Chalk Piano © Robin Rhode
Last week at Lincoln Center, Norwegian Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and artist Robin Rhode performed “Pictures Reframed,” a reimagining of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition. Andsnes performed Mussorgsky’s masterpiece live while Rhode’s animations played in sync on several surrounding screens. A few weeks before its New York debut, we spoke with Andsnes and Rhode about bringing classical music into such a contemporary setting. This Friday “Pictures Reframed” will be performed at the Kennedy Center in DC.
WHITEWALL: Leif Ove, what made you decide that video would be the appropriate accompaniment for Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”?
LEIF OVE ANDSNES: I thought film or video would be a natural thing. The work consists of so many pictures and at first we thought of bringing in many artists.
ROBIN RHODE: It would have been a disaster [laughs].
LOA: It would, I can see that now.
WW: How familiar were you with contemporary art or video beforehand?
LOA: I love going to an exhibition space but I don’t follow it too much. I looked at a lot of video artists for a couple of days with curators and I reacted very strongly to Robin’s work.
WW: Robin, what were your thoughts when you were first approach? Were you familiar at all with the Mussorgsky piece?
RR: No I wasn’t familiar at all. I was so unfamiliar with classical music but of course now I’m a specialist [laughter].
WW: What was the next step?
RR: I was initially very open to what the visual component would consist of. And then I began experimenting and proposing different ideas that I had for the animations. Because of Lief Ove’s background in music I could play with certain ideas for certain parts of the music. The dialogue between Lief Ove and I allowed me to understand the music a lot clearer.
WW: Where did the character come from who appears in the promenades that link the suites together?
LOA: There is a strong narrative in the music where you can hear the person walking to the exhibition space. And that theme recurs in very different characters. Its like a person is reacting to what he’s seeing or where he is going. And then very interestingly, in Catacombs the figure has become part of the picture. It’s psychologically very advanced and very modern for a composition from 1870. Robin has incorporated that character into his animation.
RR: I played with what the idea of a promenade means in terms of how I could do the animations, the video component. The character of this human figure finds himself in geometric forms, walking on drawings, or stumbling upon these forms from an aerial perspective. The promenade for me means an imaginary space. That became the audience link into the narrative. He continues in between these pictures and finds himself in a new scenario in which he has to navigate his way through.
WW: You two met in 2007? How as the project progressed did you find each other’s work influencing your own?
LOA: At first, I didn’t know Robin and I thought I would just give him the piece. Artists work differently and didn’t know if he wanted to be left alone or wanted my opinion. But I discovered he liked dialogue and input so I felt free to voice my opinion. It became an interesting interaction. We talked on the phone and we emailed a bit but the few meetings we had in the process were wonderful. I’d play for him and show him the motions in the music.
RR: It felt constructive, like I could progress.
WW: Lief Ove, you’ve said that classical music today is in despair.
LOA: Oh, I may have been a bit harsh [laughs]. I think classical music feels a little bit lost in the contemporary world because we’re dealing a lot with older composers and pieces with length. But also classical music is struggling to feel relevant. I believe so strongly in this music and this is my life but there is this whole talk of how do we teach and educate a new audience. I think we have to look at new opportunities to present the music. And this project is one way, combining different art disciplines.
WW: So Robin, are you now a fan of classical music?
RR: Like I said, I’m an expert now. As someone who did not have access to classical music, I found it fascinating that a piece from 1870 could now influence my creative process. I also think that as an artist, no matter what discipline, you have to be open to new experiences.
Apparatus © Robin Rhode
