The film opens with the
performance of this piece, without any introduction or information to get us
situated. It just gets right to the music, and quickly immerses us in the
piece, the camera extremely close on each of the instruments, which for me
calls to mind that great “Goin’ Down” segment from The Monkees. Everything is presented in a blue light, and which
also gives us the feel of being in the depths of the ocean. There are no wide
shots featuring all of the performers, and no chance to see the performance
space, the musicians surrounded by darkness, which also keeps the focus on the
music itself, and the way it’s played. The musicians wear masks, with the pianist wearing a gas mask,
which looks creepy in that blue light. The first section of the piece seems to
include a strange nod to “Also Sprach Zarathustra.”
Then, just when we’re
completely hooked, the film cuts to a conversation between George Crumb and
fellow composer Richard Wernick, which is presented in a green light (Wernick is also credited as the film’s music
director). They discuss the connection
between events and Crumb’s compositions. “Black Angels,” Crumb says, “came out of the Vietnam situation.” He
also mentions the influences he took from West Virginia on his music. “I guess that I’ve always been interested in
sounds and possibilities of new sounds as expressive devices in the music,”
he says. He shows and demonstrates some of the more unusual instruments he’s
used (I want to get one of those nipple gongs). Interestingly, they also talk
about the look of his compositions on paper, the aesthetic value of the sheet
music, something we might not ordinarily consider. We see brief flashes of
examples, the music written out in a peace symbol or in other interesting,
pleasing patterns.
Also interviewed in the film is
George’s wife, Elizabeth Crumb, who provides a bit more information on Crumb’s
personal life. The focus, however, is the music, and the film returns to “Vox
Balaenae” throughout, giving us a movement or two at a time. The second section
reminds me a bit of some of the Grateful Dead’s improvised “Space” segments,
getting strange sounds from familiar instruments, playing them in perhaps
unexpected ways. For example, the pianist works the piano strings rather than
the keys. And later on, we do get shots of all three musicians together (though
still without any sense of the space around them). The musicians, by the way,
are Barbara Haffner on cello, Carole Morgan on flute and Lambert Orkis on
piano.
George Crumb: Voice Of The Whale was produced and directed by
Robert Mugge, and was released on DVD on June 24, 2016 through MVD Visual. The
DVD contains no special features.
I’ve reviewed a few other
Robert Mugge music-related documentaries. If you’re curious about them, here
are the links:
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