Commentary: L.A. new-music groups tackle election angst with a chance to let it all out

As someone who has spent decades immersed in the world of art and music, I find myself deeply moved by the powerful and poignant performances put on by these innovative ensembles. The way they harness the power of their craft to address pressing social issues is truly inspiring.

Before the 1952 election, Democrats grew concerned about President Harry S. Truman’s advanced age (66), declining health, and poor public opinion due to his management of the Korean War. However, Truman was determined to run for re-election until he was eventually persuaded to withdraw from the race. Does this ring a bell?

To express solidarity for presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower, Irving Berlin incorporated the song “We Like Ike” into the 1950 Broadway production “Call Me Madam.” Lyrics like these can be found: “Harry won’t vacate/He claims property rights/But there’s Ike/And Ike is eloquent on the speaker.

The slogan ‘We like Ike’ was transformed into Roy O. Disney’s widely popular television advertisement series titled ‘I Like Ike.’ This catchy campaign significantly contributed to Eisenhower’s overwhelming victory against Adlai Stevenson in the election.

Over the past 70 years, entertainment, art, and politics have been intricately intertwined in a complex pattern, with Los Angeles frequently taking on an unacknowledged part. However, two of L.A.’s most daring new music groups were remarkably prepared for last week’s unexpected election outcomes.

On the night of the election, Brightwork newmusic showcased “VOTE! (and don’t forget about this concert)” as part of their Tuesdays @ Monk Space series, which takes place in Koreatown. Over the weekend, the contemporary orchestra Wild Up organized five events called “Democracy Sessions”, held at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Warehouse performance space within The Geffen Contemporary.

I found myself among a modest gathering at Monk Space, eagerly ready to switch off my phone instead of being subjected to election news. The night unfolded with classic campaign tunes and a collective, contemplative jam session, serving as mental preparation for whatever the election results might bring.

Right from the beginning, the campaign songs seemed strikingly relevant. The first one on the list, “Jefferson and Liberty” from 1800, contained a verse that reads: “Strangers arriving from a thousand lands/Fleeing tyranny to wander;Here they’ll find, among ample provisions,/A nobler and more contented home.

Jessica Basta brought humor to each tune in her performance of “I Like Ike,” showcasing an aptitude for satire. Notably, the vibrancy of modern Los Angeles art is largely attributed to CalArts’ pioneering impact, institutions like Brightwork and Wild Up included, which emerged a decade post-“I Like Ike,” backed by Walt Disney and his brother Roy’s financial support.

The following day, after a brief pause, held 24 minutes of melodious improvisation using bass, percussion, flute, guitar, and vocals over a backdrop of natural sounds. This served as a moment for reflection on the many questions we were about to encounter as a new day began. Sarah Wass, the composer and flutist who created this piece, is both the executive director of Brightwork and a graduate from CalArts.

Following the election, Wild Up’s “Democracy Sessions” presented a noticeably distinct atmosphere, as progressive artistic movements often align with progressive political views. The four sessions I attended were predictably partisan but surprisingly thoughtful and open-minded. Despite politicians of various persuasions pledging to unite our divided nation, the public division seems to deepen instead of finding common ground. Christopher Rountree, the optimistic founder and music director of Wild Up, proposed a different approach. He brought together imaginative and even utopian artists and thinkers, offering a potential roadmap for progress.

In a reading of Ted Hearn’s proposed new opera, one of our most vocal political composers, it was striking to see how well it mirrored Ursula K Le Guin’s “The Dispossessed” from 1974, a science fiction novel that contrasted two societies in distant galaxies during and beyond the Vietnam War. One society was characterized by authoritarian rule, pretending to act for the people, while the other was an egalitarian society where individuals cared for each other.

In an unfinished version, Chana Porter’s libretto was passionately brought to life by Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman. Under the guidance of Rountree, four members of Wild Up provided spontaneous accompaniment along with preliminary pieces of Hearn’s score. This performance offered a tantalizing sneak peek into what the opera could become as it evolves over the next couple of years. By that time, we might be prepared for its thoughtful blending of conflicting concepts, aiming for a harmonious utopian fusion.

A recent discussion focused on the documentary “Ark of Bones” by poet Harmony Holiday, which explores how Black culture is being appropriated by popular culture, corporations, and government. It was rich with striking contrasts. One sequence featured Nina Simone expressing her decision to stop singing protest songs because she felt they were no longer effective. The following clip showed Donald Trump interrupting his speech to suggest that everyone simply listen to music instead.

In a statement made by George Orwell, he claimed that all forms of art serve as propaganda. Holiday poses a question: “Could Blackness, in its essence, be serving the propaganda machine more than anything else?

After that, one might wonder where the music came from during a protest. On Sunday, Rountree presented “The Democracy Bardo,” an interactive live music installation. Participants could write messages or slogans on pieces of paper, which were then read aloud, improvised, and danced to. For a peculiar hour, people could enjoy a leisurely Sunday brunch, laugh, cry, contemplate, move to the rhythm, quietly listen, or release their emotions in a loud, unified primal scream.

Previously, “Stimmung” by Karlheinz Stockhausen, performed by vocal ensemble HEX, was the focus. Two years ago, Black artists at Long Beach Opera alleged racial tokenism within the company, causing them to cancel a production that would have showcased HEX. However, in this instance, “Stimmung,” consisting of intricate short segments centered around “magic names” from various cultures worldwide, served as a session promoting healing.

1968 saw the creation of “Stimmung,” a composition originating from a period marked by protests and peace movements. Its structure revolves around a solitary chord that, over the course of an hour, morphs into otherworldly, harmonically rich tones linked to each note. The piece is nothing if not full of strange, captivating occurrences.

As per Fahad Siadat, HEX’s artistic director, the score revolves around the idea of tuning into whatever is unfolding at any given moment. Essentially, the singers are instructed by Stockhausen to follow a leader in each segment. However, it’s not always apparent who this leader is. Consequently, the singers need to discover their own position, which involves navigating various harmonic contrasts and finding a way to unify their efforts.

Hex delivered an exceptionally dramatic show without any prior rehearsals or preparations. According to Siadat, all these elements make up a single, unified whole. In Stockhausen’s idealistic perspective, this singular entity represents a novel form of community that emerges from the creation of this mystical space, which has an otherworldly quality.

In simpler terms, art that serves as propaganda can influence events in two directions, and activist artists are expected to produce more agitprop in the coming years. However, the initial reactions leaned towards a philosophical stance, focusing on unity and understanding. To quote a participant of “Bardo”, “A community is not something that can be programmed like an algorithm.

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2024-11-15 22:01