Varèse, Duchamp and Richardson
I am fascinated with the connection between music and the other arts, in particular the visual arts. I often have images pass through my head during performances of pieces of music. When I first read about Colleen Richardson’s discussion of the relationship between Varèse and Duchamp, I was excited.
Now, I’m not knowledgeable enough in art history or even in the life of Varèse to be able to critique her research, but her talk was well thought out and provocative. Her comments on the links between the Futurist, Cubist and Dadaist movements with Varèse’s music were stimulating in the way they gave me a new angle on his compositional output.
She discussed the connections between Simultaneity, the use of space and technology with compositional methodology — how Varèse’s use of intervals, rhythm, dynamics and the sometimes coldness of his writing related to the same concepts that Duchamp was using in his work.
The brief discussion that ensued was equally stimulating. One of the more interesting questions asked was regarding the link between Varèse and Ives — more specifically, if there was one. Although geographically and aesthetically they are very dissimilar composers, it was noted by an audience member that they did seem to come to a very similar place in terms of their writing.
Thank you Colleen for one of the more stimulating and better-presented sessions of the week.
©2007 WASBE and/or the contributing author/photographer