WEBVTT

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The Billy Wilder Theater.

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I'm Claudia Bestor. I am the

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director of public programs here at

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the Hammer Museum and it's my great

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pleasure to welcome you all

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here on this beautiful Sunday

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afternoon.

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I want to thank my wonderful

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colleagues at the Lowell Milken

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Center for Music of American Jewish

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Experience and the UCLA Herb

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Albert School of Music for

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presenting this program with us as

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part of the international

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celebrations of the 150th

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anniversary of the of composer

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Arnold Schoenberg.

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So today we're here to celebrate

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Arnold Schoenberg's birthday and to

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learn about the making of the

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brilliant new opera, Schoenberg

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in Hollywood, by Todd Machover,

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which will have its West Coast

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premiere in just two and a half

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hours at the Nimoy Theater on

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Westwood Boulevard.

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The opera explores the fascinating

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journey of the Austrian-born

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composer during his time in Los

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Angeles where he navigated the

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tension between his artistic vision

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and Hollywood's cinematic allure.

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We're so lucky to be joined by

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composer Todd Machover,

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conductor Neal Stulberg, director

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Karole Armitage, and Arnold

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Schoenberg's son, Larry Schoenberg,

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for today's conversation, moderated

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by UCLA musicology professor,

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Joy Calico.

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After the program, we'll have a

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chance to continue the conversation

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over some light refreshments in the

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theater lobby.

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And thank you all for joining us.

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Now please join me in welcoming Dr.

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Mark Kligman, director of the Lowell

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Milken Center.

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For music of American Jewish

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experience.

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Thank you, Claudia.

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And we thank everyone here at the

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Hammer Museum. This has been a

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wonderful partnership.

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The Lone Milken Center for Music of

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American Jewish Experience is

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housed at the UCLA Herb Albert

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School of Music.

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We focus on three goals to advance

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scholarship performance and

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education of Jewish music in

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America.

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All three of these goals are part of

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this month's series of programs

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connected to the 150th

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anniversary of Arnold Schoenberg.

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Our production of

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Todd Machover's opera, Schoenberg

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and Hollywood, as you just

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heard, which will open in just a few

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hours at the Nimoy Theater,

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explores the life of this eminent

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composer during his time

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here in Los Angeles.

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And if you'd like to get tickets, if

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you don't have tickets yet, when you

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go to the cookie reception,

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there's a QR code right by the

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cookies.

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We have held four other sessions

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online in Zoom with leading

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scholars of Schoerberg and his

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contemporaries.

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Today's panel, we will look at

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the making of the opera with

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the creative team, along with our

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special guest, Larry Schoenberg.

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It gives me great pleasure to

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introduce our moderator for today's

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panel. Professor Joy H.

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Calico, a musicologist

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who is a faculty member and

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chair of the Department of

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Musicology here at UCLA.

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Her scholarship focuses

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on interdisciplinary Cold

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War cultural politics,

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opera since 1900.

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And Arnold Schoenberg.

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She is author of several books,

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including Arnold Schuenberg's A

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Survivor from Warsaw in Post-War

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Europe, published by the University

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of California Press in 2014,

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which examines the cultural history

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of post-war Europe through the

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lens of the performance and

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reception of Arnold Schumberg's

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A Surviver from Warsaw.

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I want to give my very special

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thanks to Professor Calico for

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her partnership to help develop all

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of our programs for the events this

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month. And the many things

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that we're doing together, including

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the class that she and I co-teach.

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So without further ado, Professor

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Calico and all the members of

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today's panel, thank you for being

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here.

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Good afternoon, everyone.

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I'm Joy Calico.

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Thank you for joining us for this

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event.

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I am here with a star-studded

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cast. So I will

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introduce our guests, and then we'll

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get to some discussion about the

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creation and production of

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this opera.

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So I'll start closest to

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me. Todd Machover, composer and

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inventor, is the

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Muriel R. Cooper Professor of Music

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and Media and director of the

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Opera of the Future group at the MIT

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Media Lab.

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He's been called a musical visionary

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by the New York Times and creates

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music that breaks traditional,

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artistic, and cultural boundaries

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and designs technologies that

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expand music's potential for

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everyone, from celebrated virtuosi

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to musicians of all abilities.

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He's received numerous prizes and

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honors, including those from the

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American Academy of Arts and

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Letters, the Fromm and Kuzowicki

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Foundations, the National Endowment

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of the Arts, and Musical America,

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which named him composer of the

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year. He was also a finalist

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for the Pulitzer Prize.

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Machover is especially celebrated

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for his groundbreaking operas,

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including the AI-infused Valise,

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the audience interactive Brain

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Opera, the robotic Death

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and the Powers, and today's

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Schoenberg in Hollywood.

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He's currently working on his next

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opera, The Overstory, based on

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Richard Powers' Pulitzer

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Prize-winning novel about the

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relationship between humans and the

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non-human world.

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Sitting next to Todd is Karole,

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I wanted to say, Armitage.

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Is it Armitge?

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Armitage.

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Karole Armitge is the director

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and renowned for pushing

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the boundaries to create

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contemporary works that blend to

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dance, music, science, and the

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visual arts.

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Known as the punk ballerina,

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she creates work that is at once

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both esoteric and popular.

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She has choreographed Broadway

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productions, Cirque du Soleil,

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the 2020-2021 fall winter

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Marc Jacobs fashion show.

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Videos for Madonna and Michael

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Jackson, and films for Merchant

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Ivory Productions.

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In addition to creating over 100

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works for her dance company,

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Armatage has directed operas and

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created new dance productions for

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major houses in the US and Europe.

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In 2019, she formed I

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Am a Dancer Films, made by

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and with dancers who comprise the

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cast, crew, gimbal operators,

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production designers, and costume

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designers.

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They make work for the screen to

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show dance from new perspectives.

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The cinematic styles include art

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films and hybrid documentaries.

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She has directed opera at the Teatro

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de San Carlo, Teatro du Châtelet,

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Opera de Nancy, at Musique

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Theater, Boston Lyric Opera and

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Opera Saratoga.

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And next to Karole we have Neal

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Stulberg, my colleague from

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UCLA School of Music.

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Neal Stulberg has conducted many of

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the world's leading orchestras.

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Philadelphia, Los Angeles,

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Atlanta, Houston, St. Louis,

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San Francisco symphonies,

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Netherlands Radio Symphony, West

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German Radio Orchestra,

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Hong Kong Philharmonic, St.

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Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, and

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Moscow Chamber Orchestra.

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He's appeared as opera and ballet

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conductor in Europe and America.

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His performances of Mozart's

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concertos conducted from the

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keyboard have been uniformly praised

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for their buoyant virtuosity.

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Formerly Assistant Conductor of the

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Los Angeles Philharmonic under Carlo

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Maria Giuliani,

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a music director of the New Mexico

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Symphony Orchestra, he is a

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recipient of the Seaver National

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Endowment for the Arts Conductors

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Award, America's most coveted

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conducting prize.

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Since 2005, he has served as

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Professor and Director of Orchestral

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Studies at the UCLA Herb Albert

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School of Music, and currently

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serves as Artistic Director of

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UCLA's Lowell Milken Center for

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Music of American Jewish Experience.

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And finally, we have Larry

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Schoenberg, son of Arnold

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Schoenberg.

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Born and raised in Los Angeles,

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studied French at UCLA, and MPC

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at University of Grenoble.

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He is a former mathematics teacher

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at Palisades Charter High School,

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and he has taught at UCLA.

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He and his wife Anne run Belmont

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Music Publishers for performing

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publications of Arnold's

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Schoenberg's music.

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So you can see why

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I'm very excited to have this

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dark-studded cast with us today.

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I thought I would start with,

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you heard a little bit at the

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beginning about the fact that this

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is an opera literally about the

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composer Arnold Schoenberg in

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Hollywood.

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He does come to Hollywood,

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to Los Angeles as part of that

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immigration of German-speaking Jews

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from Central Europe, not

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only, but many of them find their

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way to the West Coast,

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and many of the do

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work in the Hollywood film business.

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Real meeting between Schoenberg

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and the MGM director,

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Thalberg, did actually occur where

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there was a conversation about

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the possibility that Schoenberg

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might write the score

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for the film, The Good Earth.

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There are various versions of why

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that didn't happen, but they all

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come back to something related to

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Schoenberg wanting $50,000

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in real and money at that time.

285
00:09:47.130 --> 00:09:49.249
And excessive artistic

286
00:09:49.250 --> 00:09:50.929
control. So that did not come to

287
00:09:50.930 --> 00:09:52.889
pass, but he definitely thought

288
00:09:52.890 --> 00:09:54.149
about this.

289
00:09:54.150 --> 00:09:56.029
So it also is

290
00:09:56.030 --> 00:09:57.589
a retrospective in some ways of

291
00:09:57.590 --> 00:09:59.149
other parts of Schoenberg's life.

292
00:09:59.150 --> 00:10:01.149
So I thought, since we have Larry

293
00:10:01.150 --> 00:10:03.089
here, would you be willing

294
00:10:03.090 --> 00:10:05.109
to start us off with some memories

295
00:10:05.110 --> 00:10:07.309
about your father, and I mean,

296
00:10:07.310 --> 00:10:08.629
primarily Los Angeles, because you

297
00:10:08.630 --> 00:10:10.909
joined the family in Los Angeles.

298
00:10:10.910 --> 00:10:12.889
Yeah, I should start

299
00:10:12.890 --> 00:10:14.809
with the fact that I was 10

300
00:10:14.810 --> 00:10:17.589
years old when he died.

301
00:10:17.590 --> 00:10:19.429
So a lot of the memories

302
00:10:19.430 --> 00:10:21.249
that I have would have come from

303
00:10:21.250 --> 00:10:22.529
a very young child.

304
00:10:23.630 --> 00:10:25.609
But they also come, these

305
00:10:25.610 --> 00:10:27.569
sort of fake memories come

306
00:10:27.570 --> 00:10:29.469
from my sister and my brother

307
00:10:29.470 --> 00:10:31.669
and things that you've

308
00:10:31.670 --> 00:10:32.950
read from other people.

309
00:10:33.990 --> 00:10:36.009
But we grew up here

310
00:10:36.010 --> 00:10:38.569
in Brentwood,

311
00:10:38.570 --> 00:10:40.579
or close, He taught here at

312
00:10:40.580 --> 00:10:42.559
UCLA, so very familiar

313
00:10:42.560 --> 00:10:44.559
with, he was very

314
00:10:44.560 --> 00:10:46.120
familiar this area.

315
00:10:48.820 --> 00:10:51.399
We grew up in a, what was,

316
00:10:51.400 --> 00:10:53.639
when one says a normal family,

317
00:10:55.380 --> 00:10:57.279
it was, for us it was a

318
00:10:57.280 --> 00:10:58.599
normal family because it was the

319
00:10:58.600 --> 00:11:00.619
only family we knew.

320
00:11:00.620 --> 00:11:02.439
So we were very

321
00:11:02.440 --> 00:11:04.599
much, he was very much involved

322
00:11:04.600 --> 00:11:06.399
in the way we grew up,

323
00:11:07.620 --> 00:11:09.539
in terms of the things that we did

324
00:11:09.540 --> 00:11:11.639
together and our

325
00:11:11.640 --> 00:11:13.959
meals, and very, very conventional

326
00:11:13.960 --> 00:11:15.899
as I look back

327
00:11:15.900 --> 00:11:17.599
retrospect on this, that it was

328
00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:19.219
very, very conventional.

329
00:11:19.220 --> 00:11:21.059
Maybe somewhat surprising

330
00:11:21.060 --> 00:11:23.039
because he was so

331
00:11:23.040 --> 00:11:25.139
much older than

332
00:11:25.140 --> 00:11:27.059
one would expect for

333
00:11:27.060 --> 00:11:29.299
a young child that

334
00:11:29.300 --> 00:11:31.179
I was. And our family

335
00:11:31.180 --> 00:11:33.059
was very close-knit.

336
00:11:33.060 --> 00:11:35.119
And if one wonders

337
00:11:35.120 --> 00:11:37.079
how that

338
00:11:37.080 --> 00:11:38.959
can be or one wants

339
00:11:38.960 --> 00:11:40.859
verification or validity for that,

340
00:11:40.860 --> 00:11:42.339
you can see that we're all still

341
00:11:42.340 --> 00:11:44.959
very close. That my brother,

342
00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:46.839
who lives on our home in

343
00:11:46.840 --> 00:11:47.840
Rockingham still.

344
00:11:50.270 --> 00:11:52.629
And my sister, who lives in Venice,

345
00:11:52.630 --> 00:11:55.209
not this Venice, but Venice,

346
00:11:55.210 --> 00:11:57.289
the other one, I don't realize

347
00:11:57.290 --> 00:11:59.089
this is a real one here, but the one

348
00:11:59.090 --> 00:12:00.489
that.

349
00:12:00.490 --> 00:12:02.369
So she's lived there in Italy.

350
00:12:02.370 --> 00:12:05.589
And she and

351
00:12:05.590 --> 00:12:07.429
my brother and I are

352
00:12:07.430 --> 00:12:09.349
very, very closely involved

353
00:12:09.350 --> 00:12:10.850
in all things Schoenberg.

354
00:12:12.930 --> 00:12:14.849
Probably tells you a lot about

355
00:12:14.850 --> 00:12:16.969
the fact that we must

356
00:12:16.970 --> 00:12:18.429
have been a very close family, the

357
00:12:18.430 --> 00:12:20.349
fact that we all still work

358
00:12:20.350 --> 00:12:22.429
very, very well together.

359
00:12:24.090 --> 00:12:26.329
And I can use the word promoting

360
00:12:26.330 --> 00:12:28.209
or enjoying or whatever word

361
00:12:28.210 --> 00:12:30.769
you want to use with respect to

362
00:12:30.770 --> 00:12:32.489
our father.

363
00:12:32.490 --> 00:12:34.409
So we're home, he

364
00:12:34.410 --> 00:12:36.549
taught here at UCLA

365
00:12:36.550 --> 00:12:38.609
for the last, until

366
00:12:38.610 --> 00:12:40.509
he retired and.

367
00:12:41.680 --> 00:12:43.599
He retired at the age of 70,

368
00:12:43.600 --> 00:12:45.419
so you can figure out what year

369
00:12:45.420 --> 00:12:46.420
that was.

370
00:12:48.880 --> 00:12:51.559
He died in

371
00:12:51.560 --> 00:12:53.880
1951,

372
00:12:55.160 --> 00:12:57.019
and as far as

373
00:12:57.020 --> 00:12:58.899
what he would have, I

374
00:12:58.900 --> 00:13:00.859
wonder, when I had

375
00:13:00.860 --> 00:13:02.939
the luxury of being able to

376
00:13:02.940 --> 00:13:05.039
see a preview

377
00:13:05.040 --> 00:13:07.899
of this, this production.

378
00:13:07.900 --> 00:13:09.039
And I was.

379
00:13:10.660 --> 00:13:12.079
Expected that one of the questions

380
00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:13.939
that would have been posed is, well,

381
00:13:13.940 --> 00:13:15.879
what would he have thought

382
00:13:15.880 --> 00:13:16.959
of it?

383
00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:18.779
And I want to start off,

384
00:13:18.780 --> 00:13:20.319
I want answer that question before

385
00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:21.320
it's asked.

386
00:13:23.940 --> 00:13:26.019
I think he would, and I'm

387
00:13:26.020 --> 00:13:27.959
not gonna use the word like because

388
00:13:27.960 --> 00:13:29.999
I think that's sort of a silly word,

389
00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:31.839
but I think I would rather use the

390
00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:33.239
words appreciate.

391
00:13:33.240 --> 00:13:35.379
He would have appreciated it.

392
00:13:35.380 --> 00:13:36.919
He would've appreciated the

393
00:13:36.920 --> 00:13:37.920
complexity.

394
00:13:40.220 --> 00:13:42.079
And he would have appreciated

395
00:13:42.080 --> 00:13:44.059
what you're going to hear about

396
00:13:44.060 --> 00:13:45.979
and see in this

397
00:13:45.980 --> 00:13:47.979
idea of different levels,

398
00:13:47.980 --> 00:13:50.079
so many different layers,

399
00:13:50.080 --> 00:13:52.299
which is something that he himself,

400
00:13:52.300 --> 00:13:55.319
as you'll learn from

401
00:13:55.320 --> 00:13:57.239
the opera itself, so

402
00:13:57.240 --> 00:13:58.240
many levels.

403
00:14:00.790 --> 00:14:03.549
Of the way he would

404
00:14:03.550 --> 00:14:05.809
interpose just in his compositions

405
00:14:05.810 --> 00:14:07.509
and, of course, in everything else

406
00:14:07.510 --> 00:14:08.789
that he did.

407
00:14:08.790 --> 00:14:10.629
So in making a short

408
00:14:10.630 --> 00:14:11.630
answer long.

409
00:14:15.270 --> 00:14:17.189
Do you have memories of him going

410
00:14:17.190 --> 00:14:18.029
to the movies?

411
00:14:18.030 --> 00:14:19.189
Did he take you to the movie?

412
00:14:19.190 --> 00:14:21.129
No, the closest I

413
00:14:21.130 --> 00:14:23.110
have to that would be the

414
00:14:25.580 --> 00:14:27.499
one or two-inch,

415
00:14:27.500 --> 00:14:29.439
square-inch television set that we

416
00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:30.440
had.

417
00:14:31.140 --> 00:14:32.839
If anybody can, if there's anyone

418
00:14:32.840 --> 00:14:34.759
here that can, that has

419
00:14:34.760 --> 00:14:36.859
ever seen something like that,

420
00:14:36.860 --> 00:14:39.379
you use the seven or eight-inch

421
00:14:39.380 --> 00:14:41.379
magnifying glass over

422
00:14:41.380 --> 00:14:43.839
the large, over the

423
00:14:43.840 --> 00:14:46.139
small-screen television.

424
00:14:46.140 --> 00:14:47.739
And we would sit there and when

425
00:14:47.740 --> 00:14:49.319
we... That's the closest.

426
00:14:49.320 --> 00:14:51.299
And he said when we got this,

427
00:14:51.300 --> 00:14:52.519
and the reason we got this is

428
00:14:52.520 --> 00:14:53.999
family, because we were going next

429
00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:55.039
door, because they had a real

430
00:14:55.040 --> 00:14:56.319
television set.

431
00:14:56.320 --> 00:14:58.180
So he wanted us to stay home.

432
00:14:59.480 --> 00:15:01.639
So we were there to

433
00:15:01.640 --> 00:15:04.419
watch only

434
00:15:04.420 --> 00:15:05.420
news.

435
00:15:06.300 --> 00:15:07.619
It lasted about a day.

436
00:15:10.250 --> 00:15:12.149
No, but we never

437
00:15:12.150 --> 00:15:14.189
went. I've read things about how he

438
00:15:14.190 --> 00:15:16.109
liked Hopalong

439
00:15:16.110 --> 00:15:17.110
Cassidy,

440
00:15:18.810 --> 00:15:21.189
and he liked the movies.

441
00:15:21.190 --> 00:15:23.089
And I have my own idea about all

442
00:15:23.090 --> 00:15:25.849
these things, about why and what.

443
00:15:25.850 --> 00:15:27.509
And we can talk, if you want to talk

444
00:15:27.510 --> 00:15:29.949
about that later, of what actually,

445
00:15:29.950 --> 00:15:33.829
why he didn't end up

446
00:15:33.830 --> 00:15:36.029
actually writing

447
00:15:36.030 --> 00:15:37.809
the score for the Good Earth.

448
00:15:39.280 --> 00:15:40.280
Thank you, Larry.

449
00:15:41.420 --> 00:15:43.439
I would like to turn

450
00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:45.519
to Todd and Karole, in

451
00:15:45.520 --> 00:15:48.779
particular, thinking about if

452
00:15:48.780 --> 00:15:52.059
the opera is, in fact, based on

453
00:15:52.060 --> 00:15:54.099
real events or based

454
00:15:54.100 --> 00:15:56.599
on someone's life, how

455
00:15:56.600 --> 00:15:57.959
do you make decisions about the

456
00:15:57.960 --> 00:15:59.719
creative process of adapting

457
00:15:59.720 --> 00:16:01.859
someone's live, which was?

458
00:16:01.860 --> 00:16:03.759
A storied life in and of its

459
00:16:03.760 --> 00:16:05.139
own quite apart from putting it on

460
00:16:05.140 --> 00:16:06.639
the stage. What types of creative

461
00:16:06.640 --> 00:16:08.239
choices do you make thinking about

462
00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:10.259
somebody's biography and then how to

463
00:16:10.260 --> 00:16:11.880
make an artwork out of that?

464
00:16:14.140 --> 00:16:15.519
Well, I guess I can start.

465
00:16:17.800 --> 00:16:20.699
I grew up

466
00:16:20.700 --> 00:16:22.539
knowing quite well and loving

467
00:16:22.540 --> 00:16:23.399
Schoenberg's music.

468
00:16:23.400 --> 00:16:25.319
I had a dad who was an engineer and

469
00:16:25.320 --> 00:16:27.099
was always interested in new things.

470
00:16:27.100 --> 00:16:28.959
And my mom was a pianist who

471
00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:30.779
studied with Edward Steuermann

472
00:16:30.780 --> 00:16:31.659
actually.

473
00:16:31.660 --> 00:16:33.579
So we had Schoerberg's

474
00:16:33.580 --> 00:16:35.259
Music in the house growing up and it

475
00:16:35.260 --> 00:16:37.079
was always close to me.

476
00:16:37.080 --> 00:16:38.999
And it was in,

477
00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:41.939
I think around 1994.

478
00:16:41.940 --> 00:16:43.769
We talked about this the other day.

479
00:16:43.770 --> 00:16:45.929
Alexander Ringer, who was a

480
00:16:45.930 --> 00:16:47.789
musicologist, who turns

481
00:16:47.790 --> 00:16:49.969
out Joy studied with,

482
00:16:49.970 --> 00:16:51.649
has mixed memories of,

483
00:16:52.650 --> 00:16:54.329
wrote a book called Arnold

484
00:16:54.330 --> 00:16:55.970
Schoenberg, The Composer as Jew,

485
00:16:57.570 --> 00:16:59.669
which totally gave me a different

486
00:16:59.670 --> 00:17:01.609
idea about many things about

487
00:17:01.610 --> 00:17:02.710
Schoerberg's life. First of all, it

488
00:17:02.711 --> 00:17:04.868
was the first time that I'd read

489
00:17:04.869 --> 00:17:06.989
the story of Schoernberg

490
00:17:06.990 --> 00:17:09.129
meeting Thalberg,

491
00:17:09.130 --> 00:17:11.108
was told very, very clearly in that

492
00:17:11.109 --> 00:17:13.479
book, The idea, I'd

493
00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:15.118
known that Schoenbeck had ended up

494
00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:16.939
in LA, and the idea

495
00:17:16.940 --> 00:17:18.879
of this incredibly

496
00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:21.118
very serious,

497
00:17:21.119 --> 00:17:22.659
deeply serious uncompromising

498
00:17:22.660 --> 00:17:24.479
composer who didn't

499
00:17:24.480 --> 00:17:27.019
pander to anybody, didn't

500
00:17:27.020 --> 00:17:28.639
compromise, I think is one of the

501
00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:30.759
things I admire most about him,

502
00:17:30.760 --> 00:17:32.859
ending up in the

503
00:17:32.860 --> 00:17:34.779
capital of a popular

504
00:17:34.780 --> 00:17:37.199
culture, not that there wasn't

505
00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:39.539
in the 30s an incredibly rich,

506
00:17:39.540 --> 00:17:41.449
full artistic life, You know,

507
00:17:41.450 --> 00:17:43.369
a place where a

508
00:17:43.370 --> 00:17:45.369
high value was put on, making work

509
00:17:45.370 --> 00:17:47.029
that could reach huge numbers of

510
00:17:47.030 --> 00:17:49.029
people. And that paradox of

511
00:17:49.030 --> 00:17:50.569
what it felt like for Schoenberg to

512
00:17:50.570 --> 00:17:52.609
be here, how it was that

513
00:17:52.610 --> 00:17:54.649
he had such a nice

514
00:17:54.650 --> 00:17:56.449
life here. You know he, as we all

515
00:17:56.450 --> 00:17:58.029
know, he played tennis with George

516
00:17:58.030 --> 00:17:59.929
Gershwin. He knew Charlie Chaplin.

517
00:17:59.930 --> 00:18:01.869
It was Harpo Marx who gave

518
00:18:01.870 --> 00:18:04.089
his name to Irving Thalberg.

519
00:18:04.090 --> 00:18:06.289
And that juxtaposition really

520
00:18:06.290 --> 00:18:07.249
interested me.

521
00:18:07.250 --> 00:18:08.889
And I don't, you probably remember,

522
00:18:08.890 --> 00:18:10.369
Larry, But when I first had this

523
00:18:10.370 --> 00:18:11.449
idea...

524
00:18:11.450 --> 00:18:12.489
I was good.

525
00:18:12.490 --> 00:18:14.509
I think it was about the time that

526
00:18:14.510 --> 00:18:16.629
the archives had gone from USC

527
00:18:16.630 --> 00:18:18.449
back to Vienna and I

528
00:18:18.450 --> 00:18:19.629
was Good friends with Christian

529
00:18:19.630 --> 00:18:21.589
Meyer who was the first director of

530
00:18:21.590 --> 00:18:24.049
the Schoenberg Center in Vienna and

531
00:18:24.050 --> 00:18:25.769
I told Christian about this idea.

532
00:18:25.770 --> 00:18:27.349
I said, you know, I've got this I

533
00:18:27.350 --> 00:18:28.709
mean, I really really admire

534
00:18:28.710 --> 00:18:30.709
Schoerberg and I read this book

535
00:18:30.710 --> 00:18:31.929
and know so much more about

536
00:18:34.470 --> 00:18:35.929
unbelievably interesting his life

537
00:18:35.930 --> 00:18:37.769
was, and how courageous he was,

538
00:18:37.770 --> 00:18:39.689
and how he lived

539
00:18:39.690 --> 00:18:41.709
through and experienced,

540
00:18:41.710 --> 00:18:43.549
personally and through his music,

541
00:18:43.550 --> 00:18:45.409
all the important things that

542
00:18:45.410 --> 00:18:47.029
happen in Western culture from the

543
00:18:47.030 --> 00:18:49.009
late 19th century through World

544
00:18:49.010 --> 00:18:49.929
War II.

545
00:18:49.930 --> 00:18:51.209
I really want to write an opera

546
00:18:51.210 --> 00:18:52.509
about this. Christian, do you think

547
00:18:52.510 --> 00:18:54.669
I'm nuts? And he said, well,

548
00:18:54.670 --> 00:18:55.929
you're always nuts, but it sounds

549
00:18:55.930 --> 00:18:56.849
like a good idea.

550
00:18:56.850 --> 00:18:59.169
And I said, you have

551
00:18:59.170 --> 00:19:00.509
worked with the Schoenberg family.

552
00:19:00.510 --> 00:19:01.489
Is there any chance you could

553
00:19:01.490 --> 00:19:02.939
introduce me to them?

554
00:19:02.940 --> 00:19:03.940
And I don't know if you remember,

555
00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:07.659
but Christian Meyer organized a

556
00:19:07.660 --> 00:19:09.479
dinner at his house in Vienna with

557
00:19:09.480 --> 00:19:10.419
the three of you. Do you remember

558
00:19:10.420 --> 00:19:12.359
that? With you and Ron

559
00:19:12.360 --> 00:19:13.949
and Nuria?

560
00:19:13.950 --> 00:19:16.269
There's so much plaque right now.

561
00:19:16.270 --> 00:19:17.829
Yeah, you know, I didn't mean to put

562
00:19:17.830 --> 00:19:19.309
you on the spot, but it was

563
00:19:19.310 --> 00:19:21.049
incredibly meaningful for me because

564
00:19:21.050 --> 00:19:23.589
early on in the project I

565
00:19:23.590 --> 00:19:25.549
got to say, I would

566
00:19:25.550 --> 00:19:27.269
love to do this.

567
00:19:27.270 --> 00:19:29.149
And would you nix

568
00:19:29.150 --> 00:19:31.009
it? Would you encourage it?

569
00:19:31.010 --> 00:19:33.189
And you're all really wonderful

570
00:19:33.190 --> 00:19:34.349
through the whole process, I must

571
00:19:34.350 --> 00:19:36.389
say, and I've sent you texts along

572
00:19:36.390 --> 00:19:37.409
the way.

573
00:19:37.410 --> 00:19:39.009
But just quickly, and then I'll pass

574
00:19:39.010 --> 00:19:39.969
along to Karole.

575
00:19:39.970 --> 00:19:40.970
I think...

576
00:19:41.640 --> 00:19:42.899
For a while when I thought about

577
00:19:42.900 --> 00:19:44.999
this project, my original

578
00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:46.919
idea really was to set it all

579
00:19:46.920 --> 00:19:48.279
during Schoenberg's time in

580
00:19:48.280 --> 00:19:49.079
Hollywood.

581
00:19:49.080 --> 00:19:51.319
And originally, because, you know,

582
00:19:51.320 --> 00:19:53.419
so, as we know, the emigre

583
00:19:53.420 --> 00:19:55.379
life here was so rich, the people

584
00:19:55.380 --> 00:19:56.539
that Schoerberg was in touch with,

585
00:19:56.540 --> 00:19:58.359
it was just an amazing period, an

586
00:19:58.360 --> 00:19:59.360
amazing life.

587
00:20:00.120 --> 00:20:01.919
And as we started talking about it,

588
00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:03.199
I worked very closely on the

589
00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:04.499
scenario with someone named Bram

590
00:20:04.500 --> 00:20:06.979
Murray, who was a great director,

591
00:20:06.980 --> 00:20:08.419
who was one of my closest

592
00:20:08.420 --> 00:20:10.419
collaborators for 25 years or

593
00:20:10.420 --> 00:20:12.349
so. And we put together

594
00:20:12.350 --> 00:20:13.609
the original idea.

595
00:20:13.610 --> 00:20:15.149
And Bram had the idea at some point

596
00:20:15.150 --> 00:20:16.829
of saying, you know, we could tell

597
00:20:16.830 --> 00:20:18.869
the story just in LA,

598
00:20:18.870 --> 00:20:21.129
but the story really is about

599
00:20:21.130 --> 00:20:23.089
Schoenberg's relationship to Los

600
00:20:23.090 --> 00:20:25.049
Angeles and to film and to popular

601
00:20:25.050 --> 00:20:26.050
culture.

602
00:20:27.670 --> 00:20:29.789
We could probably do something

603
00:20:29.790 --> 00:20:31.709
slyer or more interesting,

604
00:20:31.710 --> 00:20:33.749
which is to look at Schoenberg's

605
00:20:33.750 --> 00:20:35.669
life through the history

606
00:20:35.670 --> 00:20:37.789
of film and through his relationship

607
00:20:37.790 --> 00:20:39.789
to film, maybe

608
00:20:39.790 --> 00:20:42.209
starting with Thalberg and ending,

609
00:20:42.210 --> 00:20:44.109
almost ending with Thaulberg.

610
00:20:44.110 --> 00:20:45.689
And so that's what we did.

611
00:20:45.690 --> 00:20:47.529
And so we decided

612
00:20:47.530 --> 00:20:49.389
to make, you'll see today, or

613
00:20:49.390 --> 00:20:50.649
whenever, I hope you can come and

614
00:20:50.650 --> 00:20:53.049
see the opera, that it

615
00:20:53.050 --> 00:20:54.859
moves quite quickly.

616
00:20:54.860 --> 00:20:56.619
It moves kind of with the speed of

617
00:20:56.620 --> 00:20:58.579
film, so it cuts from character

618
00:20:58.580 --> 00:20:59.539
to character.

619
00:20:59.540 --> 00:21:01.579
There are only three singers

620
00:21:01.580 --> 00:21:02.399
on stage.

621
00:21:02.400 --> 00:21:03.959
There's Omar Abraham.

622
00:21:03.960 --> 00:21:05.459
You're gonna see an amazing

623
00:21:05.460 --> 00:21:07.339
performance by one of

624
00:21:07.340 --> 00:21:08.899
the great singer-actors of our time,

625
00:21:08.900 --> 00:21:09.979
I think, who plays Arnold

626
00:21:09.980 --> 00:21:11.579
Schoenberg. And then there are two

627
00:21:11.580 --> 00:21:13.619
young singers who play boy and girl,

628
00:21:13.620 --> 00:21:15.999
and they shift role really

629
00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:17.879
often. Karole can tell you about how

630
00:21:17.880 --> 00:21:19.839
difficult it is to create those

631
00:21:19.840 --> 00:21:21.979
roles for them to shift not

632
00:21:21.980 --> 00:21:24.059
just costumes, but style and

633
00:21:24.060 --> 00:21:24.859
personality.

634
00:21:24.860 --> 00:21:26.959
And we made a story which took

635
00:21:26.960 --> 00:21:28.879
so many, many, many scenes,

636
00:21:28.880 --> 00:21:30.459
real scenes, from Schoenberg's life.

637
00:21:31.780 --> 00:21:33.899
As I think it was Joe Arner,

638
00:21:33.900 --> 00:21:35.959
a great Schoerberg scholar, we had a

639
00:21:35.960 --> 00:21:38.219
Zoom symposium the other day,

640
00:21:38.220 --> 00:21:40.239
and Joe said, you might come

641
00:21:40.240 --> 00:21:42.059
to this opera and think that

642
00:21:42.060 --> 00:21:43.959
the creators made up a lot of

643
00:21:43.960 --> 00:21:44.939
these crazy stories.

644
00:21:44.940 --> 00:21:46.919
And he said, Schoernberg

645
00:21:46.920 --> 00:21:47.899
really did.

646
00:21:47.900 --> 00:21:49.779
These are real things that happened

647
00:21:49.780 --> 00:21:51.699
in this man's life, so

648
00:21:51.700 --> 00:21:53.239
really the question was how to pick

649
00:21:53.240 --> 00:21:55.069
important things.

650
00:21:55.070 --> 00:21:56.729
In an incredibly varied life.

651
00:21:56.730 --> 00:21:58.649
And so you'll see the Thalberg

652
00:21:58.650 --> 00:22:00.789
story and then

653
00:22:00.790 --> 00:22:02.969
back from really

654
00:22:02.970 --> 00:22:04.789
when he's born all the way till

655
00:22:04.790 --> 00:22:06.989
the time he comes to Hollywood shown

656
00:22:06.990 --> 00:22:08.249
through the history of music,

657
00:22:08.250 --> 00:22:09.169
through Schoenberg's music, through

658
00:22:09.170 --> 00:22:10.989
the History of Film and

659
00:22:10.990 --> 00:22:12.189
hopefully through my music.

660
00:22:12.190 --> 00:22:14.029
Because after all, that's what

661
00:22:14.030 --> 00:22:15.589
I, that's why I wanted to do this

662
00:22:15.590 --> 00:22:17.409
project. So there's, so

663
00:22:17.410 --> 00:22:19.369
maybe I'll turn it over to you as to

664
00:22:19.370 --> 00:22:20.889
telling the story and how we picked

665
00:22:20.890 --> 00:22:22.629
and what it means to put it on

666
00:22:22.630 --> 00:22:23.749
stage.

667
00:22:23.750 --> 00:22:25.629
Yes. Well, I was not there during

668
00:22:25.630 --> 00:22:27.609
the great dilemmas of

669
00:22:27.610 --> 00:22:29.569
what the actual

670
00:22:29.570 --> 00:22:30.969
content would be.

671
00:22:30.970 --> 00:22:31.969
I mean, that's the hardest part.

672
00:22:31.970 --> 00:22:34.069
I came where the part is easy.

673
00:22:34.070 --> 00:22:35.369
Incredible music had been written

674
00:22:35.370 --> 00:22:37.249
and incredible libretto was in

675
00:22:37.250 --> 00:22:38.029
place.

676
00:22:38.030 --> 00:22:39.909
And then it was my

677
00:22:39.910 --> 00:22:41.949
job to turn that into life

678
00:22:41.950 --> 00:22:43.390
on the stage.

679
00:22:44.729 --> 00:22:47.009
And I'm very grateful

680
00:22:47.010 --> 00:22:49.429
that you included so

681
00:22:49.430 --> 00:22:51.449
much of his rich European

682
00:22:51.450 --> 00:22:52.949
and Jewish life, because

683
00:22:54.500 --> 00:22:56.519
To see the complexity of

684
00:22:56.520 --> 00:22:58.859
this person's consciousness

685
00:22:58.860 --> 00:23:01.199
is for me the

686
00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:03.019
great joy of this work,

687
00:23:03.020 --> 00:23:05.019
because everything from

688
00:23:05.020 --> 00:23:07.199
spiritual life to comedy

689
00:23:07.200 --> 00:23:09.879
to political life,

690
00:23:09.880 --> 00:23:13.059
married life, and of course,

691
00:23:13.060 --> 00:23:14.719
the incredible demands he put upon

692
00:23:14.720 --> 00:23:17.079
himself as an artist.

693
00:23:17.080 --> 00:23:18.839
So it's, you know, there's nothing

694
00:23:18.840 --> 00:23:21.359
simple.

695
00:23:21.360 --> 00:23:22.949
It's not about.

696
00:23:22.950 --> 00:23:24.489
Winning, which maybe Hollywood

697
00:23:24.490 --> 00:23:26.909
movies tend to be about

698
00:23:26.910 --> 00:23:28.629
simple solutions.

699
00:23:28.630 --> 00:23:30.569
This is about really the complexity

700
00:23:30.570 --> 00:23:32.449
of being a

701
00:23:32.450 --> 00:23:34.549
person and being a great artist,

702
00:23:34.550 --> 00:23:36.569
and I love it enormously.

703
00:23:37.910 --> 00:23:39.749
It is an incredible entertainment at

704
00:23:39.750 --> 00:23:41.289
the same time that is a truly

705
00:23:41.290 --> 00:23:43.509
profound look at the

706
00:23:43.510 --> 00:23:45.369
questions one poses as

707
00:23:45.370 --> 00:23:47.209
to how to live one's

708
00:23:47.210 --> 00:23:48.409
life.

709
00:23:48.410 --> 00:23:50.349
So these two characters of the

710
00:23:50.350 --> 00:23:52.279
boy and girl who are kind of

711
00:23:52.280 --> 00:23:54.359
the energy of the Hollywood

712
00:23:54.360 --> 00:23:56.759
30s, the youthful,

713
00:23:56.760 --> 00:23:58.659
optimistic kids who

714
00:23:58.660 --> 00:24:00.560
really know nothing about hardship.

715
00:24:01.660 --> 00:24:03.539
So they start with that

716
00:24:03.540 --> 00:24:05.559
vitality of American optimism,

717
00:24:05.560 --> 00:24:08.359
and then they have to morph into

718
00:24:08.360 --> 00:24:10.319
all different kinds of

719
00:24:10.320 --> 00:24:12.059
characters, and sometimes they're

720
00:24:12.060 --> 00:24:13.979
just figments of imagination,

721
00:24:13.980 --> 00:24:16.059
or they're like just

722
00:24:16.060 --> 00:24:16.899
carrying a prop.

723
00:24:16.900 --> 00:24:19.119
I mean, it's not literalism.

724
00:24:19.120 --> 00:24:20.839
It's all, as I say, it is all these

725
00:24:20.840 --> 00:24:23.599
many, many layers of what,

726
00:24:23.600 --> 00:24:25.639
how our consciousness works, in

727
00:24:25.640 --> 00:24:27.439
a way, and how we're formed by our

728
00:24:27.440 --> 00:24:29.699
situation, but also how we

729
00:24:29.700 --> 00:24:31.439
involve ourselves with those

730
00:24:31.440 --> 00:24:32.440
situations.

731
00:24:33.280 --> 00:24:35.319
So, I thought that the

732
00:24:35.320 --> 00:24:37.399
way, partly based on the music,

733
00:24:37.400 --> 00:24:39.579
and partly based on the libretto,

734
00:24:39.580 --> 00:24:41.399
to bring alive this sort of

735
00:24:41.400 --> 00:24:43.339
American vitality, was to use kind

736
00:24:43.340 --> 00:24:45.259
of musical comedies of the

737
00:24:45.260 --> 00:24:47.259
30s dance

738
00:24:47.260 --> 00:24:49.339
for the singers, which

739
00:24:49.340 --> 00:24:50.349
is...

740
00:24:50.350 --> 00:24:52.249
You know, not the easiest thing for

741
00:24:52.250 --> 00:24:54.209
them, but because

742
00:24:54.210 --> 00:24:56.749
singers use their body like

743
00:24:56.750 --> 00:24:58.669
dancers, by listening to music and

744
00:24:58.670 --> 00:25:01.429
reacting with the music,

745
00:25:01.430 --> 00:25:03.689
they can all do it really well.

746
00:25:03.690 --> 00:25:05.729
They know how to make body language

747
00:25:05.730 --> 00:25:07.749
manifest so that the

748
00:25:07.750 --> 00:25:09.489
audience can read body language.

749
00:25:09.490 --> 00:25:10.669
And they're doing the dancing

750
00:25:10.670 --> 00:25:11.649
beautifully.

751
00:25:11.650 --> 00:25:12.709
And then they have to become, you

752
00:25:12.710 --> 00:25:15.189
know, well,

753
00:25:15.190 --> 00:25:16.489
the boy has to become Thalberg,

754
00:25:16.490 --> 00:25:18.589
somebody of incredible power and

755
00:25:18.590 --> 00:25:19.590
elegance.

756
00:25:21.489 --> 00:25:23.809
Dismissiveness and so

757
00:25:23.810 --> 00:25:25.509
a complete opposite kind of

758
00:25:25.510 --> 00:25:27.049
character and then the girl has to

759
00:25:27.050 --> 00:25:29.089
become a snooty secretary and

760
00:25:29.090 --> 00:25:31.269
she has to be each of the wives.

761
00:25:31.270 --> 00:25:33.169
Anyway it's this wonderfully rich

762
00:25:33.170 --> 00:25:35.189
tapestry that has to turn on a dime

763
00:25:35.190 --> 00:25:38.009
with split second timing about

764
00:25:38.010 --> 00:25:39.869
keeping the complexity

765
00:25:39.870 --> 00:25:42.469
clear for the audience and

766
00:25:42.470 --> 00:25:44.609
to capture

767
00:25:44.610 --> 00:25:47.789
the emotion,

768
00:25:47.790 --> 00:25:50.459
the the

769
00:25:50.460 --> 00:25:53.079
situation for

770
00:25:53.080 --> 00:25:55.219
every single little nuance

771
00:25:55.220 --> 00:25:56.859
of the complexity of the story.

772
00:25:59.620 --> 00:26:00.599
Thank you for that.

773
00:26:00.600 --> 00:26:02.299
I want to keep going with the

774
00:26:02.300 --> 00:26:03.999
performance aspect of this.

775
00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:05.939
So thinking about Neal, your work

776
00:26:05.940 --> 00:26:06.940
as conductor.

777
00:26:08.800 --> 00:26:10.019
I have a couple of, well I have many

778
00:26:10.020 --> 00:26:11.979
questions about this, but one

779
00:26:11.980 --> 00:26:13.959
of them has to do with the

780
00:26:13.960 --> 00:26:16.279
process of working with

781
00:26:16.280 --> 00:26:18.279
live musicians in the pit

782
00:26:18.280 --> 00:26:20.119
or at the cube, whatever, the cube

783
00:26:20.120 --> 00:26:21.819
I guess it is in this case, and

784
00:26:21.820 --> 00:26:23.879
singers on the stage and having to

785
00:26:23.880 --> 00:26:25.279
synchronize all of that with fixed

786
00:26:25.280 --> 00:26:27.519
media, meaning film clips over

787
00:26:27.520 --> 00:26:29.769
which you do not have any control.

788
00:26:29.770 --> 00:26:30.709
So could you say something about

789
00:26:30.710 --> 00:26:32.549
what it's like to synchronize all of

790
00:26:32.550 --> 00:26:33.550
that?

791
00:26:35.710 --> 00:26:37.309
Well, the first thing that you will

792
00:26:37.310 --> 00:26:39.669
notice is that

793
00:26:39.670 --> 00:26:41.749
the orchestra is in

794
00:26:41.750 --> 00:26:43.669
back of the singers, which

795
00:26:43.670 --> 00:26:45.649
poses the question, well, how

796
00:26:45.650 --> 00:26:47.449
do they see the conductor and how

797
00:26:47.450 --> 00:26:48.609
does the conductor see them?

798
00:26:50.050 --> 00:26:51.989
This is not completely

799
00:26:51.990 --> 00:26:53.609
unheard of in opera production.

800
00:26:53.610 --> 00:26:55.790
It actually is not that uncommon.

801
00:26:57.750 --> 00:26:59.729
But the technical

802
00:26:59.730 --> 00:27:01.669
solution to this is

803
00:27:01.670 --> 00:27:04.479
that there are a couple of monitors.

804
00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:06.319
On both sides of

805
00:27:06.320 --> 00:27:08.619
the house that

806
00:27:08.620 --> 00:27:10.619
are fixed on me that the

807
00:27:10.620 --> 00:27:11.959
singers can see. There are also

808
00:27:11.960 --> 00:27:13.999
times when the singers

809
00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:16.319
are actually upstage

810
00:27:16.320 --> 00:27:18.279
of me, and so we can have

811
00:27:18.280 --> 00:27:19.720
direct contact that way.

812
00:27:21.300 --> 00:27:23.139
And I have a monitor in front of

813
00:27:23.140 --> 00:27:25.059
me that shows the

814
00:27:25.060 --> 00:27:27.499
stage and shows the

815
00:27:27.500 --> 00:27:29.599
screen on which all of the.

816
00:27:29.600 --> 00:27:31.459
Visual information is, and of course

817
00:27:31.460 --> 00:27:32.939
there are also super titles, which

818
00:27:32.940 --> 00:27:34.900
is great for the audience too.

819
00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:38.899
That said, it's a

820
00:27:38.900 --> 00:27:40.079
very complex score.

821
00:27:42.240 --> 00:27:44.359
It requires a tremendous

822
00:27:44.360 --> 00:27:46.439
amount of

823
00:27:46.440 --> 00:27:49.339
precision, coordination.

824
00:27:49.340 --> 00:27:51.259
Everything is very meaningful

825
00:27:51.260 --> 00:27:53.279
in the score and the text of

826
00:27:53.280 --> 00:27:55.279
course has to be projected

827
00:27:55.280 --> 00:27:57.919
in a very clear

828
00:27:57.920 --> 00:27:59.420
way because the text is.

829
00:28:01.660 --> 00:28:04.559
Karole says, very rich

830
00:28:04.560 --> 00:28:05.560
and profound.

831
00:28:07.360 --> 00:28:09.299
It's an orchestra of 15, just to

832
00:28:09.300 --> 00:28:10.300
say.

833
00:28:11.380 --> 00:28:13.300
There is a string quintet,

834
00:28:14.540 --> 00:28:15.559
three winds,

835
00:28:16.920 --> 00:28:18.499
a flute who doubles on piccolo,

836
00:28:18.500 --> 00:28:20.179
clarinetist, another clarinetists

837
00:28:20.180 --> 00:28:22.139
who doubles on bass clarinet,

838
00:28:22.140 --> 00:28:23.759
four brass players, trumpet,

839
00:28:23.760 --> 00:28:25.999
trombone, horn, tuba.

840
00:28:27.160 --> 00:28:28.599
A percussionist, you'll see an

841
00:28:28.600 --> 00:28:30.599
amazing array of

842
00:28:30.600 --> 00:28:32.839
percussion surrounding our.

843
00:28:32.840 --> 00:28:33.179
Inner.

844
00:28:33.180 --> 00:28:34.749
In a very small space.

845
00:28:34.750 --> 00:28:36.789
In a very small space,

846
00:28:38.890 --> 00:28:40.409
and two keyboardists, one playing

847
00:28:40.410 --> 00:28:42.289
piano and

848
00:28:42.290 --> 00:28:44.629
synthesizer, a synthesizer

849
00:28:44.630 --> 00:28:47.249
part that is like a piano part,

850
00:28:47.250 --> 00:28:49.829
and one playing another synthesizer

851
00:28:49.830 --> 00:28:52.729
who does not actually play

852
00:28:52.730 --> 00:28:55.549
piano music, but actually

853
00:28:55.550 --> 00:28:57.809
plays notes

854
00:28:57.810 --> 00:29:00.209
that trigger certain

855
00:29:00.210 --> 00:29:02.919
sounds and effects.

856
00:29:02.920 --> 00:29:04.779
So it's, we have

857
00:29:04.780 --> 00:29:06.619
a spectacular pianist who is

858
00:29:06.620 --> 00:29:08.519
doing this and no one will get to

859
00:29:08.520 --> 00:29:10.719
see what a spectacular piano she is

860
00:29:10.720 --> 00:29:13.319
because she's going like this,

861
00:29:13.320 --> 00:29:15.159
but she is,

862
00:29:15.160 --> 00:29:16.819
but it also requires somebody who

863
00:29:16.820 --> 00:29:19.099
can stay exactly with

864
00:29:19.100 --> 00:29:20.919
a score with, you know, very

865
00:29:20.920 --> 00:29:22.959
complex metrical

866
00:29:22.960 --> 00:29:24.459
design and things like that.

867
00:29:24.460 --> 00:29:25.460
So,

868
00:29:27.650 --> 00:29:30.409
This is a piece that

869
00:29:30.410 --> 00:29:33.289
rewards the

870
00:29:33.290 --> 00:29:35.049
amount of work that one puts into

871
00:29:35.050 --> 00:29:36.409
it.

872
00:29:36.410 --> 00:29:37.689
And everybody, I think, is very

873
00:29:37.690 --> 00:29:40.989
excited about where

874
00:29:40.990 --> 00:29:43.129
it's come and how it

875
00:29:43.130 --> 00:29:45.029
takes a while for everybody to get

876
00:29:45.030 --> 00:29:46.049
how it all fits together.

877
00:29:49.570 --> 00:29:50.989
It's been a very, very rich

878
00:29:50.990 --> 00:29:51.990
experience.

879
00:29:53.310 --> 00:29:55.469
And I think for the audience,

880
00:29:55.470 --> 00:29:57.969
it is so thought-provoking.

881
00:29:57.970 --> 00:29:58.970
And

882
00:30:01.050 --> 00:30:03.309
It gives such a,

883
00:30:03.310 --> 00:30:05.149
there's so much to

884
00:30:05.150 --> 00:30:07.529
digest in terms of

885
00:30:07.530 --> 00:30:09.529
war and romance

886
00:30:09.530 --> 00:30:11.889
and family and

887
00:30:11.890 --> 00:30:13.769
art and commerce and

888
00:30:13.770 --> 00:30:15.849
all of these issues that

889
00:30:15.850 --> 00:30:17.969
really affect all of us now

890
00:30:17.970 --> 00:30:20.069
in

891
00:30:20.070 --> 00:30:21.070
the present.

892
00:30:22.510 --> 00:30:24.389
I have a funny anecdote just to add

893
00:30:24.390 --> 00:30:26.669
to the small

894
00:30:26.670 --> 00:30:29.449
space the musicians are in.

895
00:30:29.450 --> 00:30:30.869
Musicians always want more space

896
00:30:30.870 --> 00:30:32.769
than I tend to think they

897
00:30:32.770 --> 00:30:33.770
need.

898
00:30:35.290 --> 00:30:37.269
But this time I was even, I

899
00:30:37.270 --> 00:30:39.089
was like, oh my gosh, how are they

900
00:30:39.090 --> 00:30:40.090
gonna get in?

901
00:30:41.330 --> 00:30:42.509
And when they get in, how can they

902
00:30:42.510 --> 00:30:42.709
get out?

903
00:30:42.710 --> 00:30:44.229
How can they get in, how can the get

904
00:30:44.230 --> 00:30:46.189
out, and then as the

905
00:30:46.190 --> 00:30:47.869
two singers are starting to do their

906
00:30:47.870 --> 00:30:49.809
very first dance, the

907
00:30:49.810 --> 00:30:51.629
violinist goes like this and

908
00:30:51.630 --> 00:30:53.589
hits them because

909
00:30:53.590 --> 00:30:55.529
that is how tight it is.

910
00:30:55.530 --> 00:30:57.049
Well, we figured out how to resolve

911
00:30:57.050 --> 00:30:59.049
that problem, but it's

912
00:30:59.050 --> 00:31:00.229
impressive that they're doing it.

913
00:31:01.430 --> 00:31:02.669
Live performance, ladies and

914
00:31:02.670 --> 00:31:03.489
gentlemen.

915
00:31:03.490 --> 00:31:05.819
Yep, those things can happen.

916
00:31:05.820 --> 00:31:06.859
I was just going to say something

917
00:31:06.860 --> 00:31:09.639
precise and technical

918
00:31:09.640 --> 00:31:11.859
about the question of playing live

919
00:31:11.860 --> 00:31:13.979
with fixed media.

920
00:31:13.980 --> 00:31:15.899
And so for my whole career, I've

921
00:31:15.900 --> 00:31:17.219
spent a lot of time thinking about

922
00:31:17.220 --> 00:31:19.059
combining live performance

923
00:31:19.060 --> 00:31:20.959
and technology in various ways,

924
00:31:20.960 --> 00:31:22.319
and especially acoustic instruments

925
00:31:22.320 --> 00:31:23.199
and electric instruments.

926
00:31:23.200 --> 00:31:24.779
And I do it in different ways for

927
00:31:24.780 --> 00:31:26.019
different pieces.

928
00:31:26.020 --> 00:31:27.399
This particular one, the way it

929
00:31:27.400 --> 00:31:28.819
works is pretty simple.

930
00:31:28.820 --> 00:31:30.859
But it's important that,

931
00:31:30.860 --> 00:31:32.799
I think in general in any piece, but

932
00:31:32.800 --> 00:31:34.739
especially in opera, it's

933
00:31:34.740 --> 00:31:35.899
important that...

934
00:31:35.900 --> 00:31:37.779
The musicians never have to

935
00:31:37.780 --> 00:31:39.639
follow the electronics because

936
00:31:39.640 --> 00:31:41.359
there's so much, I mean, Neal's

937
00:31:41.360 --> 00:31:42.919
doing an unbelievable job keeping

938
00:31:42.920 --> 00:31:44.739
all these people together and

939
00:31:44.740 --> 00:31:46.839
keeping them relaxed and confident.

940
00:31:46.840 --> 00:31:48.939
So the way it works, as he said,

941
00:31:48.940 --> 00:31:51.599
is that the first keyboard player

942
00:31:51.600 --> 00:31:53.759
has quite a complex part on

943
00:31:53.760 --> 00:31:55.659
acoustic piano, which would be

944
00:31:55.660 --> 00:31:57.759
played like any of the instrumental

945
00:31:57.760 --> 00:31:59.359
ensemble.

946
00:31:59.360 --> 00:32:01.279
And then at times, that

947
00:32:01.280 --> 00:32:03.259
person plays on a second keyboard,

948
00:32:03.260 --> 00:32:05.179
which is an electronic keyboard.

949
00:32:05.180 --> 00:32:07.519
Which has many, many different

950
00:32:07.520 --> 00:32:09.299
sounds that are kind of complex

951
00:32:09.300 --> 00:32:11.099
blends of sounds that that player

952
00:32:11.100 --> 00:32:12.639
can change a little bit during the

953
00:32:12.640 --> 00:32:13.999
performance.

954
00:32:14.000 --> 00:32:15.919
But that is also played like

955
00:32:15.920 --> 00:32:17.339
a normal part. It's written out like

956
00:32:17.340 --> 00:32:18.460
a normally keyboard part.

957
00:32:19.880 --> 00:32:21.519
And the only thing we have to make

958
00:32:21.520 --> 00:32:23.739
sure is that the person has time,

959
00:32:23.740 --> 00:32:25.499
he has to actually move from one

960
00:32:25.500 --> 00:32:27.419
instrument to the other and has a

961
00:32:27.420 --> 00:32:29.079
lot of different buttons to push to

962
00:32:29.080 --> 00:32:29.919
change the sounds.

963
00:32:29.920 --> 00:32:31.999
So we have to make sure that's

964
00:32:32.000 --> 00:32:34.119
foolproof and easy to

965
00:32:34.120 --> 00:32:34.999
do.

966
00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:36.399
And then the second keyboard player,

967
00:32:36.400 --> 00:32:38.279
this great player who has

968
00:32:38.280 --> 00:32:40.059
a bit of an ungrateful part, but

969
00:32:40.060 --> 00:32:41.819
she's fantastic.

970
00:32:41.820 --> 00:32:43.779
She does follow the score,

971
00:32:43.780 --> 00:32:45.639
she does press

972
00:32:45.640 --> 00:32:47.559
buttons, and she actually

973
00:32:47.560 --> 00:32:49.599
presses keys very, very

974
00:32:49.600 --> 00:32:51.739
often, sometimes as often as every

975
00:32:51.740 --> 00:32:53.439
measure, or sometimes a couple of

976
00:32:53.440 --> 00:32:54.639
times in a measure.

977
00:32:54.640 --> 00:32:56.899
And each time that

978
00:32:56.900 --> 00:32:58.759
she presses a key,

979
00:32:58.760 --> 00:33:00.440
some special kind of sound happens,

980
00:33:01.660 --> 00:33:03.909
and that's scored so that

981
00:33:03.910 --> 00:33:05.569
any time something rhythmically has

982
00:33:05.570 --> 00:33:07.049
to be more coordinated with the

983
00:33:07.050 --> 00:33:08.849
ensemble, instead of the ensemble

984
00:33:08.850 --> 00:33:10.149
having to listen to the electronics

985
00:33:10.150 --> 00:33:12.249
and come in, that person

986
00:33:12.250 --> 00:33:13.929
at the second keyboard is listening,

987
00:33:13.930 --> 00:33:18.269
is following Neal, and plays

988
00:33:18.270 --> 00:33:19.869
that at exactly the right time.

989
00:33:21.010 --> 00:33:22.869
So Neal doesn't have to worry about

990
00:33:22.870 --> 00:33:23.909
where the electronics are.

991
00:33:23.910 --> 00:33:25.109
And the same thing's true for all

992
00:33:25.110 --> 00:33:26.469
the visuals.

993
00:33:26.470 --> 00:33:28.329
There, I don't think anybody's,

994
00:33:28.330 --> 00:33:30.269
well, maybe other people have done

995
00:33:30.270 --> 00:33:32.129
this, but there are things on

996
00:33:32.130 --> 00:33:34.599
the screen almost all the time.

997
00:33:34.600 --> 00:33:36.579
And they also change.

998
00:33:36.580 --> 00:33:38.059
I mean, it's continuous, so you

999
00:33:38.060 --> 00:33:39.939
won't notice. It's not jerky at

1000
00:33:39.940 --> 00:33:41.079
all.

1001
00:33:41.080 --> 00:33:42.139
But there's somebody, it is actually

1002
00:33:42.140 --> 00:33:44.079
the stage manager who

1003
00:33:44.080 --> 00:33:45.919
calls all the changes every

1004
00:33:45.920 --> 00:33:47.639
time the video has to change.

1005
00:33:47.640 --> 00:33:49.619
And sometimes it's one scene,

1006
00:33:49.620 --> 00:33:51.559
looks like the same scene, but it

1007
00:33:51.560 --> 00:33:53.419
has to coordinate with a particular

1008
00:33:53.420 --> 00:33:55.539
measure. And so there are

1009
00:33:55.540 --> 00:33:57.019
hundreds and hundreds of these

1010
00:33:57.020 --> 00:33:58.859
little tiny changes

1011
00:33:58.860 --> 00:34:00.959
that all have to be coordinated

1012
00:34:00.960 --> 00:34:03.379
by the stage by a

1013
00:34:03.380 --> 00:34:04.669
video director.

1014
00:34:04.670 --> 00:34:06.609
And are absolutely synchronized with

1015
00:34:06.610 --> 00:34:07.489
the score.

1016
00:34:07.490 --> 00:34:09.129
And it all means that all the

1017
00:34:09.130 --> 00:34:11.229
electronics follow you, rather than

1018
00:34:11.230 --> 00:34:12.749
you having to follow it.

1019
00:34:12.750 --> 00:34:14.428
It makes it pretty simple structure,

1020
00:34:14.429 --> 00:34:16.089
it works really well, but it makes a

1021
00:34:16.090 --> 00:34:17.649
difference because it feels very

1022
00:34:17.650 --> 00:34:18.428
flexible.

1023
00:34:18.429 --> 00:34:19.709
There's nothing that ever feels

1024
00:34:19.710 --> 00:34:21.030
rigid, I think, in the performance.

1025
00:34:22.659 --> 00:34:23.509
But yeah, Larry.

1026
00:34:23.510 --> 00:34:25.408
Yeah, you got me thinking

1027
00:34:25.409 --> 00:34:26.749
about this, because it's something

1028
00:34:26.750 --> 00:34:29.239
that was so important

1029
00:34:29.240 --> 00:34:32.569
for my father was comprehensibility.

1030
00:34:32.570 --> 00:34:34.408
And that was a word that he

1031
00:34:34.409 --> 00:34:37.069
used in many, many of his lectures.

1032
00:34:37.070 --> 00:34:38.689
And he wanted things to be

1033
00:34:38.690 --> 00:34:39.709
comprehensible.

1034
00:34:39.710 --> 00:34:41.649
And so you have this conflict that

1035
00:34:41.650 --> 00:34:43.948
he had his whole life between

1036
00:34:43.949 --> 00:34:45.869
comprehensability and

1037
00:34:45.870 --> 00:34:47.509
complexity.

1038
00:34:47.510 --> 00:34:49.448
And I think that's something I

1039
00:34:49.449 --> 00:34:52.010
think that you're gonna experience.

1040
00:34:54.489 --> 00:34:56.309
And that's why I'm

1041
00:34:56.310 --> 00:34:57.689
suggesting you may want to see this

1042
00:34:57.690 --> 00:34:58.690
more than once.

1043
00:35:03.570 --> 00:35:05.329
It's amazing that you said that.

1044
00:35:05.330 --> 00:35:06.969
I didn't know that he talked about

1045
00:35:06.970 --> 00:35:07.889
that.

1046
00:35:07.890 --> 00:35:09.469
That's, at the end of the day, one

1047
00:35:09.470 --> 00:35:10.609
of the main things the opera is

1048
00:35:10.610 --> 00:35:12.669
about is

1049
00:35:12.670 --> 00:35:14.529
the balance

1050
00:35:14.530 --> 00:35:16.509
that we all have about exploring

1051
00:35:16.510 --> 00:35:19.389
in our own lives all the

1052
00:35:19.390 --> 00:35:21.349
complexity of our feelings and our

1053
00:35:21.350 --> 00:35:24.449
reactions and how to behave,

1054
00:35:24.450 --> 00:35:26.389
how to keep learning

1055
00:35:26.390 --> 00:35:28.609
about the world and at the same time

1056
00:35:28.610 --> 00:35:29.749
needing to take action.

1057
00:35:29.750 --> 00:35:30.649
You know, you can't...

1058
00:35:30.650 --> 00:35:32.349
Spend all your life learning.

1059
00:35:32.350 --> 00:35:33.509
You have to sometimes say, I know

1060
00:35:33.510 --> 00:35:34.909
and I have to do something right

1061
00:35:34.910 --> 00:35:35.910
now.

1062
00:35:36.730 --> 00:35:37.969
And one of the reasons I'm so

1063
00:35:37.970 --> 00:35:39.549
interested in Arnold Schoenberg as a

1064
00:35:39.550 --> 00:35:40.829
composer and as a figure is I think

1065
00:35:40.830 --> 00:35:42.829
he grappled with this

1066
00:35:42.830 --> 00:35:44.769
his entire life more

1067
00:35:44.770 --> 00:35:47.009
honestly without

1068
00:35:47.010 --> 00:35:49.109
one answer than just about anybody

1069
00:35:49.110 --> 00:35:50.309
I can think of.

1070
00:35:50.310 --> 00:35:52.169
And by the time he got to LA

1071
00:35:52.170 --> 00:35:54.369
in 1934, he

1072
00:35:54.370 --> 00:35:55.809
saw what was coming with

1073
00:35:55.810 --> 00:35:58.879
anti-Semitism and with Nazism.

1074
00:35:58.880 --> 00:36:00.739
Very early on, in the early

1075
00:36:00.740 --> 00:36:02.339
20s he saw what was going to happen,

1076
00:36:02.340 --> 00:36:03.579
earlier than most people, nobody

1077
00:36:03.580 --> 00:36:05.239
really listened to him.

1078
00:36:05.240 --> 00:36:07.219
And by the time he got here,

1079
00:36:07.220 --> 00:36:09.079
what he really wanted to do was let

1080
00:36:09.080 --> 00:36:10.640
everybody know what was really going

1081
00:36:10.641 --> 00:36:12.559
on in Europe, to wake up, to stop

1082
00:36:12.560 --> 00:36:13.959
this.

1083
00:36:13.960 --> 00:36:15.859
And at the same time he needed

1084
00:36:15.860 --> 00:36:17.719
to write the music that

1085
00:36:17.720 --> 00:36:19.619
was honest and was his music.

1086
00:36:19.620 --> 00:36:21.479
And so how to get that message out

1087
00:36:21.480 --> 00:36:23.499
loud and clear and to write music

1088
00:36:23.500 --> 00:36:24.699
which had all the riches that he

1089
00:36:24.700 --> 00:36:26.779
believed in, was one

1090
00:36:26.780 --> 00:36:28.379
of the monumental.

1091
00:36:28.380 --> 00:36:30.319
Kind of, I don't know,

1092
00:36:30.320 --> 00:36:32.119
I dunno what the word is, but it was

1093
00:36:32.120 --> 00:36:34.079
a great artistic and human

1094
00:36:34.080 --> 00:36:35.719
challenge, I think, which is what

1095
00:36:35.720 --> 00:36:36.720
the work's about.

1096
00:36:38.340 --> 00:36:40.459
What did he feel, when you say

1097
00:36:40.460 --> 00:36:42.639
communicability, or what

1098
00:36:42.640 --> 00:36:43.640
did he,

1099
00:36:44.620 --> 00:36:46.029
what obsessed him about that?

1100
00:36:46.030 --> 00:36:47.929
It was so important for

1101
00:36:47.930 --> 00:36:50.869
him that because

1102
00:36:50.870 --> 00:36:52.689
he felt so many people

1103
00:36:52.690 --> 00:36:54.709
didn't understand what he was doing

1104
00:36:54.710 --> 00:36:56.829
and reacted

1105
00:36:56.830 --> 00:36:59.369
so negatively,

1106
00:36:59.370 --> 00:37:01.709
and I think probably the

1107
00:37:01.710 --> 00:37:03.849
best example is his composition

1108
00:37:03.850 --> 00:37:06.389
with 12 tones when

1109
00:37:06.390 --> 00:37:08.589
one uses that iconically

1110
00:37:08.590 --> 00:37:09.829
in a negative way.

1111
00:37:12.730 --> 00:37:15.529
For him, that was something

1112
00:37:15.530 --> 00:37:17.669
that was really important as

1113
00:37:17.670 --> 00:37:19.689
he evolved in

1114
00:37:19.690 --> 00:37:22.009
his compositional style.

1115
00:37:22.010 --> 00:37:24.109
He didn't force anybody

1116
00:37:24.110 --> 00:37:25.989
else to, in fact,

1117
00:37:25.990 --> 00:37:27.949
he didn't even teach that to his

1118
00:37:27.950 --> 00:37:29.409
students, which is sort of

1119
00:37:29.410 --> 00:37:30.410
astonishing.

1120
00:37:31.390 --> 00:37:33.209
But it was something that he

1121
00:37:33.210 --> 00:37:35.269
would just from

1122
00:37:35.270 --> 00:37:37.929
the general public

1123
00:37:37.930 --> 00:37:40.009
that he, or when he would read,

1124
00:37:40.010 --> 00:37:42.449
He had that terrible...

1125
00:37:42.450 --> 00:37:44.669
Mistake of reading what the reviews,

1126
00:37:44.670 --> 00:37:46.569
the reviews and the,

1127
00:37:46.570 --> 00:37:48.609
and reacting to them,

1128
00:37:48.610 --> 00:37:50.449
but it's quite different actually

1129
00:37:50.450 --> 00:37:52.749
in Europe than it

1130
00:37:52.750 --> 00:37:54.749
is here, but he

1131
00:37:54.750 --> 00:37:56.909
did react always to those and

1132
00:37:56.910 --> 00:37:59.069
one of the things was this,

1133
00:37:59.070 --> 00:38:00.949
the frustration he had, so it was

1134
00:38:00.950 --> 00:38:02.789
always this,

1135
00:38:02.790 --> 00:38:04.849
you know, things need to be more,

1136
00:38:04.850 --> 00:38:06.709
things, he understood things need

1137
00:38:06.710 --> 00:38:08.689
to more, he wanted things to

1138
00:38:08.690 --> 00:38:10.579
more comprehensible.

1139
00:38:10.580 --> 00:38:11.399
He tried that.

1140
00:38:11.400 --> 00:38:13.799
He tried it in various means.

1141
00:38:13.800 --> 00:38:16.239
He did it through his, obviously

1142
00:38:16.240 --> 00:38:18.239
through his competition,

1143
00:38:18.240 --> 00:38:20.259
but also his writings and his

1144
00:38:20.260 --> 00:38:21.260
paintings.

1145
00:38:22.120 --> 00:38:24.619
They're a little bit easier because

1146
00:38:24.620 --> 00:38:26.579
you can actually look at some

1147
00:38:26.580 --> 00:38:28.699
of his paintings and you

1148
00:38:28.700 --> 00:38:30.419
can understand exactly what he's

1149
00:38:30.420 --> 00:38:32.239
trying to say with his paintings,

1150
00:38:32.240 --> 00:38:34.059
there's some obvious ones.

1151
00:38:34.060 --> 00:38:36.259
So he talks about, they're

1152
00:38:36.260 --> 00:38:38.009
entitled Music Critics.

1153
00:38:38.010 --> 00:38:39.669
And so there's a couple of a music

1154
00:38:39.670 --> 00:38:41.609
critic and one of them has giant

1155
00:38:41.610 --> 00:38:43.649
ears, great big ears.

1156
00:38:43.650 --> 00:38:45.150
And the other one has no ears.

1157
00:38:47.700 --> 00:38:49.639
And he does that with, there's other

1158
00:38:49.640 --> 00:38:51.539
things, art patron and

1159
00:38:51.540 --> 00:38:53.059
things of that nature.

1160
00:38:53.060 --> 00:38:54.879
But with his paintings, it was,

1161
00:38:54.880 --> 00:38:56.179
I think, easier for him.

1162
00:38:57.520 --> 00:38:59.359
In his writings, he

1163
00:38:59.360 --> 00:39:00.960
wrote an enormous amount.

1164
00:39:02.060 --> 00:39:03.939
And of course, the most important

1165
00:39:03.940 --> 00:39:06.159
was in his compositions and I

1166
00:39:06.160 --> 00:39:07.379
think that's where he was most

1167
00:39:07.380 --> 00:39:08.380
frustrated.

1168
00:39:08.900 --> 00:39:11.859
When the other area where

1169
00:39:11.860 --> 00:39:13.699
he was so

1170
00:39:13.700 --> 00:39:15.479
important in terms of transmitting

1171
00:39:15.480 --> 00:39:16.579
information was through his

1172
00:39:16.580 --> 00:39:18.159
teaching. Don't forget that, because

1173
00:39:18.160 --> 00:39:20.079
he was a great teacher and really

1174
00:39:20.080 --> 00:39:21.379
cared about it. You were telling me

1175
00:39:21.380 --> 00:39:22.839
just the other day that he had these

1176
00:39:22.840 --> 00:39:24.739
big classes and he prepared

1177
00:39:24.740 --> 00:39:26.739
a different exercise for

1178
00:39:26.740 --> 00:39:28.199
every single student.

1179
00:39:28.200 --> 00:39:29.919
It wasn't just the exam, it was the

1180
00:39:29.920 --> 00:39:32.079
final examination.

1181
00:39:32.080 --> 00:39:33.759
And you can imagine if you were the

1182
00:39:33.760 --> 00:39:35.879
student that got something

1183
00:39:35.880 --> 00:39:37.560
that was very simple.

1184
00:39:40.450 --> 00:39:42.109
You might be happy that you got

1185
00:39:42.110 --> 00:39:44.469
something very simple to do,

1186
00:39:44.470 --> 00:39:45.809
but if you thought about it, or

1187
00:39:45.810 --> 00:39:47.589
maybe you wouldn't even think about

1188
00:39:47.590 --> 00:39:49.649
it if it were that simple.

1189
00:39:49.650 --> 00:39:52.189
And then at the other extreme,

1190
00:39:52.190 --> 00:39:54.069
he would have a student

1191
00:39:54.070 --> 00:39:56.629
that he thought should

1192
00:39:56.630 --> 00:39:57.630
get pushed

1193
00:39:58.650 --> 00:40:00.609
and give them a much more

1194
00:40:00.610 --> 00:40:02.589
difficult question

1195
00:40:02.590 --> 00:40:04.529
for the final examination.

1196
00:40:04.530 --> 00:40:06.569
So he would do that for each

1197
00:40:06.570 --> 00:40:07.889
student. And he would base.

1198
00:40:09.530 --> 00:40:11.289
Exam the final exam or the

1199
00:40:11.290 --> 00:40:13.069
examination based on how he felt

1200
00:40:13.070 --> 00:40:14.909
what's what would be the best

1201
00:40:14.910 --> 00:40:17.269
for that particular student now

1202
00:40:17.270 --> 00:40:18.929
some people think that isn't fair

1203
00:40:20.050 --> 00:40:21.729
that that's not the point of

1204
00:40:21.730 --> 00:40:22.730
education to be fair

1205
00:40:25.220 --> 00:40:27.099
I want to see if I could get

1206
00:40:27.100 --> 00:40:28.679
Neal and Todd to talk a little bit

1207
00:40:28.680 --> 00:40:30.539
about the role of

1208
00:40:30.540 --> 00:40:32.479
musical quotations and allusions

1209
00:40:32.480 --> 00:40:33.480
in the score.

1210
00:40:34.340 --> 00:40:35.719
Obviously, this is Todd's original

1211
00:40:35.720 --> 00:40:37.899
work, but part of how the

1212
00:40:37.900 --> 00:40:39.479
story is told is not only through

1213
00:40:39.480 --> 00:40:41.359
the action by the live players and

1214
00:40:41.360 --> 00:40:43.619
on the film, but also

1215
00:40:43.620 --> 00:40:45.959
there are quotations from music that

1216
00:40:45.960 --> 00:40:47.939
come from the same time period

1217
00:40:47.940 --> 00:40:49.379
as these episodes in Schoenberg's

1218
00:40:49.380 --> 00:40:51.139
life. And so I would just be curious

1219
00:40:51.140 --> 00:40:51.969
to hear.

1220
00:40:51.970 --> 00:40:53.629
What it was like for you, how you

1221
00:40:53.630 --> 00:40:55.169
put that together, and then Neal,

1222
00:40:55.170 --> 00:40:56.809
did you play, name that tune as you

1223
00:40:56.810 --> 00:40:57.669
went through the score? Because I

1224
00:40:57.670 --> 00:40:58.509
kind of did.

1225
00:40:58.510 --> 00:41:00.069
I kind was like, oh, I do know what

1226
00:41:00.070 --> 00:41:01.709
that is, or no, I did not know what

1227
00:41:01.710 --> 00:41:02.710
it is.

1228
00:41:03.240 --> 00:41:04.559
Well, the first thing I'll say is

1229
00:41:04.560 --> 00:41:06.439
that, you know,

1230
00:41:06.440 --> 00:41:08.359
operas, any work, but operas

1231
00:41:08.360 --> 00:41:10.839
are big projects and they all

1232
00:41:10.840 --> 00:41:12.879
have different ways of starting

1233
00:41:12.880 --> 00:41:14.879
and they, I find it usually takes

1234
00:41:14.880 --> 00:41:16.819
a while to get one of my

1235
00:41:16.820 --> 00:41:18.219
operas from when I have an original

1236
00:41:18.220 --> 00:41:20.139
idea to finding out

1237
00:41:20.140 --> 00:41:21.579
how to make it real and how to get

1238
00:41:21.580 --> 00:41:22.739
it produced.

1239
00:41:22.740 --> 00:41:25.339
This one took a really long time.

1240
00:41:25.340 --> 00:41:26.519
You know, I had the idea originally

1241
00:41:26.520 --> 00:41:28.399
in 1994 and

1242
00:41:28.400 --> 00:41:30.119
there were various people, we road

1243
00:41:30.120 --> 00:41:31.019
of.

1244
00:41:31.020 --> 00:41:32.299
Early scenario, and there were

1245
00:41:32.300 --> 00:41:34.439
various people who were interested,

1246
00:41:34.440 --> 00:41:36.159
but, you know, it was a complex

1247
00:41:36.160 --> 00:41:38.179
story. It was, you now, not the,

1248
00:41:38.180 --> 00:41:39.019
you, know, a lot of people thought

1249
00:41:39.020 --> 00:41:40.999
it was great, Todd, you with,

1250
00:41:41.000 --> 00:41:43.119
maybe not this one.

1251
00:41:43.120 --> 00:41:44.879
And the reason I mention it is that

1252
00:41:44.880 --> 00:41:46.999
when Esther Nelson, who was running

1253
00:41:47.000 --> 00:41:49.319
Boston Lyric Opera at the time,

1254
00:41:49.320 --> 00:41:51.379
in about 2016

1255
00:41:51.380 --> 00:41:52.919
or so, came to me and said, you

1256
00:41:52.920 --> 00:41:54.539
would just be interested in having

1257
00:41:54.540 --> 00:41:55.559
you write an opera to have any

1258
00:41:55.560 --> 00:41:56.560
ideas.

1259
00:41:56.890 --> 00:41:58.109
And we talked about a couple of

1260
00:41:58.110 --> 00:41:59.729
things. And when I said, you know,

1261
00:41:59.730 --> 00:42:01.389
I've been really wanting to write

1262
00:42:01.390 --> 00:42:02.629
this Schoenberg and Hollywood opera

1263
00:42:02.630 --> 00:42:03.969
for a long time. She immediately

1264
00:42:03.970 --> 00:42:05.889
said, it's a

1265
00:42:05.890 --> 00:42:07.249
great idea.

1266
00:42:07.250 --> 00:42:08.369
Let's do it.

1267
00:42:08.370 --> 00:42:10.209
And the second she said that,

1268
00:42:10.210 --> 00:42:11.369
I said. Panicked.

1269
00:42:11.370 --> 00:42:13.589
Yeah, I was like, oh

1270
00:42:13.590 --> 00:42:14.590
no.

1271
00:42:15.950 --> 00:42:17.869
Now, I mean, it just

1272
00:42:17.870 --> 00:42:20.269
dawned on me that I had

1273
00:42:20.270 --> 00:42:22.109
pitched writing an opera about

1274
00:42:22.110 --> 00:42:24.129
another composer, a composer

1275
00:42:24.130 --> 00:42:26.049
I admired, you know, and all the

1276
00:42:26.050 --> 00:42:27.089
problems of.

1277
00:42:27.090 --> 00:42:28.509
You know, I didn't want to write a

1278
00:42:28.510 --> 00:42:30.549
pastiche opera of kind of

1279
00:42:30.550 --> 00:42:31.889
bad versions of Schoenberg.

1280
00:42:31.890 --> 00:42:33.449
I didn' want to right an opera, you

1281
00:42:33.450 --> 00:42:35.789
know, of lots of his

1282
00:42:35.790 --> 00:42:36.790
work, you know,

1283
00:42:37.810 --> 00:42:39.789
not an original language.

1284
00:42:39.790 --> 00:42:41.349
So I realized I'd have to make up my

1285
00:42:41.350 --> 00:42:42.849
own language that could have a place

1286
00:42:42.850 --> 00:42:43.769
for these things.

1287
00:42:43.770 --> 00:42:45.709
And also, you

1288
00:42:45.710 --> 00:42:47.029
know, a language which embodied

1289
00:42:47.030 --> 00:42:49.029
this, this basic idea

1290
00:42:49.030 --> 00:42:50.389
of the balance between

1291
00:42:50.390 --> 00:42:51.989
comprehensibility and complexity.

1292
00:42:51.990 --> 00:42:52.990
And...

1293
00:42:54.840 --> 00:42:56.839
I tried, there are bits

1294
00:42:56.840 --> 00:42:58.879
of real Schoenberg in there, not so

1295
00:42:58.880 --> 00:43:00.359
many, but there are some, and

1296
00:43:00.360 --> 00:43:02.179
hopefully they're presented in a

1297
00:43:02.180 --> 00:43:04.099
way that you'll love them

1298
00:43:04.100 --> 00:43:06.019
because they're things that

1299
00:43:06.020 --> 00:43:07.159
should be loved.

1300
00:43:07.160 --> 00:43:08.559
The other things I think just came

1301
00:43:08.560 --> 00:43:10.179
in my writing that wasn't planned at

1302
00:43:10.180 --> 00:43:12.159
all, I didn't at

1303
00:43:12.160 --> 00:43:14.239
all think from the beginning of,

1304
00:43:14.240 --> 00:43:16.499
oh, if we're going to, actually,

1305
00:43:16.500 --> 00:43:18.599
yeah, I won't

1306
00:43:18.600 --> 00:43:19.559
tell you what's in there.

1307
00:43:19.560 --> 00:43:21.359
But if we have a scene in the Wild

1308
00:43:21.360 --> 00:43:22.800
West or if we Have a scene!

1309
00:43:23.840 --> 00:43:25.959
With Humphrey Bogart,

1310
00:43:25.960 --> 00:43:27.399
Arnold Schoenberg as Humphry Bogart

1311
00:43:27.400 --> 00:43:28.899
in Casablanca, or if we have a

1312
00:43:28.900 --> 00:43:29.819
scene.

1313
00:43:29.820 --> 00:43:31.579
It was just too tempting to have

1314
00:43:31.580 --> 00:43:33.579
just a bit of something

1315
00:43:33.580 --> 00:43:35.379
that was ground, you know, that

1316
00:43:35.380 --> 00:43:36.679
you'll recognize and then

1317
00:43:36.680 --> 00:43:38.519
everything's twisted.

1318
00:43:38.520 --> 00:43:40.420
But there are things you recognize.

1319
00:43:43.270 --> 00:43:45.089
Yes, and it's...

1320
00:43:45.090 --> 00:43:47.469
It's always a kind of

1321
00:43:47.470 --> 00:43:49.249
Easter, what do they call it, Easter

1322
00:43:49.250 --> 00:43:51.449
egg thing, you know, in rehearsal

1323
00:43:51.450 --> 00:43:53.809
when you get to these places

1324
00:43:53.810 --> 00:43:55.889
and the orchestra, you see everybody

1325
00:43:55.890 --> 00:43:57.009
kind of smile.

1326
00:43:57.010 --> 00:43:59.249
But the other interesting thing is

1327
00:43:59.250 --> 00:44:00.449
that a lot of the cultural

1328
00:44:00.450 --> 00:44:02.389
references are

1329
00:44:02.390 --> 00:44:04.309
mid-century, 20th

1330
00:44:04.310 --> 00:44:05.989
century cultural references.

1331
00:44:05.990 --> 00:44:07.829
And they're not references that

1332
00:44:07.830 --> 00:44:09.929
are necessarily

1333
00:44:09.930 --> 00:44:12.809
in the consciousness of

1334
00:44:12.810 --> 00:44:13.810
a young musician.

1335
00:44:15.600 --> 00:44:17.619
So, for example, there

1336
00:44:17.620 --> 00:44:20.019
is a line towards the beginning.

1337
00:44:20.020 --> 00:44:21.179
As you mentioned, Harpo Marx

1338
00:44:21.180 --> 00:44:23.879
introduces the two of them.

1339
00:44:23.880 --> 00:44:25.859
And Thalberg says,

1340
00:44:25.860 --> 00:44:27.779
and, you know, Harp Marx says,

1341
00:44:27.780 --> 00:44:29.599
you are our greatest living

1342
00:44:29.600 --> 00:44:30.759
composer.

1343
00:44:30.760 --> 00:44:32.999
And what Harpo says

1344
00:44:33.000 --> 00:44:35.079
deserves to be listened to.

1345
00:44:35.080 --> 00:44:37.399
And, of course, the joke is Harpo

1346
00:44:37.400 --> 00:44:39.419
never says anything in

1347
00:44:39.420 --> 00:44:42.409
the movies. So, um.

1348
00:44:42.410 --> 00:44:43.369
Just another quick one.

1349
00:44:43.370 --> 00:44:44.849
The last performance we had of

1350
00:44:44.850 --> 00:44:45.989
Schoenberg in Hollywood was in

1351
00:44:45.990 --> 00:44:48.449
China, of all places, in Shenzhen.

1352
00:44:48.450 --> 00:44:49.449
Turned out to be a fantastic

1353
00:44:49.450 --> 00:44:51.269
performance, but we did all of the

1354
00:44:51.270 --> 00:44:53.009
collaboration by Zoom.

1355
00:44:53.010 --> 00:44:55.329
All young Chinese creative team

1356
00:44:55.330 --> 00:44:57.329
singers was amazing.

1357
00:44:57.330 --> 00:44:59.349
I went over, I had no idea how

1358
00:44:59.350 --> 00:45:00.329
it was going to go.

1359
00:45:00.330 --> 00:45:01.629
But I remember the last creative

1360
00:45:01.630 --> 00:45:03.469
meeting we had, like a week before

1361
00:45:03.470 --> 00:45:05.529
I was flying to China,

1362
00:45:05.530 --> 00:45:08.349
I was on Zoom with the director and,

1363
00:45:08.350 --> 00:45:10.449
you know, she was brilliant and had

1364
00:45:10.450 --> 00:45:11.639
figured out the piece.

1365
00:45:11.640 --> 00:45:12.999
And just before we're gonna hang up,

1366
00:45:13.000 --> 00:45:14.179
she said, I just have one question.

1367
00:45:15.180 --> 00:45:16.419
Who are the Marx brothers?

1368
00:45:17.920 --> 00:45:19.999
And I was like, oh wait,

1369
00:45:20.000 --> 00:45:21.239
maybe there are a bunch of things

1370
00:45:21.240 --> 00:45:22.459
you don't understand.

1371
00:45:22.460 --> 00:45:23.460
And so, yeah.

1372
00:45:25.160 --> 00:45:26.979
Yeah, those

1373
00:45:26.980 --> 00:45:27.980
mid-century,

1374
00:45:29.200 --> 00:45:31.259
yes, we will be, my students

1375
00:45:31.260 --> 00:45:32.619
and I will be talking about that in

1376
00:45:32.620 --> 00:45:34.799
class on Tuesday, actually.

1377
00:45:34.800 --> 00:45:36.899
So, some of the artists need

1378
00:45:36.900 --> 00:45:38.479
to get to the venue.

1379
00:45:38.480 --> 00:45:40.079
There's some things that need to be

1380
00:45:40.080 --> 00:45:41.199
addressed, but we do have a few

1381
00:45:41.200 --> 00:45:42.339
minutes for questions from the

1382
00:45:42.340 --> 00:45:44.619
audience. Does anybody have

1383
00:45:44.620 --> 00:45:46.319
a question they'd like to pose to

1384
00:45:46.320 --> 00:45:47.320
our guests?

1385
00:45:48.680 --> 00:45:50.319
I can't really see, but I'm told

1386
00:45:50.320 --> 00:45:51.320
there are ushers.

1387
00:45:53.860 --> 00:45:56.009
Are there ushers with microphones?

1388
00:45:56.010 --> 00:45:57.789
I was told there would be, I was

1389
00:45:57.790 --> 00:45:58.889
told there were be ushers.

1390
00:45:58.890 --> 00:45:59.890
Ah, I see one.

1391
00:46:04.460 --> 00:46:05.800
Hi, Professor Calico.

1392
00:46:06.920 --> 00:46:07.939
This is Anna.

1393
00:46:07.940 --> 00:46:08.759
We can't see you.

1394
00:46:08.760 --> 00:46:10.419
Hi, Anna. Sorry.

1395
00:46:10.420 --> 00:46:11.420
Extra credit.

1396
00:46:13.240 --> 00:46:15.419
But I'm really glad that I came.

1397
00:46:15.420 --> 00:46:17.479
I'm a music education major.

1398
00:46:17.480 --> 00:46:18.979
And something that really intrigued

1399
00:46:18.980 --> 00:46:20.839
me is

1400
00:46:20.840 --> 00:46:22.979
what I'm very,

1401
00:46:22.980 --> 00:46:25.299
very sorry that I forgot your name,

1402
00:46:25.300 --> 00:46:27.479
but Arnold Schoenberg's

1403
00:46:27.480 --> 00:46:28.480
son. Calico?

1404
00:46:29.500 --> 00:46:31.759
Larry. So,

1405
00:46:31.760 --> 00:46:32.839
something Larry mentioned about

1406
00:46:32.840 --> 00:46:33.840
how...

1407
00:46:35.100 --> 00:46:37.299
Education isn't meant to be fair.

1408
00:46:37.300 --> 00:46:38.699
Could you expand on that?

1409
00:46:38.700 --> 00:46:40.039
I just want to really contribute.

1410
00:46:40.040 --> 00:46:41.040
Bye.

1411
00:46:42.880 --> 00:46:46.219
This is why I asked if

1412
00:46:46.220 --> 00:46:47.699
I could have control of Larry's mic

1413
00:46:47.700 --> 00:46:48.979
and they wouldn't let me have it,

1414
00:46:48.980 --> 00:46:49.649
but sure.

1415
00:46:49.650 --> 00:46:51.509
Okay, I'll start

1416
00:46:51.510 --> 00:46:53.549
with, what was the question again?

1417
00:46:53.550 --> 00:46:55.349
Oh no, no, I think that that's a

1418
00:46:55.350 --> 00:46:56.649
very good question.

1419
00:46:56.650 --> 00:46:58.569
That's what, I'm really

1420
00:46:58.570 --> 00:47:00.149
glad you asked that question.

1421
00:47:00.150 --> 00:47:01.150
What was it?

1422
00:47:03.750 --> 00:47:06.029
You said in your comment that

1423
00:47:06.030 --> 00:47:07.989
in talking about your father

1424
00:47:07.990 --> 00:47:10.109
customizing the exam for everybody,

1425
00:47:10.110 --> 00:47:12.029
you said maybe that's not fair, but

1426
00:47:12.030 --> 00:47:13.569
education is not meant to be fair.

1427
00:47:13.570 --> 00:47:15.409
And she said, why did you say

1428
00:47:15.410 --> 00:47:15.549
that?

1429
00:47:15.550 --> 00:47:17.849
I was responding

1430
00:47:17.850 --> 00:47:19.969
to someone that said it wasn't

1431
00:47:19.970 --> 00:47:22.049
fair because they

1432
00:47:22.050 --> 00:47:24.029
felt that everyone should,

1433
00:47:24.030 --> 00:47:25.909
I guess everyone should get an A

1434
00:47:25.910 --> 00:47:27.789
or everyone shouldn't get an a

1435
00:47:27.790 --> 00:47:29.809
or somehow that he shouldn't

1436
00:47:29.810 --> 00:47:32.129
differentiate among the

1437
00:47:32.130 --> 00:47:33.569
students.

1438
00:47:33.570 --> 00:47:35.609
So it was sort of the

1439
00:47:35.610 --> 00:47:37.489
person that I was responding to

1440
00:47:37.490 --> 00:47:39.589
and the reason I made that

1441
00:47:39.590 --> 00:47:41.709
comment was because

1442
00:47:41.710 --> 00:47:43.869
they thought it should be more

1443
00:47:43.870 --> 00:47:44.929
democratic.

1444
00:47:44.930 --> 00:47:47.509
And that everyone

1445
00:47:47.510 --> 00:47:49.189
should be treated the same.

1446
00:47:49.190 --> 00:47:51.149
In this case, what

1447
00:47:51.150 --> 00:47:52.749
he was doing is not treating

1448
00:47:52.750 --> 00:47:55.089
everyone the same in the class.

1449
00:47:55.090 --> 00:47:57.049
He was giving a much more

1450
00:47:57.050 --> 00:47:58.989
difficult final exam

1451
00:47:58.990 --> 00:48:00.889
to someone that

1452
00:48:00.890 --> 00:48:03.089
he felt would

1453
00:48:03.090 --> 00:48:05.249
benefit more from that as opposed

1454
00:48:05.250 --> 00:48:07.929
to someone who wouldn't.

1455
00:48:07.930 --> 00:48:10.209
And for him, I think what

1456
00:48:10.210 --> 00:48:12.099
I would like for you to understand

1457
00:48:12.100 --> 00:48:13.979
from that is his attitude

1458
00:48:13.980 --> 00:48:16.599
towards education and then it wasn't

1459
00:48:16.600 --> 00:48:18.579
getting the grade and it

1460
00:48:18.580 --> 00:48:20.999
was elevating

1461
00:48:21.000 --> 00:48:23.579
the student from wherever they were.

1462
00:48:23.580 --> 00:48:25.299
And that was something he wrote

1463
00:48:25.300 --> 00:48:27.939
about always all the time about

1464
00:48:27.940 --> 00:48:29.979
the quality, the

1465
00:48:29.980 --> 00:48:31.739
education that he wanted to get the

1466
00:48:31.740 --> 00:48:33.479
student. He would be teaching things

1467
00:48:33.480 --> 00:48:35.619
differently to with

1468
00:48:35.620 --> 00:48:37.539
Alban Berger, Anton

1469
00:48:37.540 --> 00:48:39.639
Webern with a student at

1470
00:48:39.640 --> 00:48:41.029
UCLA.

1471
00:48:41.030 --> 00:48:42.889
So, and it was, but it was just

1472
00:48:42.890 --> 00:48:43.929
as important to him.

1473
00:48:43.930 --> 00:48:46.829
And he was, he was very

1474
00:48:46.830 --> 00:48:48.889
much involved with the students.

1475
00:48:48.890 --> 00:48:50.769
I want to just comment of

1476
00:48:50.770 --> 00:48:52.829
just one time he came home

1477
00:48:52.830 --> 00:48:54.349
and this is from my sister.

1478
00:48:54.350 --> 00:48:55.889
And it's a, it's just a wonderful

1479
00:48:55.890 --> 00:48:57.230
story where he would,

1480
00:48:58.490 --> 00:49:00.689
he was apparently just

1481
00:49:00.690 --> 00:49:02.489
really in a good mood, really,

1482
00:49:02.490 --> 00:49:03.549
really happy.

1483
00:49:03.550 --> 00:49:05.449
And my sister asked him, my sister

1484
00:49:05.450 --> 00:49:07.329
Nuria said, well, you know,

1485
00:49:07.330 --> 00:49:09.289
daddy, we called him daddy.

1486
00:49:09.290 --> 00:49:11.049
What happened, what happened at

1487
00:49:11.050 --> 00:49:12.749
UCLA, what it was.

1488
00:49:12.750 --> 00:49:13.750
And he said,

1489
00:49:14.730 --> 00:49:16.629
I finally got true to

1490
00:49:16.630 --> 00:49:17.630
her.

1491
00:49:19.210 --> 00:49:21.289
What it was was he was

1492
00:49:21.290 --> 00:49:23.509
in one of his classes.

1493
00:49:23.510 --> 00:49:24.530
There was a student.

1494
00:49:26.550 --> 00:49:28.429
And we're not allowed to

1495
00:49:28.430 --> 00:49:29.929
talk about low quality, everything

1496
00:49:29.930 --> 00:49:30.829
is highest quality.

1497
00:49:30.830 --> 00:49:32.029
But anyway, she was having

1498
00:49:32.030 --> 00:49:33.029
difficulty.

1499
00:49:33.030 --> 00:49:35.289
But she finally, he was so happy,

1500
00:49:35.290 --> 00:49:37.609
so pleased, because she

1501
00:49:37.610 --> 00:49:39.809
was she finally understood

1502
00:49:39.810 --> 00:49:41.849
what something that he was

1503
00:49:41.850 --> 00:49:42.769
teaching her.

1504
00:49:42.770 --> 00:49:43.969
And that was something that was

1505
00:49:43.970 --> 00:49:45.309
really, really important to him.

1506
00:49:45.310 --> 00:49:47.989
So it wasn't even based

1507
00:49:47.990 --> 00:49:49.969
on the excellence

1508
00:49:49.970 --> 00:49:51.829
of the student,

1509
00:49:51.830 --> 00:49:53.649
but it was just on the person or

1510
00:49:53.650 --> 00:49:54.629
the individual.

1511
00:49:54.630 --> 00:49:56.489
And I think that tells you a lot

1512
00:49:56.490 --> 00:49:58.069
about him and about his teaching

1513
00:49:58.070 --> 00:49:59.389
here.

1514
00:49:59.390 --> 00:50:01.289
Well, I was told today that this

1515
00:50:01.290 --> 00:50:03.169
is not UCLA, or is that

1516
00:50:03.170 --> 00:50:04.170
just for parking?

1517
00:50:07.800 --> 00:50:09.399
Okay, just for parking.

1518
00:50:09.400 --> 00:50:11.259
Okay, so that was, then I can use

1519
00:50:11.260 --> 00:50:12.079
the word here.

1520
00:50:12.080 --> 00:50:14.319
So here at UCLA, that was

1521
00:50:14.320 --> 00:50:15.479
that experience.

1522
00:50:16.800 --> 00:50:18.179
So I didn't answer your question,

1523
00:50:18.180 --> 00:50:19.699
but I had something kind of better

1524
00:50:19.700 --> 00:50:20.700
to say.

1525
00:50:23.730 --> 00:50:25.030
Anyone else have a question?

1526
00:50:26.720 --> 00:50:27.720
See a hand here.

1527
00:50:32.600 --> 00:50:33.899
I thank you guys so much for your

1528
00:50:33.900 --> 00:50:34.919
panel.

1529
00:50:34.920 --> 00:50:36.919
My question was, so this opera

1530
00:50:36.920 --> 00:50:38.519
has been performed in many different

1531
00:50:38.520 --> 00:50:39.999
locations and countries.

1532
00:50:40.000 --> 00:50:42.119
So now that it's in Hollywood,

1533
00:50:42.120 --> 00:50:44.079
sort of where, what it's

1534
00:50:44.080 --> 00:50:45.659
about Schoenberg in Hollywood.

1535
00:50:45.660 --> 00:50:47.119
How, what I guess about this

1536
00:50:47.120 --> 00:50:48.279
production or putting it together

1537
00:50:48.280 --> 00:50:50.339
here has been special compared to

1538
00:50:50.340 --> 00:50:52.019
the other locations you put it

1539
00:50:52.020 --> 00:50:53.020
together.

1540
00:50:54.960 --> 00:50:55.960
Is that Alec?

1541
00:50:57.560 --> 00:50:59.479
Yeah, it was

1542
00:50:59.480 --> 00:51:01.459
always a dream of mine to have this

1543
00:51:01.460 --> 00:51:03.439
piece come here,

1544
00:51:03.440 --> 00:51:05.259
because it's about here and it's a

1545
00:51:05.260 --> 00:51:06.260
journey here.

1546
00:51:07.620 --> 00:51:09.439
And I can say so many, I'll say

1547
00:51:09.440 --> 00:51:13.099
two things. One is that I

1548
00:51:13.100 --> 00:51:15.239
really have to thank the

1549
00:51:15.240 --> 00:51:17.659
UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music,

1550
00:51:17.660 --> 00:51:18.660
Neal Stulberg,

1551
00:51:20.080 --> 00:51:22.039
the Lowell Milken Center,

1552
00:51:22.040 --> 00:51:24.339
Mark Kligman, everybody involved.

1553
00:51:24.340 --> 00:51:26.259
Have been so, and

1554
00:51:26.260 --> 00:51:27.440
Joy, everybody who's been

1555
00:51:28.700 --> 00:51:30.359
supporting this project, Judith

1556
00:51:30.360 --> 00:51:32.119
Fennell, Don Franzen, since the very

1557
00:51:32.120 --> 00:51:34.119
beginning of kind of

1558
00:51:34.120 --> 00:51:35.579
discussing having the project come,

1559
00:51:35.580 --> 00:51:36.879
I've done a lot of projects lots of

1560
00:51:36.880 --> 00:51:38.159
places, but I've rarely had a

1561
00:51:38.160 --> 00:51:40.199
project where so many people

1562
00:51:40.200 --> 00:51:41.859
at the beginning of the project

1563
00:51:41.860 --> 00:51:43.699
said, we care about this,

1564
00:51:43.700 --> 00:51:45.519
it should be here, let's make it

1565
00:51:45.520 --> 00:51:47.439
happen. And it's just been

1566
00:51:47.440 --> 00:51:48.939
a wonderful collaboration.

1567
00:51:48.940 --> 00:51:51.179
And I think that all happened,

1568
00:51:51.180 --> 00:51:52.779
hopefully because people.

1569
00:51:52.780 --> 00:51:54.479
Like the piece, but also because

1570
00:51:54.480 --> 00:51:55.599
they thought it would have resonance

1571
00:51:55.600 --> 00:51:56.439
here.

1572
00:51:56.440 --> 00:51:57.879
And that's the second part of it,

1573
00:51:57.880 --> 00:51:59.919
which is that, you

1574
00:51:59.920 --> 00:52:02.099
know, so many people both

1575
00:52:02.100 --> 00:52:04.499
performing in it and friends,

1576
00:52:04.500 --> 00:52:06.099
a friend, Michael Pizer is sitting

1577
00:52:06.100 --> 00:52:07.239
there, a friend of mine from high

1578
00:52:07.240 --> 00:52:09.179
school, who is a very

1579
00:52:09.180 --> 00:52:10.699
prominent film producer.

1580
00:52:10.700 --> 00:52:12.379
You know, I have many, many friends

1581
00:52:12.380 --> 00:52:13.659
here, but many people in the film

1582
00:52:13.660 --> 00:52:15.979
industry, many people who

1583
00:52:15.980 --> 00:52:17.639
know these experiences that are

1584
00:52:17.640 --> 00:52:18.819
expressed in this opera from

1585
00:52:18.820 --> 00:52:19.820
different points

1586
00:52:21.870 --> 00:52:23.689
I think the issues posed and the

1587
00:52:23.690 --> 00:52:24.789
way they're posed in this opera

1588
00:52:24.790 --> 00:52:26.969
will, I think, have a

1589
00:52:26.970 --> 00:52:28.949
special significance for people

1590
00:52:28.950 --> 00:52:30.929
who live here because of the way

1591
00:52:30.930 --> 00:52:33.429
that all the different arts and

1592
00:52:33.430 --> 00:52:35.769
commercialism and, you know,

1593
00:52:35.770 --> 00:52:37.929
serious art is all intermixed.

1594
00:52:39.190 --> 00:52:40.669
The reference, I mean, there's UCLA

1595
00:52:40.670 --> 00:52:42.149
all through the opera, a couple of

1596
00:52:42.150 --> 00:52:43.449
places, really surprising places I

1597
00:52:43.450 --> 00:52:45.109
won't tell you ahead of time.

1598
00:52:45.110 --> 00:52:46.989
They're also UCLA students,

1599
00:52:46.990 --> 00:52:47.990
so keep an eye out.

1600
00:52:50.130 --> 00:52:52.089
So I think it has a special,

1601
00:52:52.090 --> 00:52:53.009
you know, I think it will mean

1602
00:52:53.010 --> 00:52:54.609
something special here because I

1603
00:52:54.610 --> 00:52:57.349
think people will understand

1604
00:52:57.350 --> 00:52:59.269
the subject and the

1605
00:52:59.270 --> 00:53:01.089
issues at hand probably more

1606
00:53:01.090 --> 00:53:03.269
than any other place.

1607
00:53:03.270 --> 00:53:05.209
So it means a huge amount to have it

1608
00:53:05.210 --> 00:53:06.389
performed here. We'll see, today's

1609
00:53:06.390 --> 00:53:07.390
our first performance.

1610
00:53:09.660 --> 00:53:11.479
A microphone for down here.

1611
00:53:17.000 --> 00:53:18.459
It's coming. Sorry, it's such a long

1612
00:53:18.460 --> 00:53:19.460
walk.

1613
00:53:23.700 --> 00:53:25.599
I read your bio and so

1614
00:53:25.600 --> 00:53:27.419
on, but I would be very

1615
00:53:27.420 --> 00:53:28.839
interested if you could just take a

1616
00:53:28.840 --> 00:53:31.159
few minutes and reflect

1617
00:53:31.160 --> 00:53:33.359
on the major influences

1618
00:53:33.360 --> 00:53:35.979
in your life that really

1619
00:53:35.980 --> 00:53:37.819
tailored your career and

1620
00:53:37.820 --> 00:53:39.859
really brought you into this

1621
00:53:39.860 --> 00:53:41.820
field that you are in today.

1622
00:53:44.540 --> 00:53:45.920
Thank you for the question.

1623
00:53:47.760 --> 00:53:49.339
Yeah, I'll try to do that pretty

1624
00:53:49.340 --> 00:53:50.340
quickly.

1625
00:53:51.380 --> 00:53:52.779
I grew up in New York.

1626
00:53:52.780 --> 00:53:54.679
And I think my

1627
00:53:54.680 --> 00:53:57.959
two biggest influences were

1628
00:53:57.960 --> 00:53:59.199
my parents.

1629
00:53:59.200 --> 00:54:01.199
And as I mentioned before, my dad

1630
00:54:01.200 --> 00:54:03.259
was from the Midwest.

1631
00:54:03.260 --> 00:54:04.759
He was not a musician at all.

1632
00:54:04.760 --> 00:54:06.659
He was a visual person,

1633
00:54:07.800 --> 00:54:09.819
totally a popular culture guy.

1634
00:54:09.820 --> 00:54:12.729
He went to the movies all the time.

1635
00:54:12.730 --> 00:54:14.269
He grew up in not a very wealthy

1636
00:54:14.270 --> 00:54:16.429
family, I think his parents just

1637
00:54:16.430 --> 00:54:17.769
let him go to the movies on the

1638
00:54:17.770 --> 00:54:18.649
weekends.

1639
00:54:18.650 --> 00:54:20.309
But he was an engineer and was one

1640
00:54:20.310 --> 00:54:21.589
of the first people in the field of

1641
00:54:21.590 --> 00:54:23.749
computer graphics and

1642
00:54:23.750 --> 00:54:26.109
really had this deep

1643
00:54:26.110 --> 00:54:28.089
belief that if technology

1644
00:54:28.090 --> 00:54:29.649
wasn't something that people could

1645
00:54:29.650 --> 00:54:30.789
use intuitively,

1646
00:54:31.810 --> 00:54:32.769
that it wouldn't catch on.

1647
00:54:32.770 --> 00:54:34.349
And so he had some of the first

1648
00:54:34.350 --> 00:54:36.349
companies that put images on

1649
00:54:36.350 --> 00:54:37.549
screens.

1650
00:54:37.550 --> 00:54:39.669
And he was quite well known for

1651
00:54:39.670 --> 00:54:41.049
kind of getting computer graphics

1652
00:54:41.050 --> 00:54:42.629
around. And so I used to go to his

1653
00:54:42.630 --> 00:54:44.289
factories and see.

1654
00:54:44.290 --> 00:54:46.109
My mom grew up

1655
00:54:46.110 --> 00:54:47.769
in upstate New York from a kind of

1656
00:54:47.770 --> 00:54:49.929
high art European,

1657
00:54:49.930 --> 00:54:51.809
you know, snobby

1658
00:54:51.810 --> 00:54:53.149
artistic family.

1659
00:54:53.150 --> 00:54:55.409
And she was a terrific pianist,

1660
00:54:55.410 --> 00:54:57.149
was the oldest of three daughters,

1661
00:54:57.150 --> 00:55:01.049
and went to Juilliard and

1662
00:55:01.050 --> 00:55:02.949
studied with Edward Stoiermann, one

1663
00:55:02.950 --> 00:55:05.849
of Schoenberg's, you know,

1664
00:55:05.850 --> 00:55:07.559
main collaborators and.

1665
00:55:07.560 --> 00:55:08.879
But like so many people, when she

1666
00:55:08.880 --> 00:55:10.559
graduated, I was the oldest of three

1667
00:55:10.560 --> 00:55:13.319
kids, and she was decided

1668
00:55:13.320 --> 00:55:14.840
to teach rather than tour.

1669
00:55:15.980 --> 00:55:18.159
And she was a brilliant woman,

1670
00:55:18.160 --> 00:55:19.579
a wonderful piano teacher, but she

1671
00:55:19.580 --> 00:55:20.959
really believed in teaching music

1672
00:55:20.960 --> 00:55:22.919
theory and also music creativity to

1673
00:55:22.920 --> 00:55:23.919
kids.

1674
00:55:23.920 --> 00:55:25.059
You know, really had this belief

1675
00:55:25.060 --> 00:55:27.059
that, you know, music

1676
00:55:27.060 --> 00:55:28.439
was something that you should make

1677
00:55:28.440 --> 00:55:29.259
yourself.

1678
00:55:29.260 --> 00:55:31.419
So when we were little,

1679
00:55:31.420 --> 00:55:33.059
like I said, I was oldest of 3, I

1680
00:55:33.060 --> 00:55:35.139
was her first, I was The Guinea Pig.

1681
00:55:35.140 --> 00:55:36.819
So at age three or four, we'd have

1682
00:55:36.820 --> 00:55:38.719
our piano lessons, and then she'd

1683
00:55:38.720 --> 00:55:40.679
say, okay, before you go home,

1684
00:55:40.680 --> 00:55:41.819
you know, there are a few of you,

1685
00:55:41.820 --> 00:55:43.159
I'll give you 10 minutes to go

1686
00:55:43.160 --> 00:55:44.160
around the house

1687
00:55:45.040 --> 00:55:46.959
and find a,

1688
00:55:46.960 --> 00:55:47.959
find something that makes an

1689
00:55:47.960 --> 00:55:49.119
interesting sound.

1690
00:55:49.120 --> 00:55:50.979
So we'd go around and find something

1691
00:55:50.980 --> 00:55:53.139
in the kitchen or a lamp or a

1692
00:55:53.140 --> 00:55:55.259
book or the cat or I don't know,

1693
00:55:55.260 --> 00:55:57.119
something, and we'd come back and

1694
00:55:57.120 --> 00:55:58.019
literally sit down and she'd said,

1695
00:55:58.020 --> 00:55:59.459
okay what sound does that make?

1696
00:55:59.460 --> 00:56:00.979
And that, oh okay, what's the

1697
00:56:00.980 --> 00:56:02.039
loudest sound you can make with

1698
00:56:02.040 --> 00:56:03.609
that? What's the softest sound?

1699
00:56:03.610 --> 00:56:05.649
What would be like if that

1700
00:56:05.650 --> 00:56:07.189
sound and that sound together?

1701
00:56:07.190 --> 00:56:08.069
Oh, great.

1702
00:56:08.070 --> 00:56:10.309
Could you give a word to that sound?

1703
00:56:10.310 --> 00:56:12.449
What is, okay, we have these sounds

1704
00:56:12.450 --> 00:56:13.949
and sometimes we have some words.

1705
00:56:13.950 --> 00:56:15.069
Let's tell a story with it.

1706
00:56:15.070 --> 00:56:16.189
How would you start?

1707
00:56:16.190 --> 00:56:17.449
What would come next?

1708
00:56:17.450 --> 00:56:19.429
Great. Now we have this story.

1709
00:56:19.430 --> 00:56:21.469
When you go home this week,

1710
00:56:21.470 --> 00:56:23.109
why don't you make a picture of that

1711
00:56:23.110 --> 00:56:24.489
so that when we come back next week,

1712
00:56:24.490 --> 00:56:26.249
we can remember it and we'll play it

1713
00:56:26.250 --> 00:56:27.269
again.

1714
00:56:27.270 --> 00:56:28.889
And so just with something simple

1715
00:56:28.890 --> 00:56:30.529
like that, you know, we all learned

1716
00:56:30.530 --> 00:56:32.129
that music wasn't just something

1717
00:56:32.130 --> 00:56:33.219
written.

1718
00:56:33.220 --> 00:56:35.359
You know, by a bunch of dead people

1719
00:56:35.360 --> 00:56:37.279
on printed paper and

1720
00:56:37.280 --> 00:56:38.979
the music systems were something

1721
00:56:38.980 --> 00:56:40.859
that had to do with the real world

1722
00:56:40.860 --> 00:56:42.339
and they were things that human

1723
00:56:42.340 --> 00:56:43.719
beings invented for particular

1724
00:56:43.720 --> 00:56:44.639
reasons.

1725
00:56:44.640 --> 00:56:46.339
Music was a way of telling stories.

1726
00:56:46.340 --> 00:56:47.439
And even something complex like

1727
00:56:47.440 --> 00:56:49.279
music notation was just a way

1728
00:56:49.280 --> 00:56:51.279
of writing something down

1729
00:56:51.280 --> 00:56:52.879
in some form so you could remember

1730
00:56:52.880 --> 00:56:53.940
it and interpret it

1731
00:57:03.210 --> 00:57:04.529
So that was really important to me

1732
00:57:04.530 --> 00:57:06.869
and I think also the fact that

1733
00:57:06.870 --> 00:57:07.870
they were

1734
00:57:09.980 --> 00:57:11.919
really a great couple, actually,

1735
00:57:11.920 --> 00:57:13.419
and they were also so very

1736
00:57:13.420 --> 00:57:15.059
different. And I think I was

1737
00:57:15.060 --> 00:57:16.060
obsessed with

1738
00:57:17.620 --> 00:57:19.639
why they got along so well

1739
00:57:19.640 --> 00:57:21.519
and how these worlds of kind

1740
00:57:21.520 --> 00:57:23.619
of technology and humanism and,

1741
00:57:23.620 --> 00:57:25.599
you know, American popular

1742
00:57:25.600 --> 00:57:27.539
culture and European high

1743
00:57:27.540 --> 00:57:29.519
art fit together.

1744
00:57:29.520 --> 00:57:31.179
And they were all so kind of social

1745
00:57:31.180 --> 00:57:32.539
activists, both of them, they also

1746
00:57:32.540 --> 00:57:34.419
believed that, you know anything you

1747
00:57:34.420 --> 00:57:36.739
did should get to people and,

1748
00:57:36.740 --> 00:57:38.139
and, they were always involved with

1749
00:57:38.140 --> 00:57:40.289
what was going on in the world.

1750
00:57:40.290 --> 00:57:42.369
So those were my big influences.

1751
00:57:42.370 --> 00:57:43.789
And I started out actually being

1752
00:57:43.790 --> 00:57:45.649
more, I was interested

1753
00:57:45.650 --> 00:57:47.609
more in music than in technology,

1754
00:57:47.610 --> 00:57:49.569
but I was more interested in

1755
00:57:49.570 --> 00:57:50.989
politics actually than either of

1756
00:57:50.990 --> 00:57:53.069
those. And I wanted to be

1757
00:57:53.070 --> 00:57:55.189
president or a Senate page or a

1758
00:57:55.190 --> 00:57:56.289
Senator or something when I was

1759
00:57:56.290 --> 00:57:57.389
little.

1760
00:57:57.390 --> 00:57:59.429
But little by little I realized,

1761
00:57:59.430 --> 00:58:00.549
I think when I on high school, right

1762
00:58:00.550 --> 00:58:01.849
before I went to college, I realized

1763
00:58:01.850 --> 00:58:03.989
that composing,

1764
00:58:03.990 --> 00:58:05.549
I'm a cellist, but I realized the

1765
00:58:05.550 --> 00:58:06.550
composing was what

1766
00:58:08.530 --> 00:58:10.129
brought together everything I cared

1767
00:58:10.130 --> 00:58:12.069
about and everything that I was good

1768
00:58:12.070 --> 00:58:13.129
at and things I wasn't.

1769
00:58:13.130 --> 00:58:14.809
So I realized intuitively that

1770
00:58:14.810 --> 00:58:16.489
composing was something that was

1771
00:58:16.490 --> 00:58:18.469
gonna keep me on my toes for

1772
00:58:18.470 --> 00:58:19.809
my whole life.

1773
00:58:19.810 --> 00:58:20.589
And it has.

1774
00:58:20.590 --> 00:58:22.049
So anyway, there's more, but that's

1775
00:58:22.050 --> 00:58:23.050
the basic idea.

1776
00:58:29.580 --> 00:58:31.579
That seems like a fitting place

1777
00:58:31.580 --> 00:58:32.940
to end.

1778
00:58:34.240 --> 00:58:36.379
I understand we have cookies in

1779
00:58:36.380 --> 00:58:38.219
the lobby and so we will

1780
00:58:38.220 --> 00:58:39.439
let our artists get to the theater

1781
00:58:39.440 --> 00:58:40.899
but please join me in thanking them

1782
00:58:40.900 --> 00:58:42.769
and we will speak to you in the lab.

1783
00:58:42.770 --> 00:58:43.770
Good night.