METHODOLOGY

We believe that artistic research should focus on exploring and developing new forms of expression, as well as new formats. According to Paulo de Assis (2018): "Artistic research can contribute to new ways of conceiving musical objects" (p. 100). Before delving deeper into the subject, there are some considerations we must keep in mind: “In the field of artistic practice, there is no repertoire of long-standing formalized and assessable research practices or traditions comparable to those in scientific, social, or humanistic research” (López-Cano, 2020, p. 31).

On the other hand, artistic research can also be understood as scientific research (Ladd, 1979). This connection explains why projects like the present one have a distinctly interdisciplinary character. The absence of clear boundaries between different artistic disciplines highlights the need for multidisciplinary teams, which in turn facilitate transdisciplinary research. Increasingly, it is necessary to create a dynamic space where method and artistic practice merge, generating creative research with potential for future applications (Hübner & Vanmaele, 2020).

The methodology used in this research accurately reflects the object of study and adapts to the creative nature of the process. It does not confine itself to traditional scientific methodologies, as the project emerges from artistic practice rather than the observation of pre-existing artistic facts. Therefore, we are in constant development of a methodology tailored to our creative needs and demands. We base our work on the paradigms and principles governing scientific rigor, adapting them to our research, resulting in an open and flexible methodology suited to the project’s needs (Schwab, 2013).

Our research begins with the observation of the issues surrounding the concert format, approached both as external observers and as active participants in the musical act. Within our methodology, collaborative and team-based creation is of great importance. In the context of 21st-century art, the romantic vision of a work created by a single artist is being reconsidered and revealed as somewhat outdated. This does not mean it is impossible, but multidisciplinarity demands the collaboration of experts in different fields as a key element for success. The idea of the "Renaissance man," skilled in multiple disciplines, now seems less viable compared to the necessity of a diverse and specialized team.

Within our team, we have students in their final year of undergraduate studies. This group shows great potential and knowledge but varies widely in their experience with the different aesthetics included in the program. In particular, they have less experience with "contemporary" repertoire. The performers of K-Os Groups are enrolled in the subject "Contemporary Chamber Music," which is completely new for many of them. Likewise, we have a production team within the CSKG at our disposal, responsible for dissemination, organization, logistics, audiovisual media, etc. Lastly, it is essential to have an experienced sound engineering team specialized in this type of concert. For this purpose, we hired the company Track 13, with whom we had previously worked.

The creative process has taken practically an entire academic year, from September 2023 to the concert date on April 14, 2024. During this time, the arrangement of Strauss’s work was completed while rehearsing the rest of the repertoire. We held weekly sessions of an hour and a half with each working group, which is a great advantage for a collaborative project like this. These sessions were structured in different ways, with an essential part devoted to rehearsal and learning new techniques. Blocks of time were also reserved to debate the current state of the art, the issues surrounding the traditional concert, and possible alternatives.

Once the central theme of the concert, “transformation,” was chosen, a roundtable was created to discuss possible narrative and scenic hypotheses that would provide a sense of unity to the concert. After testing and discarding most of these ideas, we opted for the results presented in the section "Structure and Narrative."

The concert was designed at all times considering its venue, the Teatro Canónigos in La Granja de San Ildefonso (Segovia, Spain). This theater is well known to us, as we have developed other concerts and projects there.

Our methodology is under constant examination, changing and evolving at every step we take. Even during the writing process of these lines, it has undergone substantial modifications. We fully agree with Lucia D’Errico: “The work is left open, not only for me but for anyone who wishes to continue it, it is infinite rather than finite by definition... these are places of experimentation and, as such, they are never complete and never entirely successful” (D’Errico, 2018, p. 69).