A musical journey inward

by Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim

As a music critic writing for The New York Times I’ve attended a lot of concerts. Sometimes 100 a year, spanning a dazzling variety of styles and periods, performers and venues. Most of the time, my attention was focused on the musicians and what and how they were playing. That was my job, after all.

But in December 2018, I attended a concert that directed my focus inward, onto the process of listening itself. The event, at Princeton University, invited audience members to take part in a short guided meditation practice at the beginning of the recital. When the music began, it unfolded inside a space of such concentrated silence that the sounds rang out in brilliant clarity. I remember the uncanny feeling that the music was coming from inside of me, that the barrier between me and not-me had dissolved — advanced stuff to a novice meditator like me.

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London-born Anna Clyne (b. 1980) is a Grammy-nominated composer of acoustic and electro-acoustic music, combining resonant soundscapes with propelling textures. She’s collaborated with cutting-edge choreographers, film-makers, visual artists and musicians, and her works are performed throughout the US and around the world. Recent honors include commissions from Carnegie Hall, Southbank Centre, Los Angeles Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony, and the Houston Ballet; performances by BBC Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lyon, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic; and residencies with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, L’Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

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The Thalea String Quartet Returns to Caramoor.

By Chris Witley, violinist of the Thalea String Quartet

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By mid-March, with engagements postponed, flights cancelled, and forecasts for the future of live performance ranging from a bump in the road to something resembling a zombie apocalypse, the Thalea String Quartet faced the same uncertainty as every musician, ensemble, and arts organization in the world. When will we next see the inside of a concert hall? When will people feel safe enough to come to a live performance? How will we reach people with our art when we can’t even leave our own homes? 

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