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Volume 10 Issue 6 - March 2005

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epeats to a point that

epeats to a point that it becomes extremely frenetic. I build it up to a frenzy and the only thing you can do is to just let it die. It's very much the idea of a

charged, historically and emotionally. It's like a tightrope act because you risk falling into the inherited habits, Of course, as a composer I have this very personal pride of trying not to just repeat what has been there before. in Mahler or Bruckner. This is why, at times. I'm frightened, because I feel similarities. ls it because our time has some similarity with older periods of history') Certainly. But what are the tools I'm going to use to convey my testament, my vision of the world'' STEENHUISEN: This reminds me of the Borges story Pierre Menard, Author of Don Quixote ... BOULIANE: Yes! STEENHUISEN: fr 's interesting ro lisren ro you because you have so much to say, while at the same time your composition is so much abour skepticism. There is afundamemal contradicrion. Sextus Empiricus' argumems are againsr rhose who profess to have knowledge. In facr, one of his books is Titled "Againsr the teamed" or "Against the professors". How do you reconcile this with the reality that you talk so much about music, and since 1995, you are a professor of music at McGill University? BOULIANE: This is a complex story. If I could just live, make a normal life just composing. I would probably do that. I would do some teaching, but we might not need the complete structure of a faculty to talk to young composers. I like working with young composers, and my job is to be very close to the students and try to help them. They become more and more themselves. Doing that involves a lot of selfquestioning, and I ask a lot of questions. It's a paradox, but I think life is a little bit like that. We go through a series of paradoxes all our lives. We're moving all the time. We don't really know where we're going, but we're going forward. STEENHUISEN: How do you teach at the moment? BOULIANE: What I'm trying to do is to start with what is there. You want to base the piece on this and this and that element, think about very small objects, you carve some objects - it can be melody. harmony or r.hythm, whatever you want, but it has to be something you cannot live without. It must be so close to you that you want to die for it. Write me one bar, one beat, one quaver. .. something that you need to hear. And now begin to write a few objects like that. Is it 2. 3 or 10, 20? When you've done that, do it completely. Something where you feel like, "That's the sound I want." And at times, you will probably also refer to objects which already exist. When you've got some objects like that, some elements, some fragments, we try to deduce what it is in those things that are so important to you. And with those things we can try to build a piece. Instead of starting with a pre-organized form, I try to make my students discover themselves. My idea is to discover what you are through your choices. You make choices in the beginning. You have to choose. "Why this?" "Because I like it." "Ok fine, but why do you like it? Where did it come from?" STEENHUISEN: What does it consist of? Where can it go? BOULIANE: Yes, exactly. And look at it very deeply, and what did you make out of it? STEENHUISEN: When I hear you speak about music, I sense that you don 't necessarily feel it can all be explained, but that you believe very deeply in the effort to try. BOULIANE: Absolutely. The path is the thing. In life we're always going, always moving. Whether we want it or not there's a cycle of seasons, of days. There's a path that is there. Whether this path is clear, whether this path has a goal, it's difficult to say. But there's one thing in common for all human beings - the inexorability of time. The chronos. relentless. It won't leave you alone. You exist, and cannot change a second unless you change your speed. I think of It's music as the most powerful way to prove to yourself that you exist, precisely because music is about bending and distorting chronological time. WholeNote's Editorial Calendar APRIL'S FOCUS IS OPERA. Opera is thriving in and around Toronto, with large and small companies producing operas both old and new. We will cover them all, end of season productions and next season's plans, as well as opera in books and on CD and DVD and opera tours, courses and lectures. Advertising & Listings deadline: Tuesday, March 15 Distribution. Tuesday, March 29 MAY'S FOCUS IS CHOIRS As we have done for the past two years, we will put the spotlight on the Southern Ontario choral scene in our "Canary Pages," yellow paper directory of all participating choirs. Choirs looking for singers and singers looking for choirs can find the perfect match in this issue. We will contact all choirs in our database by Friday, March 11 with details on what is required to be included in this year's directory. If your choir has not been contacted by that date or you think w.e don't know about you, give us a call at 416-323- 2232 or send an e-mail to choirs@thewholenote.com. Choir directory deadline: Tuesday, April 5 Advertising & Listings deadline: Friday, April 15 Distribution: Thursday, April 28 JUNE'S FOCUS is "The Second [or Summer] Season" Part 1: Music takes to the open road in the summer, with music festivals taking place by the lakes and in the farmland and forests of Southern Ontario, Quebec and New York State. In the June issue we will publish a directory of the leading independent summer music festivals in our part of the world, telling you who they are, where they are, when they are and how to get in touch with them. Summer Festival Directory Deadline: Friday, May 6 Listings and advertising deadline: Monday, May 16 Distribution: Friday, May 27 JULY I AUGUST'S Focus is "The Second [or Summer] Season" Part 2 . With comprehensive concert listings, the July I August issue has in it everything you need to know to plan your summer musical holiday. Advertising and Listings deadline: Wednesday, June 15 Distribution: Tuesday, June 28. Contact us: Advertising, listings and directories: 416-323-2232; info@thewholenote. corn Ed itoria I: 416-603-3 786; ed itor@thewholenote. corn. Consider Home Delivery! Never worry that all the copies will be gone by the time you get to your favourite free pickup spot. Get each issue within days of publication, delivered by Canada Post publications mail - perfect for out-of-towners. Take a one-year subscription (10 issues) for (plus GST). Take a two-year subscription (20 issues) and, for a limited time, get the second year for 25% off, for a total of .50 (plus GST). Go to www.thewholenote.com/subscribe or phone 416-323-2232. MARCH 1 - APRIL 7 2005 WWW. THEWHOLENOTE.COM 29

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