{"id":100282,"date":"2023-11-09T13:01:30","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T18:01:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=100282"},"modified":"2023-11-09T13:01:30","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T18:01:30","slug":"interview-toronto-composer-frank-horvat-talks-new-releases-writing-music-21st-century","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2023\/11\/09\/interview-toronto-composer-frank-horvat-talks-new-releases-writing-music-21st-century\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Toronto Composer Frank Horvat Talks About His New Release(s) And Writing Music For The 21st Century"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_100283\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-100283\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-100283\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-1.jpg\" alt=\"Composer Frank Horvat (Photo: Anita Zvonar)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-1-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-1-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-1-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-100283\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Composer Frank Horvat (Photo: Anita Zvonar)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With four albums out in one year, you could say that Toronto composer Frank Horvat\u2019s output is prolific. The latest, titled FRACTURES, drops on November 17. As improbable as it sounds, the beautiful strains of music were inspired by the environmental degradation of fracking.<\/p>\n<p>Frank\u2019s work was also recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2023\/10\/23\/scrutiny-violin-concerto-tops-sinfonia-toronto-evening-premieres\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">performed by Sinfonia Toronto<\/a> in concert, and while the compositions released this year all deal with the environment, they take different approaches to the music. We spoke with him about his new work, and composing classical music for the 21st century.<\/p>\n<p><em>From FRACTURES, available November 17, featuring soprano Meredith Hall and pianist Brahm Goldhamer:<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BNrF9EMivLU?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h2>FRACTURES: Environmentalism in music<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cFRACTURES is interesting, because [&#8230;] I didn&#8217;t come up with the idea to compose songs about fracking in particular.\u201d While attending a forum on Canadian new music in Ottawa about a decade ago, Frank gave a talk about compositions with the theme of environmentalism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA quite well known soprano who attended this came up to me after, and said, hey, what about fracking?\u201d he recalls. \u201cI don&#8217;t think I knew what fracking was!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After some research into the practice, he found something that piqued his interest artistically. \u201cI found this amazing anthology of poetry and texts,\u201d he says. The anthology was titled FRACTURE, and it contained essay, poems and stories by North American writers about the practice of hydraulic fracking. He chose works by American and Canadian poets, including: Kathleen Burke, Michelle Donahue, Alison Hawthorne Deming, Lilace Mellin Guignard, Wayne Mennecke, Rachel Morgan, Mary Heather Noble, Christine Pennylegion, Michelle Regalado Deatrick, Stephanie Schultz, Mark Trechock, and Susan Truxell Sauter.<\/p>\n<p>That happened a few years ago, and he gradually began to compose. \u201cI started writing a few songs, and approached Meredith,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>In the interim, he\u2019s been involved in several other projects. \u201cAll my creative music projects are overlapping,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen FRACTURES comes out alone, that&#8217;ll be the fourth album of my compositions this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_100284\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-100284\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-100284\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Frank-Horvat-composer_BW_photo-by-Anita-Zvonar.jpg\" alt=\"Composer Frank Horvat (Photo: Anita Zvonar)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"799\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Frank-Horvat-composer_BW_photo-by-Anita-Zvonar.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Frank-Horvat-composer_BW_photo-by-Anita-Zvonar-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Frank-Horvat-composer_BW_photo-by-Anita-Zvonar-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Frank-Horvat-composer_BW_photo-by-Anita-Zvonar-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-100284\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Composer Frank Horvat (Photo: Anita Zvonar)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>All of them have an environmental theme in common, but it\u2019s not his only inspiration. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2019\/02\/25\/feature-its-time-to-talk-about-classical-musics-mental-health-problem\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mental health<\/a>, for example, has been one of his recurring themes, and collaborations have also introduced others. It\u2019s about finding projects that speak to him, and that keep his work vital and relevant to today\u2019s world.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the big thing for me and my creative process is to first and foremost be true to myself,\u201d he says. The theme has to resonate with him first, and then he assembles like-minded collaborators. \u201cWe work really hard to find the audience,\u201d he says. \u201cThat being said, my personal feeling about composing is that often, it has to engage with me, it has to stimulate me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For him, that means an awareness of the environment. \u201cI would have to be living in a cave to be oblivious to what&#8217;s happening in this world.\u201d He acknowledges that it\u2019s not everyone\u2019s way of creating. \u201cThe way I tick is, everything in my life is interconnected,\u201d he says. If something he comes across moves him emotionally, there\u2019s a good chance it will lead to a piece of music. \u201cBecause I&#8217;m a citizen of this planet, and I&#8217;m concerned about my future on this planet, it&#8217;s a natural extension of my belief system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course, it\u2019s also about the music, which he believes should be equally appealing to someone who doesn\u2019t know about the thematic inspiration. \u201cI appreciate that because I do that, it often engages with people, because they might like the sound of the music, and not know anything about the ideas behind it,\u201d he says. \u201cI want it to be strong that way (I&#8217;m still a composer).\u201d If the music sparks an interest in the ideas, then it\u2019s another level of appreciation.<\/p>\n<p>He remarks that he\u2019s also heard from people who\u2019ve attended his concerts because of their environmental focus, knowing nothing about his music. \u201cIt does open up our specific art form to other people who might not ordinarily be interested,\u201d he observes.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also another way of keeping the music relevant, and taking it away from an elitist past that still generates negative reactions.<\/p>\n<h2>Classical Music in Modern Times<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI think the way in which we present the music these days is just as important is just as important as what we are presenting,\u201d he says. He likens it to Marshall McLuhan\u2019s oft-quoted axiom, the medium is the message.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not a shallow thing like orchestras wearing jeans,\u201d he says. It\u2019s about rethinking classical music presentation, including the venues, the costs, and the use of technology. What do modern audiences expect and want?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI always felt like (classical music) was in competition with pop music,\u201d he says. He points out, however, that so much of today\u2019s pop music is just as daring artistically.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI listen to everything,\u201d he says. \u201cMy whole life is about putting new music out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>An Auditory Survey of the Last Days of the Holocene: Causes, 1.1 Negative Energy \u00b7 SHHH!! Ensemble \u00b7 Frank Horvat \u2117 October 2023 Leaf Music ULC:<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Y9zrMkCzbrU?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h3>The Importance of New Music<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cI think a lot of classical music organizations are doing too much old music,\u201d he says flatly. \u201cHow can you, in the end, be truly relevant to a society, when the vast huge percentage of content that you are sharing was composed [hundreds of] years ago? It doesn&#8217;t make sense,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>The unpopularity of new classical music is one of the main arguments used against its regular inclusion into programming. Often, he says, a work is commissioned, receives its premiere, and then promptly dies of inattention. However, it\u2019s the lack of support that works against any new creation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan you imagine if the Hollywood film industry (did something similar):?\u201d he wonders. What if the movie industry kept screening Casablanca and Gone With The Wind into eternity? \u201cThey know from a business model that they need to put out new content.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Naturally, it would benefit composers like him if new music was given even a bigger place in the classical music firmament. He points out, though, that everyone would benefit from a steadier influx of fresh blood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe musicians who have played Beethoven&#8217;s 5th a million times&#8230; maybe they&#8217;ll be intrigued,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not saying classical music organizations shouldn&#8217;t play classical music\u201d he explains. \u201cWe have to listen to audiences and see what they like.\u201d But, it can\u2019t always be the same old, same old. \u201cWe have so many superstars in this form of music,\u201d he points out.<\/p>\n<p>With the undeniably bad news that\u2019s coming from the established classical music scene, it\u2019s clear the old ways of drumming up business and ticket sales are not working. There is a younger, more fluid DIY scene out there, where all those young people who are trained in classical techniques are playing Beethoven with Beyonc\u00e9, and making no distinctions between them. Established institutions need to pay more attention to that thriving indie world, and tapping into its audience appeal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s plain and simple. They are not selling tickets,\u201d he says. He points out that, while the pandemic brought many situations to a head, the problems with large and established classical music institutions had been brewing for some time. \u201cIt just pushed it over the cliff.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He quotes Phoenix Rising, the last song on Fractured, where the lyrics from a poem by Kathleen Burke begin with the line, \u201cThe world I knew, burned down&#8230;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is the world we live in,\u201d he adds. \u201cI hope that in 20, 30 years, we stop calling people like me \u2018composers of classical music\u2019 \u2014 I just want to be a composer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What does it mean to be a 21st century composer? \u201cI&#8217;m just trying to do my own thing rather than regurgitate established styles,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Another of the usual arguments against programming new music vs. the established repertoire of Western classical music runs something along the lines of: If we don\u2019t programme Beethoven, they won\u2019t come.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor me, that&#8217;s easy to counter,\u201d Frank says. \u201cWhat are you replacing it with? How are you promoting it?\u201d He likens it again to the movie industry, \u201cYou don&#8217;t see a film without a trailer or review. There&#8217;s a lot we can learn from those tricks without selling our souls.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He notes also that our views on classical music, and even beyond that, the way we tend to silo off different genres and different art forms in Western culture, stems from our educational system. It no longer serves the purposes of a newer generation that is getting their information from the broader purview of the World Wide Web, where no such distinctions exist.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow are we resonating with this younger generation?\u201d he wonders. \u201cWe have to stop calling concerts, concerts. We have to call it an experience.\u201d How can it be made into an immersive experience, the kind that 21st century audiences have come to expect? That\u2019s where the future of music presentation lies, he believes.<\/p>\n<p>FRACTURES, Frank Horvat\u2019s 4th environmentally-themed album of 2023, will be available on November 17, on the heels of his An Auditory Survey of the Last Days of the Holocene performed by SHHH!! Ensemble, released on Leaf Music on October 20, 2023. Find out more [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/frankhorvat.com\/discography\/fractures\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Are you looking to promote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0e101a\"><u>event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? Have a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/masthead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>news tip<\/u><\/a>? Need to know the best\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/events\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>events<\/u><\/a>\u00a0happening this weekend? Send us a\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"mailto:anya@ludwig-van.com?subject=Let's%20chat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><em><u>note<\/u>.<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em><b>#LUDWIGVAN<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\n<p class=\"western\"><em>Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em>Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! \u2014 local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid=S3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid%3DS3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1695737525351000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0QTqKRwRJQFGK3KoJYigxX\">HERE<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The beautiful strains of music in composer Frank Horvat&#8217;s upcoming release FRACTURES were inspired by the environmental degradation of hydraulic fracking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":100283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[40430,18,4967,29,63],"tags":[40876,39873,1331,40877,2197],"yst_prominent_words":[18221,6767,6715,39548,10698,6616,9024,11633],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-q5s","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100282"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100282"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100285,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100282\/revisions\/100285"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100282"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=100282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}