Research Catalogue

an international database for artistic research

• 3. Internal publication Research published in this issue are only for internal circulation within the Royal Conservatoire, The Hague.
• 2. Royal Conservatoire Investigations Royal Conservatoire Investigations
• 1. Master Research Projects All research in KC

• The Accompaniment for the Villancico in New Spain (2018) author(s): Miguel Espinoza Chavez published in: KC Research Portal
  The abstract for this exposition is unfortunately missing.
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  Entwine – finding music within a poem. (2018) author(s): Natasza Kurek published in: KC Research Portal
  Entwine – finding music within a poem. Exploring musical interpretations of Japanese Tanka by Yosano Akiko What can be the contemporary musical expressions of tanka poetry from a standpoint of an improvising jazz vocalist? What are the elements that constitute tanka’s character and can they trigger a vocal inspiration? What could be the place of Japanese poetry within other artistic disciplines? In my research I have explored Japanese aesthetic sensibilities and have tried to find their translations into my own musical experimentation. After initial study of the relevant literature and listening to the existing works of both classical Japanese music and Western contemporary compositions influenced by the Japanese arts, I have proceeded with my own vocal- instrumental Sketches in which I have experimented with improvised and written music. My source material was tanka of an early 20th century poet Yosano Akiko. The improvisations and compositional sketches are based on some specifically chosen elements: the imagery and meaning of the tanka poem, layered Ukiyo-e printing technique, sound associations derived from the paintings, Japanese language sonority, Japanese scales and harmony used in the traditional gagaku ensemble and other inspirations. The final research document contains audio examples of the recordings that led to the final audio-visual presentation and an extensive paper documenting the process of discovery.
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• The Development of the Performer's Role in Karlheinz Stockhausen's Piano Works (2018) author(s): Ellen Corver published in: KC Research Portal
  I have had the enormous privilege to meet the composer Karlheinz Stockhausen in 1982 at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. In the context of a month-long festival around his music I had, at the time being a first-year piano student, the opportunity to play his first four Klavierstücke for him, and this, apart from being a very inspiring experience for me, resulted in a close cooperation that lasted for 20 years. During these years I worked with him on all his piano works, including Mantra, and performed them many times on different occasions, almost always in the presence of Stockhausen himself. In 1997–1998 I recorded all the solo piano pieces on the composer’s label. During those years I was asked quite a few times, either by someone from the audience or by students that I taught during masterclasses, if I expected these pieces to become part of the “canon of piano music” in fifty years from then. At that time, being so involved in the piano pieces and probably not having the necessary distance to reflect on this question, I always answered the question in the affirmative. So, it came as quite a shock to me when I started to notice a change by myself in relation to the piano pieces, at least to some of them. Normally, the more and longer I work on a piece the more I get attached to it, but now I started to realise that I got more and more detached from some of the pieces, up until the point that I didn’t want to play them anymore. However, other piano pieces remained very dear to me, and this up until today. In short, it seemed that within 20 years I had unconsciously made my own ‘canon’ with regard to Stockhausen’s piano pieces. What I find intriguing about this experience is to find out what the reason is for this enormous difference in appreciation for the works of one composer. Why am I sure that some piano works of Stockhausen will still be played many years from now while, in my opinion, other works will fade? Can I put a finger on differences between the pieces which can justify this? And if I can find something to justify this for Stockhausen’s Klavierstücke, could this also be valid for works by other composers?
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• Building Bridges Between the Modern Composer and Classically Trained Singer (2018) author(s): Georgi Sztojanov published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Georgi Sztojanov Main Subject: Classical Singing Research Supervisor: Anna Scott, Yannis Kyriakides Title of Research: Building a Bridge Between the Contemporary Composer and Classically-Trained Singer Research Question: How can the aesthetic oxymoron between the wishes of modern composers and the needs of singers be mediated or resolved, and what changes could be made on both sides in order to achieve a more fruitful relationship, resulting in compositions that are both singable and that explore the voice's potential beyond its Classical boundaries? Summary of Results: As a case study, I document the process of learning the tenor solo in Louis Andriessen's De Materie, and discuss how my classical training helped me to sing this demanding part even though it is not meant to be sung with a Romantic sound. After discussing two further projects in which I acted as a mediator between composers and singers, I found my initial suspicions to be true: many composers do not receive enough education in composing for the voice, meaning that they do not respect its physical limitations, they often misjudge the combination of ranges, dynamics and colors possible, and they believe that any singer can reproduce any sound (regardless of culture, style, or tradition). Clearly, studying these elements while working closely with singers would be one solution, as would choosing a more performer-centric notational system including expression markings and other indications that invite singers to find the intention or subtext behind the music—all of which can help the singer's instrument work more effectively. For their part, singers need more training in music theory, solfege and score reading skills, and while they need to master their classical technique, they must also be openminded and flexible enough to experiment beyond that training—while staying within the healthy limits of their sound production, and knowing how to communicate in order to preserve these boundaries. This study helped me to successfully mediate between composer-singer collaborators, and I hope to turn my findings into a booklet for those looking to create beautiful and exciting new vocal works together—not in spite of one another. Biography: Georgi Sztojanov has two MAs in composition from the Liszt Academy in Budapest and The Royal Conservatoire of The Hague. He obtained his BA in singing in 2016 with Sasja Hunnego. As both singer and composer he has broad experience with vocal premieres, multidisciplinary collaborative works, and leading ensembles and festivals. He received the Tenso Young Composers Award in 2014. As a composer he has a wide spectrum of works, and as a singer his activities are equally diverse, ranging from opera to lied, numerous premieres, staged productions, and ensemble singing (recently as a member of Groot Omroepkoor).
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  MONTSALVATGE AND HIS ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE FROM THE SPANISH CLICHÉ THROUGH THE ANTILLEANISM IN HIS CINCO CANCIONES NEGRAS (2018) author(s): Ana Sanchez Donate Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  The Spanish cliché is an invention of the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries. This exotic and romantic image of musical "Spanishness" had, and still has, an enormous influence on Spanish musicians and in the general approach to the interpretation of Spanish Music. Through history the political powers have tried to make used of the stereotypes at their own convenience. Franco’s regime urged composers to adhere to a formalistic aesthetic, full of Spanish nationalistic clichés, in a clear attempt to unify and control a country rich in different cultures and folklore. Within this context, the question of musical nationalism inevitably arises as well as the way in which it was faced, surrounded, transformed and solved by the composers of the time. Montsalvatge soon manifested a profound independence of criteria that took him away from falling into the Spanish cliché. He was the cultivator of a peculiar nationalism, at the same time far from Spanishism and Catalanism. Montsalvatge found in Antilleanism a sort of “secular post-nationalism", a personality of his own. The most famous example of this Antilleanism are his “Cinco Canciones Negras”
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  Alkan's Concerto op. 39 (2018) author(s): Gerard Bouwhuis Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  The French composer Charles Valentin Alkan (1813-1888) was a major pianist and composer. Alkan’s life was characterized by long periods of isolation and, when combined with his modest and rather shy nature, is probably the reason why his music, right up to the present day, has never gained much recognition. I chose to conduct my research using the longest and most challenging piece he wrote for piano as regards musicality and technique: the Concerto Op. 39, étude 8 from The Twelve Etudes in Minor Keys. The main question I asked in my research was: how can I best perform this piece? 
Alkan narrowly missed being appointed head of the piano department of the Conservatoire in Paris and, although he had many private pupils, very little remained about how his work should be performed. The objective of my research is twofold. 
First, I wanted to study the piece, and I also wanted to perform it. I have submitted my registration of a performance of the piece as part of this research. 
The second objective was to devise something akin to a ‘manual’, which could help other students learning how to play this piece, and which would give insight into the way I approached playing it. The manual shows the score in its entirety with annotations visible in certain places, which contain relevant information. This information consist of audio recordings, video clips, texts or exemplary notes and is related to everything in the context of the performance.

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