In 1973, literary critic Harold Bloom articulated a new theory of poetry in his book, The Anxiety of Influence. Finding its basis in Freudian psychoanalytic theory, the book drew a parallel between the Oedipal relationship between the child and father, and that of young poets and the literary giants preceding them. Like the child, the young artist feels oppressed by the influence and power of the older generation. Only what Bloom deems the ‘strong’ poets, the Shelleys and Wordsworths of the West who secure a spot in the canon, are able to grapple with this crushing anxiety of influence, producing original work both in spite and because of it.
As a rule, I dislike Bloom on the basis of his canon-worship and anti-feminism. This theory, however, does contain a few nuggets of interest that make it worthy of dwelling on before debunking. In the world of music criticism, the anxiety of influence is often used as a model to articulate and understand the music of Brahms, and all of those other poor post-Beethovenian’s who seem to lurk under the shadow of the hero. It’s a compelling idea—we listen to the music (or read the poetry) of our time and both absorb its influence, and seek to reach out beyond it, stretching artistic parameters as we push ourselves towards a new modernity.
It is this relationship with our successful artistic predecessors that is highlighted in the Irish Composer Collective’s (ICC) series, In Dialogue. The series, which began in July and will finish in January, focuses on five works from a well-established composer. These five works become the centrepiece of a small series of events, including a talk exploring the instrumentation of the piece and work of the composer, a compositional workshop, and, finally, a performance in which five brand spanking new works are rolled out by members of the collective alongside a performance of the central piece.
The works under scrutiny, however, expand the typical notion of the canonical—modernist and postmodernist masters Stravinsky and Steve Reich are there, true, but so is Michael Kamen’s Brass Quintet and Peter Moran’s Bonang Quartet No. 1 for Gamelan. Although both of these works can be considered seminal in their own sense, they expand the typically composer-centric canon in an interesting way. The newness of the works is similarly refreshing. In many programmes, Stravinsky would be the token ‘contemporary’ piece of the lot—It’s nice to see modernist art put in a context that exposes how well established truth is in it.
Of course, this all makes sense in a collective that exists to help Ireland’s young composers thrive. The ICC was founded in 2003, initially under the name of the Young Composer’s Collective. Although that has since changed, the structure of the organisation seems to suit the young or recently graduated. “A lot of our members are students or recent graduates, but not exclusively,” explains ICC chairperson Paul Scully. “We have members of all ages and backgrounds, all at different stages in their careers. The only criterion for members is that you are a citizen or a resident of Ireland.” Unlike other organisations, such as the Association of Irish Composers (AIC) and Contemporary Music Centre (CMC), the ICC does not demand extensive experience as criteria for membership.
In a sense its operations sound utopian. Although an elected committee runs the collective, members are welcome to attend monthly meetings, and are granted an equal say in how things are run. The committee aims to run enough concerts to ensure each composer gets at least one piece performed a year. In order to choose who gets to have their work showcased at a concert, an open call is sent out and then names are essentially drawn from a hat. The workshops run as part of In Dialogue then give these composers a chance to fine-tune their works in advance of their premiere. “This collaboration between composers and performers is an extremely valuable experience for our composers”, Scully explains. The ICC demonstrates an essentially non-hierarchical, collaborative process that offers equal opportunities for its members. Funding from IMRO and the Arts Council allow the concerts and series to take place, keeping membership and ticket prices relatively low.
It is in this sense that In Dialogue most clearly veers off from Bloom’s Anxiety of Influence theorisations. Rather than offering an opportunity for artists to out-machismo each other, this is a thoughtful programme series that contextualises new artwork, while offering educational opportunities for composers and listeners alike.
The next concert in the In Dialogue series takes place on the 13 December at 7pm in the Wood Quay Venue.
