Last week I was at the University of Chicago to deliver a talk and saw an announcement "New Music performance". Since I had to spend the night in Chicago, I was curious to attend this program. The performance was strange, to say the least. There were a number of instruments on stage and a performer would appear, approach the piano and strike one key. Then he would move to a drum and strike a note. Then there is a pause and the performer would pace fast to the other end of the stage and pluck on the cello. This way the artist went around, tapping this, plucking that and so on with occasional pauses. It was difficult to say if the operations were random or structured. Then there was a discussion on the very concept of music as humans perceive it, its origin, biological relevance and so on. I did nor sit through the entire show though. I was told that this idea of New Music is catching up fast and many leading Universities have already incorporated this in their curriculum. It will be interesting to see its evolution. May be some of you are aware of this.
Dr Krishnamurthy