Performance of my work Episodes for cello and piano, by Susanne Friedrich, cello; Clark University, Worcester, MA

Presentation of the film Elastic Stronghold; film by Justin Heim, music by me; live chamber music and film version presented by ACM (Accessible Contemporary Music) at Sound of Silent Film Festival, Chicago, IL

Guest lecturer/performer, Dniepropetrovsk Conservatory, includes two days of lectures and solo concert of American music on the 25th; Dniepropetrovsk, Ukraine.

Performance on the Gala Concert at the Festival of Strange Music with the Society of Overtone People; St. Petersburg, Russia

20 March 2008
Mark Twain
United States of America

Dear Mark,

This will be a different kind of letter. I can’t say just yet why I’m writing it or what specifically its about. All I know is at this point, this letter has to be written. I want to talk about ethics and morals.

Society has imposed certain beliefs upon us. For good or bad, these beliefs have defined us and our relationship to society as a whole. Granted, many beliefs, such as those in religion and government, have been strained and even lost over the years. I am not referring to anything or anyone specifically-that is not my intent. My intent is to look at the effects that modern society has on an individuals sense of ‘self’, and more importantly, how that individual views the common rules, both written and unwritten, of that society.

Firstly, I believe that I should define my terms; people, or at least American college students (and I’m sure other college students across the globe), confuse the terms ‘morals’ and ‘ethics’. When I was younger, when confronted by a friend saying that I had no morals (we won‘t get into why…), I would always grinningly reply “wrong, I have a tremendous morals; what I lack are ethics!”. Morals are the rules of weal and evil that one puts on oneself, while ethics are those of society. The question for me has always been if what was good for society was equally good for the individual.

What I think has really sparked this was an article (or actually, many articles and recent discussions) in the St. Petersburg Times. The article in question had to do with quality of sold food products. A new study has shown that over 50% of Russian oil, meat, and dairy products are unfit for human consumption. The article continued to say that many labels are incorrect and that food is sold without any of the real ingredients listed and also well after the food in question has spoiled. It also went on to say that the worst food products actually went to schools and orphanages, provoking numerous accounts of poisoning.

Now, I have had recent conversations with friends who stated that in Soviet days, the products were extremely limited, but what you got was of tremendous quality. One friend, who loves fish, said that he will no longer buy it because the quality is so bad. Twenty years ago, they wouldn’t always have fish, but when they did, you were sure that it was good and fresh.

Now, since the fall of communism, the Russian economy has undergone great change. From what I understand, what went from limited good quality products went to numerous, low quality products that make more money. Something was missed here in the transition. The societal concept improved, but the morality didn’t; if anything, it deteriorated. In the West, especially in certain European countries, the choices and quality of products are much, much greater. Granted, this has to do with decades, if not centuries, of a free-market economy, but both the ethics and morals, at least in this topic, are both of high quality. Just because something is good for the economy doesn’t mean that it will be produced; it has to be good and safe for the consumer.

Article number two: a train carrying nuclear waste was parked in a district of St. Petersburg. Radiation levels were 30 times acceptable levels. For economic reasons, it made sense, but the human factor was completely disregarded. Does one do what is good for the society, or does one listen to their individual morals. The environmentalists who were there to monitor the levels were threatened by a guard with a loaded and cocked machine gun.

Article number three: nationalism has caused a great deal of race related violence. A young African student was stabbed over 30 times after a soccer game. Groups of nationalistic youths threw bananas at the opposing (French) team’s black members. Here is another frightening point: what is being portrayed as this society’s ethics? Patriotism is one thing, but nationalism to the extent where violence is accepted against foreigners is bordering on something else. Is racial purity becoming an ethic, and if so, what of the individual’s morals? Do these also adapt to the new ethics? Is it out of mass-thinking, or ignorance, or is this being taught? What changes a supposed all-accepting, educated communist society to a violent, nationalistic, neo-fascist, only-caring-about-money society? Where did the ethics go wrong?

Discussion: at one point, education, most especially in the arts and sciences, was considered one of the most important goals of an individual. Everyone was well versed. At one point, being a piano teacher was an honorable career. Now, this has changed: education means nothing and making money has become the only factor of importance. From what I have been told, the level of students has dropped considerably in the last 15 years.

Now, Mark, you know that no one hates communism more than I. In all of my letters, I have always praised the individual and shouted the doctrine of Humanism and the Enlightenment from the rooftops. I am not praising communism here, but something has changed. Maybe, they weren’t ready for the change. A society’s ethics and yes, even an individual’s morals don’t change that drastically; or, at least, I didn’t think so. The West has succeeded in a democratic, free market because, well, the West invented it. I think that the cultural ethics of Europe and the strong morality of the US helped to temper this to work over many, many decades for the benefit of society as a whole; granted, there are still issues-nothing is perfect; and it’s better or worse depending on the country-but all in all it functions well.

Here, I think that they once had the cultural aspirations to be Western Europe and even in some ways a rival educational system, but with the opening of the markets the society flipped completely, embracing all of the degeneration and corruption of money without the balance of cultural wisdom to temper this. Kid’s let loose in a candy store…they gorge and gorge and don’t share…this leads to suspicion and more corruption, and eventually to an ‘us vs. them’ mentality, which is the breading ground for nationalism and hate crimes.

Do they, the Russians, have a new set of societal ethics? Have individual morals evolved to now display these new ethics? I don’t know. All I know is that the democratic experiment here has produced some frightening results, and I don’t know how long this will last, if democracy even still exists here.

Maybe, in some ways, it’s better. The cultural mentality is not Western. They didn’t have Ancient Greece or the Renaissance or the Enlightenment. The vast majority of people don’t think as individuals; maybe they need to be shown the way, if not ruled. Maybe the only way to bring order and stamp out corruption and violence here is to have a strong leader. I don’t know…I can only hope that it is NOT this way and that this country will eventually find its ’sea legs’ as a strong, democratic nation.

All I know is that I see a society in flux. I like these people, very much-I want them to be alright and to be a part of the world society. I want them to be a democracy, and to take their rightful place as allies with the Western powers. The West, the world, can only benefit from a strong Russia with a strong moral streak. This way, we can all help each other; not just economically, but also to guard against moral or ethical injustices from any of us.

Until next time,

Demetrius

March 1-7 (Kyrgyzstan)
Mark Twain
United States of America

Dear Mark,

Kyrgyzstan is breathtaking. In all of my travels, I have never seen a place of such natural beauty and splendor, save the Grand Canyon. Granted, the two are in a way opposites: one a desert canyon and the other a mountainous landscape, but both should be on everyone’s ‘top two list’ of what to see during their lifetime.

The Kyrgyz are a very traditional people; a nomadic culture that was brought to settlement (for good or bad…) by first the Russians and then the Soviet Union, who also exploited their resources. The people, however, being on the Silk Road, have not allowed this to effect their kindness and hospitality, which is unmatched in most regions of the world. There are also strong parallels between them and the Native American cultures and there has been speculation on a common heritage.

This traditional outlook may have also led to the way that music education is presented in both the earlier and advanced schools. The training is very Russian in its approach and tendencies (and you KNOW my views on that…), yet it doesn’t have the inclination towards experimental or Avant-garde ideas which the other post-Soviet nations seem to be embracing. The training to me seems very conservative, and like it’s post-Soviet neighbors there is a lack of knowledge of Western music and compositional techniques after the 1960s. Where the other CIS countries (like Russia) seem to be constantly flailing around in the mid-20th Century Avant-garde, the Kyrgyz training appears to disregard much of it…this is where I come in.

But more on that shortly…

My hosts were fantastic! The US Embassy rolled out the red carpet for me, and I can only hope that I honored their commitment to inter-cultural connection that seems to be a main priority here. My main contact person and host, Kamila Kojokmatova, who is a musicologist turned cultural ambassador in her own right, is dedicated to improving the academic situation here and bringing the music programs (as well as other artistic initiatives) up to Western standards. She also created (with the backing of the US Embassy) the American Music Center where I gave many of my talks and lectures to students from all Bishkek colleges. This is a great resource and she has acquired many good recordings and important scores, which is fantastic. The students here have something to start their education of music from the West, which is far better than what I have seen in other countries.

The other member of our traveling trinity was my interpreter, Elita Asankulova, who was just great for numerous reasons; the most important of which being the fact that she translated all of my lectures and interviews and followed all of the unimaginable nuances of my East Coast dialect. Even though I’m from New England, there’s very little of proper English pronunciation left, let me tell you…she also (along with Kamila) has a great sense of humor, which is crucial in dealing with me for an extended period of time…

The students were great. I think that some were a little frightened at my concerts; coming from such conservative training, the music that I play (I played solo, with electronics, and with film) was very much out of their, and their teacher’s, comfort zones. This, I think, was good for them. They reacted, which means that it had an impact. Many didn’t know what to make of me, my music, and my ideas. Actually, the Rector of the Bishkek College of Music gave after my main concert what sounded to me like a disclaimer, and I paraphrase “this was new; some liked it, some didn’t”…hey, that’s OK. I think what was even more interesting was the reaction in my composition seminar the next day when I told them that my music is actually considered conservative (I do love a good tune…) by Western academic circles and that I probably would never get a full-time academic position due to this. This hit home when I played some recordings of more experimental music and they really didn’t know how to react. “See”, I told them, “my stuff’s not so bad now, is it?”; they nodded sheepishly…

One of the major events that was taking place while I was there was the week leading up to International Women’s Day. This is a Socialist holiday turned Hallmark (in a post-Soviet sort of way). I did, however, get to officially ‘congratulate’ women many times, including on Kyrgyzstan television (where I also played Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady”; seemed like a good choice) and at a special solo concert I gave at the US Ambassador’s residency. The pieces I played were all American women composers. Now, to be honest-and I KNOW these particular ladies feel the same way about this as I-I dislike putting them into a category of ‘Women composers’ rather than just ‘composers’. Alex, Carol, Denise, and Molly are all kickin’ composers! The pieces are fantastic and I have played them all year on tour, and will keep playing them. Using these terms forces these artists to be judged separately rather then how they should be, which is with their peers. I have always felt the same way with any competition or job ‘audition’; the best person should always win, regardless of any gender, creed, or race (I also hate this use of this word; we’re all one race if I remember correctly; just with a whole lot of neat variations…) concerns. That was probably the only thing that state Communism got right; equality across the board. Communism’s problem was this (oops…no, I guess they didn’t quite get this right either then, I’m afraid…) was that it should’ve been an equal starting block for employment, etc., and then it should have allowed for the person’s individuality to carry them to the highest planes they could reach for. Blank slate (or the ‘blind audition’) at the beginning, then let the Individual be exalted! I know…I’m just a dreamer…it’s that wild-growing Humanism hair again…amazing how much it’s grown since I’ve been here….

But back to Kyrgyzstan…these are a wonderful people; kind, considerate, giving, and wanting to learn and to be included on the world stage. It’s this last idea where I think that I may have had the most impact. The students, mostly composers, who weren’t afraid of what I was doing and were even intrigued by the possibilities, will be the ones to lead them to this. They see the possibilities, and they see how they can use what I taught them to expand their own individual voices. This has been my hope all along: not to inundate students across the CIS with American and other Western musical ideas and history, but to bring the West’s most important gift, Individuality, to young artists seeking a way to express themselves in a closed, mass-minded, environment.

I hope that here, as well as elsewhere, I have planted this seed. I want to return here, soon, to see how it may have taken root. We have spoken about an extended stay here in the near future, even a Fulbright to work with students intensely…this intrigues me, not just for the opportunity to live in this remarkable place, but also to see the evolution of thought that I, that WE, are bringing about.

Until next time,

Demetrius

Premier of my work Episodes for cello and piano, by Susanne Friedrich, cello; New England Conservatory faculty recital, Boston, MA

Performance at The Stray Dog with the Society of Overtone People; St. Petersburg, Russia

February 24-29, 2008 (Uzbekistan)
Mark Twain
United States of America

Dear Mark,

In the next two letters, I will be writing about my most recent trip to Central Asia, beginning with Uzbekistan. One thing that I have to say beforehand is that during this entire trip, I began to become aware of the idea of home and belonging. Many of the conversations that I had with people, for one reason or another, dealt with this topic. It was very interesting to see how people, especially artists in closed societies, thought about their place in these societies and their relation to the world as a whole. Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are in stark contrast socially and politically, but both are traditional cultures whose influence reaches well beyond politics. These experiences also started to make me think about my sense of home and being, with rather unsettling results…but more on that later.

My return trip to Tashkent felt more like a homecoming rather then an exotic adventure. I have been in close contact with many people from last time, and this of course brings a strong sense of familiarity. The city itself seemed like an ‘old stomping ground’ and I was quickly oriented. The Black Box Festival had been going on for about a week before my arrival, so things were in full swing at the Ilkhom Theater.

The preparations and execution of my multimedia program went very well; this group of artists and technicians understands multimedia and brought the presentation to a new level with staging and lights. The only problem was an issue with DVD formats, but even that was handled and solved quickly and professionally. For me, the highlights of the performance were my collaboration with Nikolay Leonuv on the film “In Celebration of Sunrise”, and the Omnibus Ensemble’s live performance of my music to “Elastic Stronghold”, my collaboration with Justin Heim. Nikolay’s film, which I saw for the first time the day before the performance, is extremely strong and works beautifully with my music-it was a rare instance where the film maker creates a film around the music, not unlike a music video, but obviously more involved-and my role was as both performer and ‘actor’; the special screen for the performance could be see through with special lighting, so I performed behind the screen, and also interacted within it. Very powerful. It was even more interesting to actually sit in the audience and let Omnibus perform the music to “Elastic Stronghold”. My only regret was that I wish that I could’ve enjoyed it more-the performance was fantastic, but I, of course, was concerned with coordination and seeing how all worked rather than sitting and enjoying. This is probably a control issue; since I’m not performing it myself, I can’t control the outcome. The ensemble under Artyum Kim played brilliantly, and he knew exactly what to do.

Another great highlight of this trip was watching performances by the Ilkhom Theater. Most impactual was their presentation of Orestes, which was done with a very modern twist. Here we had multimedia: music, dancing, acting, great scenery, video, lighting effects; very powerful presentation. They are taking this and other works on tour to the US for two months, and I wish them the greatest of success.

My one free day, which was the 28th, I was planning on taking a day trip to Samarkand…this didn’t happen. Instead, I decided to work with composition students from the State Conservatory, since they all wanted to show me some pieces-as far as I’m concerned, I am happy to help, so for me it was no problem, plus I usually enjoy the interaction. However, seeing these students again just brought home the issues that I have been encountering with students from all over the former Soviet Union and it‘s neighbors: an unfortunate lack of technical composition skills. It’s very interesting because it seems that many composers ‘in the know’, including my friend Artyum Kim and others in different countries, completely agree with my assessment. Composition students are taught philosophy and ideas but not technique and craft. Every piece, it seems, must have a great philosophy behind it. Craft and technique are completely disregarded, and it is painfully obvious. There is no understanding of balance or orchestration, how to develop a melody or concepts of counterpoint. The piece ends up being just ideas that seem to hang on precariously in the wind. The idea of writing purely objective music is considered heresy, and if a composer writes anything, it must be a grand statement of philosophy. I don’t even think that they experiment outside of writing, and I know that they have never done counterpoint exercises or choral setting practice to build these techniques. The worst part is that students, both here and other places in the East, actually argue with me about it, arrogantly so. There is this belief that composes are on a higher plane of existence then everyone else. “Why should we care what the conductors or performers think”, they say, “my music will make them better musicians because they will have to come up to my level”. This was from a student who wrote passages for instruments which were basically physically impossible on those instruments. These kids have no idea what is in store for them if they try and have a career outside of these countries. Here, these ideas keep perpetuating themselves, and at least in the schools there are people who are coerced to try and perform these pieces; if they go West to study or try to work, they are in for a rude awakening and I really don’t want to witness the fallout…

The US Embassy in Tashkent was very gracious in supporting me in my visit here. For them, I presented a lecture and performance on American music for their Chay Chat, their version of American Center/Corners in other countries. Great students here who are excited to learn. I must say, however, that I was very disturbed by the US Embassy complex. It was basically a huge, armed fort walled off from the society around it. Now, I do completely understand why and I do appreciate that they take such security measures to protect American citizens and Embassy workers, but it’s unfortunate that current issues in the world make it this way. A country’s embassy should completely interact with the host country because this is where dialogues and exchanges of ideas happen, a true cultural nexus. Here we have two incredible cultures, one a representative of Eastern values and society, the other the epitome of Western philosophy-these two should be learning from each other, not separated by walls and guns. We can only hope that these issues will improve in years to come.

Until next time,

Demetrius

Guest interview on OK Radio; Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan