International Conference Report 2006

IAMA International Conference : 6-8 April 2006 held at the Stockholm Concert Hall

The 16th international conference was held in Stockholm at the world-renowned Stockholm Concert Hall, home to the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. Over 350 delegates were registered - a number significantly higher than last year pointing to a continuing trend in support for one of the most important international meetings in the classical music world. Heading up this year's conference committee was Joeske van Walsum with members Karen McDonald (Konzertdirektion Hans Ulrich Schmid UK), Stefan Forsberg, Mats Engstrøm and Peter Schèle of the Stockholm Concert Hall Foundation and Gabriele Schiller (PR2Classic).

The chosen theme of "Arts Interacting" was seen as one of the most important new angles on classical music today and within this context, the impact of music on screen, dance, painting, poetry and management styles. Two high-profile interviews were held with Gerard Mortier of the Paris Opera and conductor, Esa-Pekka Salonen both of whom passionately put forward a case of "arts interacting" with dramatic and noted results. As with all conferences there was an emphasis on good food, good social interactivity, good business and fun. The harbour cruise in good early spring weather and the memorable gala dinner in the Golden Hall of the Stockholm City Hall, home to the annual Nobel award dinner, were all social highlights that will be remembered by many for some time to come.

There were three main panel sessions over the three days including Music and Screen, Music and Dance and Musicians, Painters and Poets. A final concluding session brought these strands together entitled, "Are you ready for change?" with questions, proposals and suggestions offered from the floor.

6 April

After the first welcoming speeches in the magnificent setting of the Grünewald Hall by John Willan,
Joeske van Walsum and Stefan Forsberg, the first session convened moderated by Andreas Schessl, IAMA's
Deputy-Chairman and Managing Director of MünchenMusik GmbH.

His panelists were conductor, Frank Strobel who is also Artistic Director of the European FilmPhilharmonic (an IAMA Affiliate member) and Geoff Dunbar, animator and designer of note who has worked for the last 25 years with Sir Paul McCartney of Beatles fame. Completing the team was Marian Ponnet, Manager of Music and Special Projects at the Flanders International Film Festival.

What is so different about arts interacting using film and music you may well ask? It has been happening since cinematographic experiences began, hasn't it? Probably yes, but what about the role of music? Has it ever attained the Wagnerian artistic ideal of "Gesamtkunstwerk"? Is there new attention today to music and is this a new art form? Yes - according to Marian Ponnet whose Festival has recognised music as fundamental to changing what goes on the screen by commissioning and awarding contemporary composers in this genre. Frank Strobel, an experienced conductor in film music, reported that there has been an increase in audience demand for the old repertoire of silent films which are increasingly receiving new score commissions for orchestra and being preformed regularly throughout the world. Geoff Dunbar's unusual position is that he creates his animated images based on the music he is presented with whether pop or classical. His passion is animating moods and characters which he envisages and interprets for the listener, the most noted and recent example being Leoš Janácek's opera, The Cunning Little Vixen which has received awards and many broadcasts throughout the world.

A word from one of the panelists, Frank Strobel

Als die UNESCO im Jahr 2001 darüber entschied, welches deutsche Kulturgut in das MEMORY OF THE WORLD-Programm der UNESCO aufgenommen wird, befand sich unter den fünf deutschen Nominierungen - in einer Reihe mit Goethes Gesamtwerk und Beethovens Neunter Symphonie - Fritz Langs weltberühmter Stummfilm METROPOLIS. Damit erhielt der Stummfilm die gebührende Würdigung von offizieller Seite als ein eigenständiges und von der nachfolgenden Entwicklung des Tonfilms unabhängiges Kulturgut.

Dass gerade zu diesem Zeitpunkt die EUROPÄISCHE FILMPHILHARMONIE - eine Konzert- und Produktionsgesellschaft zur Aufführung von Filmmusik- gegründet wurde, ist zunächst ein Zufall, zeigt aber doch die gesellschaftliche Relevanz einer Organisation, die sich zur Aufgabe gemacht hat, neben der werktreuen Erhaltung, Pflege und Aufführung historischer und zeitgenössischer Filmmusiken, das sinfonische FilmKonzert bzw. FilmmusikKonzert als eigenständige Kunstform zu etablieren und dieser eine Koexistenz neben Oper und traditionellen Konzertformen zu sichern.

Das diesjährige Thema der IAMA-Konferenz "Music- Interactive" bot somit eine ausgezeichnete Gelegenheit, sowohl meine langjährige Auseinandersetzung mit dem Thema "Musik und Film" als Dirigent, wie als Mitgründer der EUROPÄISCHEN FILMPHILHARMONIE vor einem kompetenten Forum vorzustellen.

So konnte ich meiner Überzeugung Ausdruck verleihen, dass Stummfilme mit den eigens dafür geschriebenen Kompositionen als eine künstlerische Einheit zu betrachten sind. So ist die zunehmende Zahl der Aufführungen von Originalmusiken oder Neukompositionen zu Stummfilmen einmal mehr ein Beleg dafür, dass sich die Filmkonzerte in den letzten Jahren einer enormen Beliebtheit und Lebendigkeit erfreuen. Mittlerweile ist die Zahl der Projekte unüberschaubar geworden, eine Reihe von Originalmusiken sind restauriert und verfügbar gemacht worden, aber auch viele zeitgenössische Komponisten haben neue Kompositionen für Stummfilme geschrieben. Auf der anderen Seite steht das Bedürfnis der Orchester, Konzert- und Opernhäuser, aber auch der Festivals, diese Aufführungen - oftmals in Zusammenarbeit mit den filmischen Institutionen - zu initiieren und durchzuführen. Sehen sie doch neben einer Bereicherung ihres Repertoires und Programms auch die Möglichkeit, neue Publikumsschichten für ihre Häuser zu erschließen.

Ganz ähnlich verhält es sich mit den Filmmusikkonzerten: in der jahrelangen Auseinandersetzung mit dem Genre bin ich zu der Überzeugung gekommen, dass es sehr gute Filmmusik gibt, die niemals im Konzertsaal funktioniert, und dass es ebenso gute Filmmusik gibt, die im Konzertsaal hervorragend funktioniert. Den üblichen Klischees, ›eine gute Filmmusik ist die, die man nicht hört oder die nur eine funktionale Aufgabe erfüllt‹, folge ich nicht. Sondern ich überlege mir, wenn ich Filmmusik in einem Konzert aufführen möchte, welche Filmkompositionen autark bestehen können. Es ist höchste Zeit, dass sie im Konzertsaal ihren Platz finden, sei es in reinen Filmmusikkonzerten oder indem man sie in ein normales Konzertprogramm integriert. Im übrigen erreicht man gerade hier über bekannte Filmtitel ein neues und vor allem junges Publikum.

Und hier setzt die Arbeit der EUROPÄSICHEN FILMPHILHARMONIE an: ihre zentralen Aufgaben bestehen einerseits in der Organisation und Koordination der Film- und Filmmusikkonzerte, andererseits in der Erarbeitung neuer Programmkonzeptionen und der Durchführung von Projektberatungen.

Denn es sollte uns allen eine Verpflichtung sein, die Traditionen dieser Kunstform fortzusetzen, aber auch nach neuen Wegen in der musikalischen Begleitung und Präsentation dieser Werke zu suchen. Das Potential an Filmen aus einer Vielzahl von Ländern und die verschiedensten Formen von Musik - Originalmusiken wie Neukompositionen oder andere Modelle, Filme musikalisch zu begleiten bzw. ebenbürtig zu ergänzen - ist unerschöpflich. In diesem Genre läßt sich eine Internationalität der Kulturen aufzeigen und miteinander in Beziehung bringen.

The second session given over to Music and Dance started with an extra-ordinary performance by Martin Fröst, Dancer/Clarinet and Anders Hillborg, a composer who has worked closely with Martin. Is this style of presentation a gimmick attraction some may ask? Not according to the artists who saw this as new genre and a new form of communication for a new audience. The moderator for this session was Erik Naslundstood, Director of the unique Dance Museum who replaced the indisposed Richard McNicol at short notice.

Session perspective: Emma-Jane Stokely reports on the session: Musicians, Painters and Poets

This session opened dramatically with a performance by Håkan Hardenberger and Jacques Werup of Jacque's poetry set to the music of both Antoine Tisné and the young Swedish composer, Thomas Lindahl. The music and words seemed an apt and powerful match, exemplifying well the artists' idea of marrying these two art forms. The performance was set against the backdrop of Claes Eklundh's painting, 'Exposed Throat' - a work that, we were also told, inspired HK Gruber to write a solo work for Håkan by that same title.

The panel then convened, led by Peter Schéle, in a colourful discussion about this collaboration, the successes and pitfalls of merging different art forms. When asked if the results of this collaboration felt more a musical, or poetic form, Jacques's response of "one plus one equals three", gave us a sense that the artists have perhaps arrived at a new form of art. Håkan and Jacques we were told will extend their exploration of this art form with the great jazz musician Jan Lundgren.

Jan Arman, Director of Stockholm's award-winning Fargfabriken Museum then made a presentation. He exemplified his perceptions of multimedia art forms using, amongst others, the example of David Byrnes' "Playing the Building" installation. Using an organ with its parts connected to the mechanisms and architecture of the building, David Byrnes had turned the museum itself into a musical instrument. Jacques provoked some thought about how innovative this project had been. Scriabin after all, he told the audience, had already explored the idea of using the organ as a means of connection to other arts forms. In his score of "Prometheus; The Poem of Fire" he used a "colour organ" - sound reacting through synthesis producing a 'coloured' response to his score in accordance to whatever note was played!

This session could well have used more discussion time for what was interesting content from noted leaders in their respective fields. All, of course, complimented by the irrepressible and popular Director of Public Affairs at the Konserthuset, Peter Schéle.

Speakers: Håkan Hardenberger (artist), Jacques Werup (Poet), Jan Arman, Director, Fargfabriken Museum in Stockholm. Moderated by Peter Schéle.

A final word on the conference by the conference chairman, Joeske van Walsum

There is probably nothing new in music interacting with other art forms - it has always done so. In this year's conference I wanted to draw attention to the fact that the music business has to be more pro active and look at ways of renewing itself - we must search for development and not live purely on the past, as some do. Looking at new ways in which music can interact with other art forms might be one way to find inspiration. We know that there are artists and prominent leaders in our world who are also searching for new "genres" using music. Some are prepared to take a risk and experiment with their ideas. These include people such as our two special guest speakers, Gerard Mortier and Esa-Pekka Salonen, and performers Hardenberger and Frost, who perhaps will be my lasting impressions of the conference. They showed inspirational, intelligent and great artistic courage apart from their dedication and above all, passion. Certainly, these qualities in this combination seem increasingly rare to find in people. I believe they inspired the delegates and I am grateful to them and the others who made some really very exciting contributions.

I do think the IAMA conference is unique in the world of conferencing. Of course it offers great business and networking opportunities but it is also about re-thinking one's perceptions and ideas. I was encouraged to see that many companies were not just using their time to chase promoters down the proverbial corridor (and vice versa). Some did, some apparently shamelessly and some definitely inelegantly, which I think was inappropriate for the context of the conference and is an aspect I believe most of us would like to see disappear with each subsequent conference. As a profession, we need to always consider how we go about conducting the way we do business, it seems odd to have to say it.

The aim of this year's conference theme was to put delegates in touch with cutting edge ideas. The panel discussions, which were fewer in number and fully focussed on the conference theme, were not there to come up with solutions but promote inspired ideas that delegates might take away with them. We know we all have a difficult and exhausting task in the work we have chosen and my hope is that delegates came away feeling refreshed.

IAMA would like to thank the following sponsors:

Musical America Worldwide, MünchenMusik GmbH & Co KG, eMusici GmbH, Intermusica Artists' Management Ltd., Van Walsum Management Ltd., Hazard Chase Ltd. and in particular the principle sponsor, Stockholm Concert Hall Foundation, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra headed by Stefan Forsberg, Executive and Artistic Director.