Chris, et al, very well said. My hat is off to you and the new
generation of lutenists/early music performers.A
I am now a backer, best wishes for a successful endeavor!
Charles Mokotoff
On Tue, Feb 24, 2015 at 12:21 PM, Christopher Wilke
<[1]chriswi...@cs.dartmouth.edu> wrote:
Dear Luters,
A A A A If you think the lute is only for S.N.O.B.'s, then read
no further. However, if you believe that there are still vast oceans
of discovery our instrument has to offer beyond the marvelous work
produced by Smith, North, O'Dette and Barto, then read on.
A A A A Today's music scene is fraught with significant
challenges, but also many opportunities. The great modern masters of
the lute forged brave paths for our instrument in the a70s and a80s
to which we are all greatly indebted. Their efforts would have been
in vain but for the platform of support provided by forward thinking
record companies, academic institutions and festivals/concert series
willing to take chances on promoting what was then a promising, yet
extremely risky endeavor.
A A A A Young musicians working in early music today can't
expect such assistance.A The plum teaching positions and concert
series are already occupied by members of the previous generation.
This is true of record labels as well, which, saddled with their own
difficulties of making money in the digital age, are unable to put
money behind developing new artists as they once did. This is
especially true of those whose artistic individuality brings fresh
insights.
A A A A Until recently, these deserving voices had little chance
of being heard at all. Despair not, hungry members of the lute
hoard, for no longer must we rely on outside arbiters of taste to
find the boldness we desire! The early music industry, restricted by
market forces and the expectations of recently invented tradition,
must confine their lineup of performers to a relatively small circle
of recognizable "stars" who play within an easily-defined range of
stylistic options. Admirable as the work of these well-established
pioneers has been, you can at last delight in other gems! How can
you so empower yourself? Simple. Through the support of people like
you, several members of this list, including Edward Martin, Thomas
Walker and Duo Mignarda were able to bring out valuable projects via
crowd funding that otherwise may have been neglected entirely.
A A A A I'm also turning Kickstarter to fund my next album. It's
a recording of Bach, Weiss and Falckenhagen that incorporates
portions of elaborate, written-out doubles and improvised cadenzas
just how musicians of the 18th century were expected to play. I'm
proud to present this combination of art and research. However,
because such intrepid exploration goes beyond the "just play the
notes on the page" mentality of many in classical music, it is the
type of thing that fits uneasily into the catalog of record
companies.
A A A A The best part? Your support won't just give you the warm
fuzzies; if you back the project, your generosity will be rewarded
with very real gifts, including an advance copy of the new finished
album. Click the link below for a video presentation, description
and audio samples.
[2]https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1600736048/desperate-doors-b
aroque-lute-album
Thank you!!!
Chris Wilke
Dr. Christopher Wilke D.M.A.
Lutenist, Guitarist and Composer
[3]www.christopherwilke.com
To get on or off this list see list information at
[4]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
--
References
1. mailto:chriswi...@cs.dartmouth.edu
2.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1600736048/desperate-doors-baroque-lute-album
3. http://www.christopherwilke.com/
4. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
