I did not think I was going to watch another contemporary music concert again, but here I am. It just so happened that the performance I chose to go to today was a contemporary music one, but just as I had suspected, it was completely different to the first one I watched. What struck me when I first walked into the concert hall was the set up on stage, because it was very full with a lot of different stations, and front and centre was a stuffed monkey and banana. So of course, I was intrigued to see where this would go because from what I learned from the first performance I watched, is that contemporary music completely baffles me and throws me off. The first piece consisted of just various plant pots and the musician playing them with what looked like chopsticks. What I also was not expecting was the spoken word aspect that went along with it, so just like one of the pieces from the last concert I attended, there was a vocal aspect that was very poetic. I think I understood this piece more than I did the ones from the previous concert I watched because I can see the connection between the name of the piece: “To the Earth,” the poem, and the pots.
The second piece was unusual as well. Honestly, I think that’s the best way I can describe all of the contemporary pieces I have experienced because they are unusual from what I am used to. This piece was the reason for the intricate stage set up, as the two musicians moved from the back of the stage forwards, each playing an instrument at each station as they came towards the front of the stage. I would have to say the climax of the piece was the monkey and banana, which turned out to be rattles or shakers, and when they picked them up, the audience couldn’t help but laugh. Hopefully that was the intention, because otherwise we were all very rude, but the use of random items that can be found around the household in this piece did kick up some chuckles. I think visually and conceptually, this piece was very cool because of how it was composed and how the piece moved not only musically but also physically.
Do I know how to appreciate and write about the contemporary music genre yet? Not at all, I was still very much confused through this concert just as I was in the first one, and I think it is an acquired taste. The experience of a concert like this is very different than that of a pop artist or seeing the VSO, but I’m glad that I have gone to watch two different contemporary music performances because had I not had to do this for class, I don’t think I would have ever been exposed to music like this. It is always nice to discover what else is out there in the world outside of my usual interests.