Rethinking the traditional concert format through the lens of Russian mystic composer Nikolai Obukhov

Carlota Carvalho

Born in 1892, composer Nikolai Obukhov belongs to the Russian avant-garde generation and was one of the pioneers in experimenting with twelve-tone systems, notation, and electronic instruments. He stands out from his contemporaries having inherited not only some aspects of Alexander Scriabin’s musical style, but, most prominently, the Russian symbolist belief in transcendence and collective spiritual uplifting through the performative act as well. The metaphysical substance and religious symbolism of Obukhov’s body of work reveals itself as a very rich and exciting source of inspiration for performers today. In this exposition I analyze the most relevant features of Nikolai Obukhov’s aesthetic, from his conception of the total work of art, to his harmonic language and annotations on the score, contextualizing them in the broader cultural and philosophical panorama of Russian Symbolism. I focus on understanding the social function of musical performance, and by conceptualizing certain basic principles, I shape my own performative approach to Nikolai Obukhov’s solo piano works. In the creative process of building a more holistic performance practice inspired by Russian Symbolism, the role of the modern performer expands from one of mere executor to the curator of an experience both for themself and for their audience. With this research I intend to encourage the musical community to reflect on our current relation with performance, to experiment with different concert formats, and to realize that we too, like the artistic community of Russians mystics, can project our own hopes about the future of civilization in our performance practices.

Conclusions

When I began this research project, I had no idea what the end result would be. Personally, it was a big challenge intellectually and creatively, and throughout the whole process I have also discovered a lot about my self as an artist; it made me reflect on past experiences, and I was confronted with ideas I had never rationalized before. At the same time, being in contact with such complex extra-musical meaning pushed the limits of my creativity, and I found in my own past professional experience things that were previously in hiding.Looking ahead, I intend to continue my investigation by putting into practice the performance I have envisioned and by exploring the impact upon the audience and performer involved more deeply.

This process was an opportunity to reflect more deeply on the reality of my professional activity, the role of the performer and the paradigm of tradition in the classical music concert. As an obvious conclusion, comes the idea of the performer as curator. Instead of taking a submissive position of executor, or [re]producer of the same interpretations, we can take control of the format, of the whole experience we present. Through encountering the artistic vision of Obukhov and Russian symbolism, I realized that there was such vanguardism and boldness of attitude with regards to their artistic activity, which young performers could take as inspiration today for their own artistic practices. Knowing Obukhov’s and Scriabin's vision about the total work of art, the search for new concert experiences, and for interdisciplinary elements, one wonders, what would they do with the means that we possess today? The possibilities are infinite. Opening this realm of possibilities, for ourselves, can be extremely emancipating and freeing. With this research I intend to encourage the musical community to reflect on our current relation with performance, to experiment with different concert formats, and to realize that we too, like the artistic community of Russians mystics, can project our own hopes about the future of civilization in our performance practices.

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Conclusions