Playing in the Creative State : Michael Chekhov and piano performance in dialogue
Pysyvä osoite
Verkkojulkaisu
Tiivistelmä
Situated within the paradigm of artistic research, this thesis constitutes the final
component of a doctoral research project in piano performance. Propelled by
questions about how musicians within the domain of Western Classical Music
may enliven their engagement with repertoire and develop a practice of creative
freedom and imaginative play, this work investigates the application of the
psychophysical acting technique of Michael Chekhov (1891–1955) to pianistic
practice and to music performance more broadly. It utilises embodied research
methods and reflective analysis to examine the ways in which a Chekhovian
approach may awaken the musician’s embodied experience of movement, develop
the imagination, and open the door to a ‘creative state’ for music-making
characterised by freedom, play, and connection to the present moment. Utilising
Rautavaara’s Sonata No. 2 The Fire Sermon as a case study, this work examines
the potential of the Chekhov technique to guide and synthesise the creative
process of preparing repertoire for performance. Taking a broader view, this work
situates Chekhov within understandings emerging from music performance and
creativity studies and reconceptualises music performance to reflect the integral
role of the imaginatively embodied musician.
My research makes a significant original contribution to knowledge in three ways.
Firstly, it is the first interdisciplinary study of Michael Chekhov technique
undertaken from the perspective of instrumental music performance. While
interdisciplinary research into Chekhov is growing (with recent work discussing
its application to dance, design, therapeutic and community contexts, to name a
few), intersections with instrumental music performance have not been explored.
Secondly, it offers to performing musicians a new methodology for embodied
practice. Embodied perspectives are gaining traction within the scholarly
literature in music performance studies, with this domain primarily concerned
with the ways in which embodied knowledge may make valuable contributions to
music (performance) analysis. My research utilises and develops embodied
knowledge not for analytical purposes, but for the purpose of enriching and
deepening embodied practice itself. Thirdly, it develops a new conceptual model
for music performance. Building upon the work of scholars including Nicholas
Cook, John Rink and Lawrence Kramer, I develop a conceptual model for music
performance that highlights its essentially collaborative nature. This new model,
Embodied Imaginative Collaboration, describes the synergistic web of elements
that constitute music performance and the imaginatively embodied musician’s
role within it. It positions the Chekhov technique as both a conceptual frame
(highlighting the synergies between Chekhov and current views in embodied
creativity studies) and as a practical methodology for musical embodiment in and
through performance.
ISBN
978-952-329-303-8
Aihealue
OKM-julkaisutyyppi
Emojulkaisu
Lehti
Julkaisusarja
EST-julkaisusarja|69
ISSN
2489-7981
DOI
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