An interdisciplinary critical inquiry into the working dramaturgy of The Ravel Trilogy.
This book frames the playtexts of The Ravel Trilogy—Bolero (2014), Concerto (2016), and Solo (2018)—alongside a series of reflective essays and provocations on contemporary dramaturgy and musicology from academics and artists in drama, music, linguistics, and fine art. It contextualizes the themes and approaches of the trilogy and serves as a critical companion to a body of devised work, stimulating a debate about dramaturgy and composition and inviting discussion about post-dramatic theater's relationship to music.
This publication marks the culmination of the trilogy and its critical legacy, exploring the work through the dual lenses of postdramatic theater and research questions articulated and addressed by the practice-research undertaken by its co-creators. The dramaturgical context for The Ravel Trilogy and the reflective essays around it allow the editors to explore the relationship between theater and music, raising questions about practice-research and notions of creating playtexts from musical scores. In this volume, Michael Pinchbeck and Ollie Smith reflect on making and performing The Ravel Trilogy and the process of researching, devising, and presenting work inspired by music where score becomes script and dynamics become stage directions.
This book frames the playtexts of The Ravel Trilogy—Bolero (2014), Concerto (2016), and Solo (2018)—alongside a series of reflective essays and provocations on contemporary dramaturgy and musicology from academics and artists in drama, music, linguistics, and fine art. It contextualizes the themes and approaches of the trilogy and serves as a critical companion to a body of devised work, stimulating a debate about dramaturgy and composition and inviting discussion about post-dramatic theater's relationship to music.
This publication marks the culmination of the trilogy and its critical legacy, exploring the work through the dual lenses of postdramatic theater and research questions articulated and addressed by the practice-research undertaken by its co-creators. The dramaturgical context for The Ravel Trilogy and the reflective essays around it allow the editors to explore the relationship between theater and music, raising questions about practice-research and notions of creating playtexts from musical scores. In this volume, Michael Pinchbeck and Ollie Smith reflect on making and performing The Ravel Trilogy and the process of researching, devising, and presenting work inspired by music where score becomes script and dynamics become stage directions.
Table of Contents
List of Figures
Preface
Foreword: One Thing and Another: Notes on Pinchbeck & Smith’s The Ravel Trilogy
Alexander Kelly
1. The Exposition
Michael Pinchbeck and Ollie Smith
2. The Development
Michael Pinchbeck and Ollie Smith
3. Bolero
4. Bolero: A Matter of Language
Arianna Maiorani
5. Concerto
6. A Score of a Score of a Score: Examining Concerto Through Ravel’s Composition
Kevin Egan
7. ‘Breathe with Your Arms’: A Conductor’s Experience Working on Concerto
Paul Jenkins
8. Solo
9. Enhancing Embodied Music Cognition Through Music Theatre, with Particular Reference to Solo by Michael Pinchbeck and Ollie Smith
Litha Efthymiou and Alan Taylor
10. Conducting and Composing, Poco a Poco: How We Are Moved Through the Immersive, Theatrical Experience Machine of Solo
Rachel Baynton
11. Solo, Concerto, and Current Approaches to Presenting Classical Music
Adrian Curtin
12. Tutti – We Can Complete It Together
Rhiannon Jones
13. Afterword: The Recapitulation
Michael Pinchbeck and Ollie Smith
Notes on Contributors
Preface
Foreword: One Thing and Another: Notes on Pinchbeck & Smith’s The Ravel Trilogy
Alexander Kelly
1. The Exposition
Michael Pinchbeck and Ollie Smith
2. The Development
Michael Pinchbeck and Ollie Smith
3. Bolero
4. Bolero: A Matter of Language
Arianna Maiorani
5. Concerto
6. A Score of a Score of a Score: Examining Concerto Through Ravel’s Composition
Kevin Egan
7. ‘Breathe with Your Arms’: A Conductor’s Experience Working on Concerto
Paul Jenkins
8. Solo
9. Enhancing Embodied Music Cognition Through Music Theatre, with Particular Reference to Solo by Michael Pinchbeck and Ollie Smith
Litha Efthymiou and Alan Taylor
10. Conducting and Composing, Poco a Poco: How We Are Moved Through the Immersive, Theatrical Experience Machine of Solo
Rachel Baynton
11. Solo, Concerto, and Current Approaches to Presenting Classical Music
Adrian Curtin
12. Tutti – We Can Complete It Together
Rhiannon Jones
13. Afterword: The Recapitulation
Michael Pinchbeck and Ollie Smith
Notes on Contributors