Cage重視silence 以及sound 的本質,打破自古典音樂以來的"Music" 模式,是當時最前衛的革命。他和Merce Cunningham 共同創作多年,強調音樂和舞蹈之間的"non-relationship"的關係變成一種"relationship"。(希望我這個懶惰+遲到的學生無記錯啦 :P)

在課堂上阿龔播了幾段Cage 同 Cunningham 的interview及他們的作品,我第一次看見Cage 那些好靚的visual arts,亦是我第一次看Cunningham 的dance。

同學N排常不喜歡John Cage,並由始而展開討論。N覺得(希望我無會錯意)Cage 的言論只是「夠膽死」的說話,其實那些想法根本每個人也有,完全不足為奇,而他的作品本身更加沒有欣賞的價值,亦不認同Cage將車聲、廚房煮餸時的聲音當作為「音樂」的一種。

不過,當我聽到J的論點後立即成為她的fans。她說:John Cage作品的意義正正說明了藝術的價值不是藝術本身而是"the act of Art"。而他之所以被稱為Master,就是你會因為他的作品會令你產生好奇,經過這許多年仍然沒有被人遺忘,然後你會開始去探索、去思考,他是絶對inspiring的大師。

這句話實在太令我感動,我想起我讀書時的Music appreciation課堂,當時我第一次接觸到John Cage的音樂,我覺得不好聽又怪,完全談不上喜歡,但我對他的作品非常好奇,於是到圖書館找相關資料。我發現那些古古怪怪的作品令我著迷,播著它們的時候我像在等待裡面的「東西」跑出來,又像要發掘新事物一樣,既覺得自己在扮有型,又覺得自己在學習,又覺得其實自己也和作品一樣只是「唔知做乜」。

我覺得這樣好有趣、好開心,因為第一次覺得原來作品可以是這樣古靈精怪兼「唔知做乜」的,比起抽象畫和磐的樂曲更難欣賞。然後,我去閱讀相關的創作動機、意念等等去幫助自己理解或嘗試去欣賞它們。這個過程對我來說是非常好玩的。後來E對我講:其實呢d作品唔係用黎欣賞而係用黎思考既。

以上寫了一堆上星期五的音樂課,我的今天沉到落谷底的心情也開始好轉。不過我仍舊想去看看海。


Obituary ====================

Merce Cunningham,
revolutionary choreographer, dies at 90

Merce Cunningham, the American choreographer who revolutionised modern dance, has died at age 90 at his home in New York.

Published: 6:42PM BST 27 Jul 2009
"It is with great sorrow that we note the passing of Merce Cunningham, who died peacefully in his home last night of natural causes," the Cunningham Dance Foundation and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company said in a statement.

The statement praised Cunningham, saying he "revolutionised the visual and performing arts - not for the sake of iconoclasm, but for the beauty and wonder that lay in exploring new possibilities."

In a career that spanned more than 60 years and some 150 works, Cunningham wiped out storytelling in dance, tossed coins or dice to determine steps, and shattered such unwritten rules as having dancers usually face the audience.

The New York Times wrote in 1982, "As playful as he has often seemed, Cunningham has always been one of America's most serious artists ... one of the few true revolutionaries in the history of dance."

Although confined to a wheelchair by the end of his career, Cunningham appeared in every performance given by his company until he reached the age of 70. He continued to appear on stage in his 80s, performing a duet with Mikhail Baryshnikov at the age of 80 in New York.

His foundation said he had left "an indelible mark on our collective creativity and culture", working with his partner, the composer John Cage, to open "new ways of perceiving and experiencing the world".

"Merce was an artistic maverick and the gentlest of geniuses. We have lost a great man and a great artist, but we celebrate his extraordinary life, his art, and the dancers and the artists with whom he worked," said Judith Fishman, chairman of the Cunningham Dance Foundation.

Last month Cunningham summarised his views of dance, saying: "My idea has always been to explore human physical movement. I attempt to teach students and dancers about my technique, but in a way that allows room for individuality."

Cunningham, whose influence in modern dance is typically ranked along with George Balanchine and Martha Graham, his one-time mentor, announced a "Living Legacy Plan" in June, a trust charged with overseeing the integrity of his teachings.