The teenager taking on the classical music establishment--and winning

 

When Alma Deutscher was 12, she gave a widely reported interview in which she went after the classical music establishment in the most direct way possible, accusing it of abandoning what is most important in music: beauty.  With that, she triggered a civil war within that estabishment. One might not expect anyone to care what a 12-year-old girl has to say, but a lot of serious people in classical music seem to be terrified of her.  And no wonder. 

 

At the age of seven, she completed a short opera.  At nine, she wrote a violin concerto.  Both have since been performed multiple times in major venues.  At the age of ten, she completed her first full-length opera, “Cinderella”, which premiered in Vienna in 2016 under the auspices of Zubin Mehta, and had its U.S. premiere a year later.  Deutscher premiered her first piano concerto when she was 12.  She made her Carnegie Hall debut when she was 14, in a concert dedicated to her own compositions.

 

On the occasion of her Carnegie Hall debut, she doubled down: “It has often been suggested to me . . . that as a modern composer I need to integrate more harshness, experimental noises, and unresolved dissonance into my compositions, in order to reflect the modern world. [But] there is enough ugliness in the world as it is, and I’ve never understood why I should add more ugliness to it with ugly music.” The New York critics boycotted the performance, and by all accounts, deprived themselves of a rapturous experience. Some of them continue to try and take her down.

 

She continues to advocate for melody and beauty at every opportunity, not least through her music itself.  So far it is working: Her concerts are selling out around the world, top conductors and performers are lining up to work with her, and the Salzburg State Theatre has commissioned her to write an opera.  Many of the critics and academics are fuming, but long-time classical audiences as well as new, young fans, love what they are hearing.

 

 

“Trio Movement for Violin, Viola and Piano”, 2014

Alma writes music that sounds fresh and new and yet makes you feel you have heard it all your life.  This is adapted from her then work-in-progress, “Cinderella”, which would premiere in 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hBnJT4W9cQ

“Waltz of the Sirens” (2019)

I posted this a year ago, in a piece about prodigies, but honestly, Alma is beyond that. This is the work of a mature composer, and one of the most ingenious things I’ve ever heard.  It is also a playful dig at postmodern classical music. Her spoken introduction is delightful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0xMpLXQNvM

 

 

What’s an original melody?  Alma shows her chops as a lecturer, and dispels some misconceptions about writing music (July, 2022)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VUooLGLnJY

Does it matter if you can do it live?

 

One of the great pleasures in following a musical artist is watching them evolve over time.  Perhaps no artist exemplified that better than the Beatles, who covered more ground and pioneered more new ideas than any other rock artist in history.  Unfortunately, they stopped live touring in 1966, at the peak of their popularity.  They quit in part because they hated trying to play over the screaming of their fans. Another reason they never came back to live shows is that their compositions became so complex and layered that they were not possible to replicate live. Most important, they were no longer getting along, and live performances rarely work if the band-members are not in tune with each other.

 

Band-Maid may be one of the greatest live bands ever.  They do it all with minimal backing tracks or special effects, and they sound as good or better live than they do in the studio.  A few of the elite rock bands of the 60’s and early 70’s had that, but not many others, then or now.  It’s not just the synergy among the members, but their musicianship: Band-Maid are great songwriters, and are simply better on their instruments than most of the aforementioned elite bands (including the Beatles).  They also work with some of the best mixers and sound technicians in the business.  Here is one of their earliest singles, followed by a live performance of the same song three years later.

 

 

Real Existence (Music Video, 2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TkHpvaO09c

 

 

Real Existence (Live, Zepp Tokyo, 2018)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qQnKILR5u0

 

 

 

 

 

Is the best rock group of our time this "girl-band"?

 

If your answer is "no", who do you think is better? 

Unlike many Japanese bands, Band-Maid were not assembled by a studio.  Their founder had worked in a studio-based "idol" group, but was personally a fan of hard rock and metal.  She had also worked in a "maid-cafe" where the shtick is that the waitresses dress as maids.  So she came up with the obvious idea of a band dressed as maids who would shock people with loud, technical, hard-rocking music.  Unlike most dreamers with a crazy idea, she actually pulled it off.  She managed to recruit three of the best musicians to come out of Japan’s elite music academies, and the four of them then recruited a lead singer with a bigger vocal sound to match the instrumentation.

 

“The Non-Fiction Days” (April 2016)

They did not write this, but their studio writers clearly understood that the band needed harder-driving, tougher songs.  As always, Akane does magic on the transitions with fast, complex drum fills.  A straightforward, thumping bass line drives the song.  Unusual interlude with some chanted vocals and another short, punchy solo by Kanami.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItYN-ri1NPs

 

“Dice” (March 2018)  Erasing genres

Take the raw energy of punk rock, add extra half-measures, tempo changes, mini-solos a bar long…few rock artists have ever done it like this. If nothing else, the song is worth listening to for the hand-off between the bass solo and the lead guitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpAYnVJX9CY

 

“Take Me Higher” (Live, 2018) Like the Rolling Stones, but better?

(This deserves headphones, because the mix is amazing, especially for a live performance.)

Starts off like a long-lost Rolling Stones song, complete with the dirty riff and distorted rhythm guitar, and then really takes off.  Strong punk vibe, hints of Guns ‘n Roses, and an incongruously jazzy bass line.  The call-and-response on the instrumental break is to die for.  Besides the female vocal, the biggest difference between this band and the Stones is that Band-Maid are better on their instruments.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/z7mf96vcxlgkui0/BAND-MAID___05.%20Take_me_higher%21%21_Live.mp4?dl=0

Band-Maid (2): No two songs are alike

Band-Maid mural by Peter Kim

Band Maid are:

Miku Kobato – Rhythm guitar, backing vocal, band founder

Kanami Tono – Lead guitar, primary composer and arranger

MISA – Bass

Akane Hirose – Drums

Saiki Atsumi – Lead vocals

 

The most striking thing about Band-Maid is the variety and quality of their catalogue.  Most of the songs are composed by Kanami, with MISA writing the bass lines and Miku writing the lyrics. They draw heavily from folk, jazz and funk, as well as from their classical training.  The songs are intricately composed without tripping over themselves.  They are never repetitive--even within a song, the choruses always contain variations that keep things fresh.  Here are three of their early songs showcasing some of that range.

 

“Choose Me” (June 2017) Band-Maid sing love songs, but they never whine.  This song is a hard-rocking, throw-down challenge to some dude to stop dithering and make a damn choice.  The instrumental performance, as always, is on point, with the lead guitar doing a non-stop counterpoint to the vocals.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZIJ2vFxu9Y

 

 

“Daydreaming” (May 2017) Band-Maid are that rare hard-rock band that know how to dial it back and make it sound good.  Every nuance, from the thick, soulful bass line to the subtle, constantly changing drum fills, contributes to the emotional buildup.  Saiki’s husky tone and Miku’s bell-like harmonies create a sense of wistful yearning. The short, anguished guitar solo serves the song without overwhelming it.   All five members of the band do exactly what they need to do, no more, no less.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCaeUkrItyY

 

 

“Start Over” (July, 2018) Band-Maid had begun experimenting with more softer-edged, more progressive writing, and some fans saw the title of this song and the jazzy feel as indicating a change in direction.  With this video, their look changed slightly, and Akane’s little hat disappeared, further fueling speculation that they were switching gears.  That, and other inside jokes, are reminiscent of the Easter eggs the Beatles planted to make people wonder what they were up to.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL5sRrSECQ0