The @Percussion - Episode 31 Mark Applebaum

031 - Mark Applebaum

 

 

It's a gift to speak intelligently and accessibly about contemporary music.  Considering Mark Applebaum's TED talk has nearly one million views, it's safe to say he's one of those people.

 

Topics: Kagel and Dressur, traits of post-dramatic theatre and its relationship to experimental pieces, application of acting training, and lots and lots of questions.

0:00  Hello and welcome
2:10  Mark’s “lecture circuit”
4:29  Discussion of Mark’s work Aphasia
6:45  Mark discusses why "percussionists are the best”
11:30  Working with Steve Schick
14:47  "How did composition turn into a career?” and the Taco Bell plan
25:20  Music and spirituality
26:35  Mark’s top works to show to composition students
29:31  Oversaturation of performances
33:00  Publishing
34:40  Extramusical influences in Mark’s works
38:25  Straitjacket drawing movement
44:05  Bertold Brecht, post-dramatic theatre, lack of theatrical training in percussionists
57:15  Composers as “method actors”
59:01  Facebook question from Caleb Pickering “As a very creative and skilled improviser, do you think we should teach young college students improvisation?”
1:07:02  Mauricio Kagel’s Dressur
1:13:36  Dadaism
1:20:12  Composers’ ownership of their pieces
1:25:51  Facebook question from Brian Jeffs “As a composer, is there any difference in the satisfaction you may feel from a successful performance of a strictly notated piece versus an open-ended work?"