Back to the Future!

Back to the Future! is a collaborative and interdisciplinary art music project that reflects on the differences and similarities that exist between different methods of interpretation of newly written pieces of music and pieces of music that have been written in other historical periods.

Project manager and accountable authority: George Kentros, KMH
Co-applicants: Ida Lundén, Rei Nakamura och Mattias Peterson
Funder: The Research Council (artistic research)
Project period: 2021-2023

Purpose of the research project

The traditional approach of musicians interpreting historical notated pieces of music involves using their instrumental technique to emulate previously experienced versions of those works. This process has its basis in a supposedly positivist "classical" tradition where certain sound-producing techniques are perceived as standard, and taken for granted when it comes to achieving an acceptable interpretation.

Even some newly written art music chooses to place itself within this classical tradition and take the same preconceived concepts as given. But there is also a parallel line within noted experimental music exemplified by such composers as C age, C ardewe and Ferneyhough, where each work is rather regarded as tabula rasa, and where conventional techniques of tone production and the view of authenticity are challenged and questioned. Here, the musician is instead expected to interpret the symbols on the paper directly based on their own musically informed knowledge and contexts, with the aim of producing music that is based only on the piece in question, through playing techniques that are generated based on the work's own specific needs.

Although the training of classical instrumentalists teaches playing techniques suitable for many forms of music, these latter methods and playing techniques are almost entirely omitted. This is understandable from a perspective that believes that the musician's task is to maintain the institutions that consolidate the historically established concert culture. But thereby leaving out the critical thinking that has the potential to lead to development and renewal of the field.

Theory and method

The research group focuses on common denominators in artistic musical thinking throughout the ages, as well as in what ways recent achievements in both musical and artistic research could contribute to a model for an expanded, artistic norm-critical interpretation of historically notated music. Using research techniques around power structures and authenticity taken from, among other things, feminist theory, hermeneutics, musicology and translation theory, the participating musicians create both interpretations and new works of art that examine the conventions surrounding the performance of historically notated art music.

Many composers and musicians have previously created works that were based on older music, and even more have been created from historical pieces of music. This project identifies and explores alternatives to both of these ways of approaching existing works.

Såväl forskningsgruppens egna erfarenheter inom ny musik, som de tvärkonstnärliga verktyg som adopteras och utvecklas under projektets gång, appliceras vid tolkning och framförande av historiska musikverk.

Both the research group's own experiences in new music, as well as the cross-artistic tools that are adopted and developed during the course of the project, are applied to the interpretation and performance of historical musical works.

Intended outcome

DThe knowledge generated will contribute to a model for artistic norm-critical interpretation of older works of art, with the aim of creating a critical dialogue around musical practice and artistic research methods – something that in turn can strengthen and contribute to reflective interpretations within notated music as well as within other artistic fields.

Contact