Sola
Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti
December 4th, 2020
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Here we meet again, Anne. Always a pleasure. Your newest project is titled Sola. Tell us more about it.
Sola is a gorgeous new work by Anna Thorvaldsdottir for viola and electronics. Anna wrote in her notes about the piece, “Sola is inspired by abstract structural elements of solitariness in the midst of turmoil—by the desire of calm and focus in chaos. Focusing on intimate materials in a flowing progression that seethe under the surface of disruption, only occasionally observing elements from the surface.” |
Photo: Blaise Hayward Studio |
Can you describe your collaborative process with composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir whose work you commissioned for this new recording?
The project itself has been going on for a long time—looking back at our correspondence now I realize that I initially contacted Anna about this project almost exactly five years ago, in November 2015. It took about a year to find support for the commission—in the form of the generosity of Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting.
In the meantime, the collaborative process was part of a larger method of engaging with Anna’s work. Through writing about her work in Music & Literature and interviewing her for the Log Journal, I was able to study some of Anna’s other pieces and support her projects. I also asked if I could record her work Transitions (originally for cello) on my last album in a viola transcription form. Through all these different ways, I was learning the language of her music better and supporting Anna’s work before starting to learn the new commission.
In May 2018 Anna sent me some sounds to record that became the generative material for the electronics. Then a year later, I got a grant from University of Northern Colorado to go to the UK with Four/Ten Media (Evan Chapman and Kevin Eikenberg) to interview Anna and film some little mini masterclass videos on how to make the sounds in the piece for my website Shaken Not Stuttered.
Did the initial ideas behind Sola undergo any major transformations throughout the last six or so months given our restricted existence due to covid19?
No, this project has been in the works for so long that many of the important in-person elements were completed before things shut down. However, performances beyond the tour of premieres have been cancelled, so I decided that I should release my performance exclusivity early so that other people can enjoy working on it—solo repertoire is much more quarantine friendly!
How do you see a recording like Sola shaping or influencing the music scene?
Legacy is developed over time through the impact of works which are given substantial resources beyond the premiere: in particular, high-quality recordings lead to repeated performances and integration into curriculum. In the same way that one would work all year on a Brahms Sonata for their Junior Recital and then have a better idea of what kind of sound to use when playing a Brahms Symphony, I wanted to commission substantial new works so that someone could work on the Thorvaldsdottir Sonata all year, and then also have a window into her orchestral sound world when they went on to perform some of her larger works.
In order to make that process easier, we made video tutorials to show extended techniques used with brief interviews of the composers. Through this extensive free educational resource (an expansion of Shaken Not Stuttered) other performers, students, and audience members will have a window into the creative process. The site advocates for a culture of curiosity, supporting a thriving culture of contemporary music for everyone.
You also commissioned the artwork for the album, right? The album cover for Sola is by Jasmine Parsia. Are you hands on with ideas and thoughts about what you like or dislike when it comes to album covers? What was your initial reaction when you first saw Jasmine’s work for Sola?
Yes. Jasmine also created original artwork for my last album, in manus tuas and I really loved working with her. Because Sola is being released in a series of three albums (part of The 20/19 Project), I asked Jasmine to create a series of album covers that would fit together as a set. Reflecting on her inspiration for the work, she wrote to me, “I've been thinking a lot about landscapes and their way of acting as a snapshot of time, but also made through an accumulation of time. Time felt like a natural direction in thinking about The 20/19 Project. This started first with thinking about rock formations while digging more into Anna’s work and the interviews on her site. Then it felt natural to carry this theme across the other two artists’ albums—made with pieces from my prints, and the photographs are mine as well.”
My own work is often about perspective/community, so I see the album cover as an extension of who is engaged within the work as a whole. So I love how thoughtful she is in engaging with the music in a real way. I’m excited to eventually share the other two works for the rest of the series, but that will have to wait!
The project itself has been going on for a long time—looking back at our correspondence now I realize that I initially contacted Anna about this project almost exactly five years ago, in November 2015. It took about a year to find support for the commission—in the form of the generosity of Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting.
In the meantime, the collaborative process was part of a larger method of engaging with Anna’s work. Through writing about her work in Music & Literature and interviewing her for the Log Journal, I was able to study some of Anna’s other pieces and support her projects. I also asked if I could record her work Transitions (originally for cello) on my last album in a viola transcription form. Through all these different ways, I was learning the language of her music better and supporting Anna’s work before starting to learn the new commission.
In May 2018 Anna sent me some sounds to record that became the generative material for the electronics. Then a year later, I got a grant from University of Northern Colorado to go to the UK with Four/Ten Media (Evan Chapman and Kevin Eikenberg) to interview Anna and film some little mini masterclass videos on how to make the sounds in the piece for my website Shaken Not Stuttered.
Did the initial ideas behind Sola undergo any major transformations throughout the last six or so months given our restricted existence due to covid19?
No, this project has been in the works for so long that many of the important in-person elements were completed before things shut down. However, performances beyond the tour of premieres have been cancelled, so I decided that I should release my performance exclusivity early so that other people can enjoy working on it—solo repertoire is much more quarantine friendly!
How do you see a recording like Sola shaping or influencing the music scene?
Legacy is developed over time through the impact of works which are given substantial resources beyond the premiere: in particular, high-quality recordings lead to repeated performances and integration into curriculum. In the same way that one would work all year on a Brahms Sonata for their Junior Recital and then have a better idea of what kind of sound to use when playing a Brahms Symphony, I wanted to commission substantial new works so that someone could work on the Thorvaldsdottir Sonata all year, and then also have a window into her orchestral sound world when they went on to perform some of her larger works.
In order to make that process easier, we made video tutorials to show extended techniques used with brief interviews of the composers. Through this extensive free educational resource (an expansion of Shaken Not Stuttered) other performers, students, and audience members will have a window into the creative process. The site advocates for a culture of curiosity, supporting a thriving culture of contemporary music for everyone.
You also commissioned the artwork for the album, right? The album cover for Sola is by Jasmine Parsia. Are you hands on with ideas and thoughts about what you like or dislike when it comes to album covers? What was your initial reaction when you first saw Jasmine’s work for Sola?
Yes. Jasmine also created original artwork for my last album, in manus tuas and I really loved working with her. Because Sola is being released in a series of three albums (part of The 20/19 Project), I asked Jasmine to create a series of album covers that would fit together as a set. Reflecting on her inspiration for the work, she wrote to me, “I've been thinking a lot about landscapes and their way of acting as a snapshot of time, but also made through an accumulation of time. Time felt like a natural direction in thinking about The 20/19 Project. This started first with thinking about rock formations while digging more into Anna’s work and the interviews on her site. Then it felt natural to carry this theme across the other two artists’ albums—made with pieces from my prints, and the photographs are mine as well.”
My own work is often about perspective/community, so I see the album cover as an extension of who is engaged within the work as a whole. So I love how thoughtful she is in engaging with the music in a real way. I’m excited to eventually share the other two works for the rest of the series, but that will have to wait!
What have you been doing more of to stay active as an artist without the option of live performances nowadays?
I am really excited about the new concert platform that Bandcamp is rolling out this month. They were kind enough to give me a sneak peak and I’ll be doing a live album release show on December 4th with an opening act by Andrew Yee and a guest chamber music performance by Longleash.
That being said, I think there are lots of things about being an artist that are always solitary, and other things about being an artist that are always about supporting your community and showing up for people even if you can’t do that physically. I hope that this has been a time of reflection for lots of artists, and a time of seeing who their communities are—and who is missing from those communities. Whose voices do you want to amplify? Who do you want to survive on the other side of this? Whose work are you advocating for behind the scenes?
In a panel on Authentic Engagement: Lessons From Indigenous Communities, playwright Larissa FastHorse (2020 MacArthur Fellow) was talking about how for a lot of indigenous artists, “The process is the art. The community engagement is the art.” It isn’t always about performing live, or releasing something publicly, there are lots of ways to support your colleagues and that is a huge part of being an artist. Supporting your community in the ways that they need to be supported is staying active as an artist.
Have you learned anything exciting that you would’ve probably overlooked if it weren’t for these extraordinary circumstances of recent months?
I’ve been deep-diving into Indigenous Language Revitalization and Decolonization as a part of research for a piece I’m working on for [Switch~ Ensemble]. There’s an extraordinary series by Emergence Magazine on Language Keepers that I have listened to more than once, as well as a gorgeous print edition of articles on other overlapping topics, many of which are by indigenous writers.
Who are some artists or non-artists whose help and encouragement facilitated this latest project and constantly come through for you?
Will Dutta—who presented the UK premiere of Sola—took this project to the next level by creating a whole series of events around the premieres and by publishing a beautiful monograph on the works. He was so generous with his time, brainstorming, and taking the set of commissions further—it has really helped me think bigger about projects, and how to be a better advocate for other artists as well.
Daphne Gerling, who wrote an essay for the monograph about the historical inspiration for this project, was also a wonderful advocate and encouraging voice as I was bringing the elements of this work together.
Of course, Dan Lippel of New Focus Recordings has consistently come through for me, encouraging me to imagine the album release and the albums themselves in a way that is meaningful for the project.
Could you share a piece of good news with us—in addition to your new album Sola, that is?
I’m grateful to be the recipient of a 2020 Native Launchpad Artist Award. Not only did the award allow me to be able to publish this album, but the community of indigenous artists I’ve met so far through the fellowship are so supportive and inspiring.
What’s your hope for what lies ahead musically and artistically for you, for us, and for the arts ecosystem in general?
“The process is the art. The community engagement is the art.”
Congratulations and Thank you!