DACAMERA OFFERS MUSICAL ‘HOME DELIVERY’
DACAMERA’S SARAH ROTHENBERG SAYS THE FOCUS IS MUSIC’S CURATIVE POWER.
Time takes on new meaning when one’s agenda — what DACAMERA’s artistic director Sarah Rothenberg refers to as the “musical bar lines” of life — is no longer there.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s not unusual to feel as if a multitude of heightened emotions are rippling through the body at once. For Rothenberg, overwhelming anxiety is almost instantly relieved as she whisks her fingers over the keys of her piano, filling the silence with the melodies of Johann Sebastian Bach and her spirit with joyful ecstasy.
“The fact that people have their daily routines taken away from them can be very disorienting,” Rothenberg said. “It’s like their daily measures of time are gone. Music is a wonderful outlet for that.”
In hopes of delivering a similar sense of comfort to listeners, DACAMERA, a producer and presenter of ensemble music, introduced “Home Delivery,” an online series of music, commentary and artistic exchanges thoughtfully curated in the spirit of the organization.
With nearly a third of its season canceled, an effort to support the artists who were booked in the spring guided the approach to developing this virtual solution. Planned installments, as of this interview, include a musical statement by bass-baritone Davóne Tines, a conversation with pianist Jeremy Denk, as well as the remaining two parts of his livestream series in partnership with The Greene Space at New York Public Radio’s WQXR, and a presentation from Cuban-born drummer and bandleader Dafnis Prieto.
“Artists whose events get canceled, it’s like the rug getting pulled out from under them,” Rothenberg said. “These events take over a year to plan, and we work very hard on the programming. We wanted to find some way of keeping the projects alive.”
With the generosity of its board, DACAMERA has also been able to provide support to the emerging instrumentalists, vocalists and composers participating in its Young Artist Program, Rothenberg said. A number of these fellows have created home videos of themselves performing that have been distributed throughout Houston Methodist Hospital, and the virtual continuation of such community activities will be at the heart of yet another “Home Delivery” segment.
Regardless of the specifics, Rothenberg is intent on introducing each program and any featured composition or composer in a way that relates to today’s global state of loss and uncertainty. In the first installment, delivered in lieu of pianist Richard Goode’s March 24 concert at Zilkha Hall, she initiates a conversation on Beethoven and his 32 piano sonatas, focusing on “Les Adieux,” or “The Farewell.” Characteristic of the influential composer’s oeuvre, the three-movement piece, which represents a journey from departure to return, runs the gamut of emotions.
“It’s really about separation from people that you love,” Rothenberg said. “Beethoven can be very stormy and fiery and passionate, but he can also be incredibly introspective. The last movement is called ‘Reunion,’ and I thought this might really speak to what people are feeling at home right now.”
The second installment showcases another emotionally stirring piece, one that wasn’t planned as part of the season but touches on the concept of time. After a short introduction, Rothenberg presents a recording that she dedicated to the memory of friend Maurice Berger, who died of the virus, in which she performs “Palais de Mari” by avantgarde composer Morton Feldman.
“This music gives one a real sense of time suspended and also opens up a very meditative space,” said Rothenberg, likening the experience of the work’s tranquility to that of an awe-inspiring constellation of stars in the night sky, blissfully unaffected by the apprehension felt throughout the world.
“As we can all see, the entire economy is being hit by something like a tsunami,” she continued. “It is certainly a time of uncertainty for all of us in the immediate moment and in terms of the future. We know that music can help people psychologically and emotionally in this time, and we’re going to do everything that we can to make sure that they have access to it.”