DISCOVER YOUR REAL POTENTIAL
How do you work?
I usually through-compose straight into Sibelius. I have an idea of where I am going, but sometimes putting in a wrong note could take me off into a whole other direction that I wasn’t expecting. I used to write on manuscript, and indeed, take some with me wherever I am just in case, but almost always direct into the computer now. I don’t play the piano, so can’t really ‘play’ things in or hear harmonies in advance, but my limited knowledge serves me well, I think.
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How do you work?
I work at night from 10pm to 5-6am. First of all I open the piano to liberate the sounds and let them come to me, I drink a glass of French cognac and set myself to compose…. That moment is magical because my works are really inspired… I mean, before writting a single note on the pentagram I already know how it is going to be and I have just to do it.
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What do you consider to be the most important ideas and concepts to impart to aspiring musicians?
Listen to the advice, but decide yourself. One day a good friend told me he enjoyed my music, but thought it was too slow and too sad. I decided to focus on that, and make it even slower and sadder! Do not let criticism stop you. There are no limits. Art is art, so don’t be afraid to dare. Be open minded and keep learning all the time, from everything.
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What do you consider to be the most important ideas and concepts to impart to aspiring musicians?
I think a most important thing for young artists is to think critically. In the States, we have a lot of music being composed that is not well thought out and very derivative; its sole purpose is to sell copies. Of course, all composers want their music to sell but people perform these pieces without taking a long hard look at them and analysing them. Performers should think critically especially when it comes to selecting new music to add into their repertoire. To produce good results artists must take time to think critically and objectively concerning what may be the best approach for them. They must not be afraid to ask why things aren’t working and they must not be afraid to change if necessary. Critical thinking moves you forward.
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What have been the greatest challenges/frustrations of your career so far?
It is always a challenge to start on a new project. Since I work in different countries I think it is a challenge to “read” the different cultures, what you say in one country doesn’t necessarily mean the same in another. That is sometimes a challenge.
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What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?
As composers, we are always looking to build relationships with performers, conductors, and performing arts organizations. There is a fine balance in terms of how one goes about navigating this path. For me, the greatest challenge has been learning to accept when someone simply does not respond to my voice and/or aesthetic. Art is subjective, but that is sometimes difficult to remember when you truly believe in a piece.
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Who or what inspired you to take up composing, and pursue a career in music?
JM: Getting paid 2 and a half p by Vicky Sinden at primary school for playing the opening few bars of Joplin’s ‘The Entertainer’. This enabled purchase of an iced bun at break time.
SR: Mostly a curiosity about sound – combinations of melody and accidental harmonies. As a child I was always making Heath-Robinson type instruments out of bottles and bricks and bits of wood. I used to multi-track using tow cassette players and end up with these awful hissy chunks of clicks and bangs and clunks. I think part of me is still trying to get back to that.
Who or what were the most significant influences on your musical life and career as a composer?
JM: My father dying suddenly when I was a child.
SR: When I was about 22 I had a dream in which Frank Zappa and I were trying to get in to a health club resort in the Catskills. We finally made it to the recliners, sunblock cardboard shields on our noses, and Frank said: “People think that the struggle in art is to either create great works of the highest quality or to pound out poppy trash, but the true magic happens when you can combine the two.” I have been chasing that goal ever since.
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