Piano for Avant-Garde

   I had a personal experience with avant-garde for the piano. I absolutely hated this piece and first, but upon the arrival of my performance, I began to enjoy the piece very much. I find this piece to be a huge mix of so many styles. The sound is very abstract with melodic moments, but very obscure and mysterious on so many levels.

     I played 'Rain-Tree Sketch II" by Toru Takemitsu. Knowing that this piece is written by a Japanese composer, I can understand traditional Japanese influences from my experiences of living in Japan. From his biography, he is also a very forward thinker. He draws from a diverse range of styles from avant-garde, jazz, popular music, traditional Japanese music, and impressionism. He was among the first Oriental composers to gain recognition from the Western World. From critics, he was known for bridging cultures from east and west, and traditions from past and present. His compositions were ahead of his time.

    I find traditional Japanese music to be melodic, and yet so sad and mysterious in nature. It is beautifully obscure. At the same time, it opposes the 'zen' philosophy because the piece is inherently complex in nature. However, the core of the 'zen' philosophy I find in this piece, as an artist, is having the idea of letting go of control and worrying about the outcome of your sound.

     There reason why I was so frustrated with this piece is because it was difficult for me to have control over this piece so easily. Rhythms change abruptly and the sounds are so strange to me. I had no idea about the direction of this piece. It was unpredictable and I felt so blind and helpless. I gradually began to have compassion for this piece because I was able to 'let go' and not worry about living for the opinions/acceptance of people.

    The avant-garde principles I find in his compositions are the paths of discovery that most artists are unwilling to follow. It is counter cultural and frowned upon the norm because of misunderstanding. Like myself, I think you begin to appreciate something so strange when you think from a different perspective than your own. By looking at avant-garde through a different dimension, I feel I have the capacity to enjoy this realm that most people cannot appreciate.