May 13-19, 2008 (Greece 2)

May 13-19, 2008 (Greece 2)
Mark Twain
United States of America

Dear Mark,

I must apologize for the long span in between letters; the weeks before my trip to Athens, although very, very busy, left me with little of great interest to fill an entire letter. The two only topics worth mentioning are the recording of my ballet here in St. Petersburg, which, although finished, was about as enjoyable an experience as being dragged over carpet tacks, and attending the Victory Day parade. The latter was the first such event since the beginning of the 1990’s and it celebrates the end of the war with Germany in 1945. It was a military parade, and all I could think of was how American attendees would react if a similar parade happened in say, downtown NYC or San Francisco; tanks and surface-to-air rockets being paraded in the streets of St. Petersburg to the cheering of millions-I would think quite a different reaction in the West…

But, this letter is about my second trip to Greece. I returned this time as a performer and composer in the Electro Media Arts Festival which was directed by Manolis Manousakis. Manolis is one of the Greek composers who I have been working with and whose works I performed and recorded in October-in fact, he was also the recording engineer. This Festival was a massive, five day project with everything ranging from solo acoustic to electro-acoustic to electronics and experimental film and multimedia, as well as art and video installations as well. The festival was held in this great space: a factory by day turned into an art/performance space/club at night. Very cool setting.

Now, along with the Festival, I was also there to help evolve the plans for the APXE project. I, along with Dmitri Mikhalevski, his wife Tania, and painter Aleksander Kondroff scheduled numerous meetings and events to prepare for our own festival in the Fall, as well as securing spaces for art and photography exhibitions. Quite a large scale task that proved to be very successful, but I ’ll get to everything in time.

I have to first mention that my flight to Zurich (on my way to Athens) was not uneventful; the plane (Swiss Air) was transporting St. Petersburg “Zenit” fans on the way to Euro Cup championship game in Manchester, England. Now, “Zenit” fans are, well, crazy. Hey, they have a great team, but man…on the flight, there was lots of yelling and drinking…LOTS of drinking…ILLEGAL drinking…many , I believe, were actually arrested at the Zurich airport. Not a good representation of your country, boys and girls…

So…I fly into Athens. Now, the Metro and the vast majority of the public transportation system stops at midnight, which means that the only way to the city is via taxi…and they know it. The fares double after midnight, and my relatively short ride from the airport was 50 Euros (like $77). But, what can you do…?

So…I stayed with playwrite/psychoanalysist George Boltanakis. Actually, I ended up sleeping on the ‘couch’ for his patients. He asked about my dreams and whether or not sleeping there had enhanced them; nothing for me, but I think that the negative psycho-energy went from his patients, through the couch, and into his cat. The cat was crazy…no, really crazy. I have never seen a cat viciously attack itself before. It was doing this constantly-hissing clawing, and biting at its own tail-talk about duality, it was like both sides of the cat hated each other. Crazy…
The next day brought meetings with my friends Nickos Harizanos and Marinos Koutsomichalis; both were composers from the Xenakis Center (along with Manolis) who I have been working with. I was to premier a new multimedia work by Nickos at the Festival, and Marinos was helping with the preparation of my entire program. We spent time organizing the films and presentation of the films and electronics, and even more time eating and drinking, which was fine by me. The best part about being out of Russia is that I don’t have to eat Russian food…but more on that topic later…

That evening we (the Russians and I) spent watching the “Zenit” game at the home of well known Greek playwrite Paris Tacopolous. Paris is a large supporter of APXE and was a gracious host to all of us. Now, I have to admit that this was the first time that I watched an entire soccer…oh, excuse me…FOOTBALL game. It was good-I liked it. This was not a sport that I knew growing up. I mean I played baseball and basketball (not to forget my main sport, track and field, but that’s not a ‘team’ sport) but soccer was not really on the radar as it is now in the US. Overprotected (and scheduled!) American kids are now ushered to soccer fields after oboe lessons by trendy suburbanites…I grew up in a city…soccer field?…we played on concrete basketball courts. I don’t know, I could rave unendingly about how kids in the US are now reared, metro-sexualized, and scheduled to an inch of their lives, but I’m an outsider…I don’t have any kids…Hell, I can’t even keep plants alive…

Anyways, the next day was taken by the Festival. Now, everything was running on “Greek Time”, which means at least a couple of hours behind. My 8PM performance happened early, about 9:15; this was only because of two or three cancellations before me. Otherwise, I would have played about 10:30. The performance was greatly successful-I presented my “Mythology and Modern Perception” multimedia program-it went over extremely well. I know this because Manolis’ mother enjoyed it the most. Now, when the Festival Director’s mother is happy, you know that you have been successful.

The Festival to me was very successful. Manolis did a great job by appealing to both the general, party going public and the avant-garde hep cats; he mixed electro-acoustic music with DJ performances…very clever.

We also took the opportunity this day to present Nickos and Marinos the idea behind APXE to see if they were interested in participating. Both the philosophical and educational aspects appealed to them, which was great. It would be good to have them participate in the Greek events later this year.

My other Festival appearance was Saturday evening…well, really Sunday morning. Again, we have the workings of “Greek Time”: I was told to be ready to play at 10PM…I played my first note on stage after 3AM…yup, they are on a whole different schedule then the rest of the civilized world; the funny thing is, they all consider this normal. The other non-Greek participants were being driven crazy (in particular one dressed as a giant, silver sperm…I think he was from Ircom, but I could be mistaken…), but the Greeks, as always, took it all in stride and enjoyed themselves.

The rest of my stay was taken up with APXE doings. We were there to raise interest, shoot videos (which I’ll get to), and to fix a sculpture by our colleague Vladimir Tsivin. Now, Tsivin was one of 20 sculptors world-wide invited to participate in the Olympic Sculpture Park. The problem: they put the sculpture together wrong…now, the artist had been trying for over 2 years to have this fixed. He sent letters and plans and called and called and no one paid any attention. Now, when our international delegation showed up at the park to fix this, all Pandemonium broke loose. They didn’t understand that we just wanted to move a couple of pieces of the ceramic sculpture to the sculptor’s wishes. This took hours of dealing with bureaucracy…as typical, no one wanted to take responsibility…the eventual moving of the sculpture took all of 6 minutes. But, all was good in the end.

We also had newspaper interviews and continued filming around archeological sites. Most of the filming was of me playing flute (for a new film) among the ruins…well, when we weren’t being threatened by guards…we also took many-an-opportunity to take pictures with the APXE flag at many of these locations.

Now, I have been to Athens on many occasions, but I went to some new places. Probably the most important was Elevsina, the home of the Eleusinian Mysteries. This is probably the most important site in all of Greece, due to the fact that this was not only the center of religion, but also inspired the beginning of both philosophy and the arts. Unfortunately, it’s off the tourist map-there were 3 other people in the whole site. It was a very powerful place-full of energy. Like other spiritual experiences, I can’t even begin to put into words what I felt, so I won’t. You have to experience it for yourself, if you’re open enough to it. Let’s just say the both the Ancient and Modern world’s concept (conscious and un-) of death and change are centered here…’nuff said.

I also saw for the first time the jail of Socrates. For me with my Platonic inclinations, this was also a powerful experience. I sat in silence for a long, long time here…

The final destination was the Theater of Dionysus. This was the manifestation of the Eleusinian Mysteries into dramatic form. I won’t get into this fully here in this letter, but you can be sure that I will soon…

On my last evening, we hosted a party for the ‘artistic crowd’ at our hosts home. I was sent on a “Mission from God” to find an open market-all was closed on Sunday, so I failed. But… my Russian friend’s did manage the party beautifully…they served Russian food! I can’t escape it…but it was good…

Traveling back was uneventful. This time, we phoned a taxi and I got a good, honest driver. It’s interesting, his name was Demetrius (like me), was 39 (also like me), and was from Larissa (the city of my mother’s family). It actually made me think about what my life would’ve been had my family not emigrated to the US. What would have happened? Had I even been born, what was my destiny? Who knows? But it does make one think…

Anyways, now I’m back in cold St. Petersburg-it is 20 degrees Celsius colder here-and preparing for the next slew of events. I miss Greece; I want to go back and have time to enjoy it…this hasn’t happened yet in my adult life, since I’m always working constantly when I’m there. I’ll be back for the APXE events/festival in the Fall and hope to have some time for enjoyment and relaxation. The festival will be in Thessaloniki, which I’ve never been to; I have also never been to my family’s home towns. This needs to happen sooner rather then later.

I need to be more in touch with my roots. I know my culture, but I need to understand it more intimately.

Your traveler,

Demetrius

28 April 2008

28 April 2008
Mark Twain
United States of America

Dear Mark,

I want to talk about teachers. By teachers, I can mean both direct and indirect. There are those who teach us directly, through classroom or lesson or even pure discussion, and those who teach and influence us through their body of work, even though we may never have met them personally.

The main reason I am writing this is because I just learned of the passing of Jimmy Giuffre. Jimmy was my jazz teacher at New England Conservatory and one of the most influential people on both my playing and writing. I worked with him both privately and in an ensemble where we played his arrangements. His writing style was superb, matched only by his artistry as a clarinet and sax player. The sound that I have is a direct result of his influence, and my writing and concept of instrumental color has also been heavily influenced by his work.

The interesting thing is, strangely, that I was as influenced by his recordings as I was by his person. You knew that it was the same person, but for some reason, it hits you differently. Knowing his recordings from the 50s and 60s was very different then knowing him as a student in the 80s. He had evolved, but the concepts were the same.

I think this is a great problem with jazz (and pop/rock) musicians where they get pigeon-holed into a style and can’t escape it. I knew Stan Getz very well; I also knew that he began to hate Bossa Nova because that’s all that people wanted him to play. This style made (or at least revived) his career in the 60s, and for the next 25 years he couldn’t escape it. Every time he would try something new he would be chastised by his audience. It’s the same for others, as well. Think about pop or rock musicians who were big during a certain era; they can never escape that. Their audience wants only what they know. And believe me, the artists are not happy about it…they are stuck in time.

Jimmy kept evolving. His playing and writing style was unmistakable, but it evolved. He wasn’t stuck.

In an earlier letter, I talked about the passing of Karlheinz Stockhausen and his influence on me. I never met him; I just knew of him through recordings and performances-including my own-of his music. I don’t know if I would’ve liked him as a person, but that doesn’t matter-the influence was there, and I felt his passing. John Cage was equally, if not more important, to me, but I knew Cage personally, worked with him. His influence was his personality, equal in impact to his music.

I mean, I can state influences and ‘teachers’ all the way back to Josquin during the Renaissance, but even the ones we never meet I think have more impact on us if they are creating during our lifetimes. Charles Ives was my first great contemporary music and spiritual influence, but he died in the 50s. Others, like saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, was releasing recordings into the 1990s (he died in 1996); his influence on me was great, and yes, I felt the loss of him, even though we never met. He shaped my early love for jazz. As I said, I knew Stan Getz personally, but his influence wasn’t nearly as strong on me as Mulligan’s. Some, like Aaron Copland, only started to influence me after their death-strange that it took an event like an artist’s death to really become aware of them.

Jimmy was the first of my ‘creative’ teachers to pass. I have had close classroom teachers pass, music theory or history professors, but not one that had direct influence on my creative evolution. It was his playing and writing that intrigued me as a Conservatory student, made me want to work with him when other students wanted to study with the newer, younger, ‘slick’ players. It was Jimmy’s sound that I admired and his control that I wanted to achieve. It was Jimmy’s concepts that I went to during my first post-Conservatory ‘Dark Period’ (early 90s), when I stopped playing saxophone for over a year and a half; I played only clarinet, and focused only on sound concepts-his sound concepts-one note at a time, always exploring the possibilities. During this period, I was also writing a lot; his recordings were one of the major influences here-they shaped my modern sound. I still use what I had learned during this time, and still practice this way and use these ideas in my writing-it has just evolved.

I have evolved, as we all do. I hope that as artists, we keep learning and evolving. I know that there comes a point where we don’t need formal ‘teachers’ anymore, and that‘s natural. There is even a point when we do our best to even distance ourselves from our teachers to prove our individuality-I’ve gone through this, and I hope that I have grown out of it. Teachers can still come to us in many ways, not just formally. We just have to be open to the possibilities, and be willing to listen; they don’t even have to do what we do, but they will give us insight to ourselves and our creativity.

I can only hope that I can do this for others, as my many ‘teachers’ have done for me.

Thank you, Jimmy. Hope to see you next time around.

Yours always,

Demetrius

April 17-22, 2008 (Germany)

April 17-22, 2008 (Germany)
Mark Twain
United States of America

Dear Mark,

Germany…wow…what a great place. As you know, I was invited to participate in a concert with Pianowaves, which consists of Susanne Kessel, piano, and Leon Milo, electronics and percussion. This was really one of the best chamber music experiences I have ever had; just fantastic interplay and interaction.

But I’ll get to all that.

You know, it’s really difficult to get to anywhere from St. Petersburg. One would think that it would be easy; it’s the second largest city in Russia (and the CIS), and is extremely close to Europe-a 5 hour train ride to Helsinki. Unfortunately the way that Russian air carriers work is that they send you through Moscow for almost all international flights; mind you, St. Petersburg is an international airport, but you have to go East before you can go West…doesn’t make much sense…not that any system here makes much sense, so I shouldn’t be surprised…

Needless to say, I was ecstatic to find Germanwings Airline; a DIRECT flight from St. Petersburg to Bonn/Cologne…wow! They seemed to have a good reputation, so I went with them. I have to say that I believe that I was destined to have a great experience: when I boarded the plane, I noticed that the name of it was “City of Athens”. That was a good sign.

And it was such a nice plane. You have to realize that I had been traveling throughout the CIS on airplanes that were probably made in the 1960s…most seemed to be held together by string and sealing wax…the nicest plane from the CIS that I was on, Aerosvit (Ukraine), ran over a truck on the runway, if you recall. So this was a pleasant experience. I was, however, shocked to find out that I had to pay for food and beverage-nothing was complementary. And it was 5-½ Euros for a sandwich and coffee…that’s like $8 and a quarter! So, I begrudgingly paid for my cheese baguette, but WHAT a cheese baguette! It was the best cheese sandwich that I had ever had! Wow! This wasn’t hunger talking or the fact that I had to justify paying over 8 bucks for it…well, maybe a little…but it was still good.

Bonn/Cologne airport is quite lovely; modern, clean, efficient…a perfect representation of Germany as a whole. I was met at the airport by Leon and Susanne’s boyfriend David. Now, like all of my collaborative adventures this year, I had never met, or even spoken with, Susanne or Leon before this. I have been extremely lucky thus far that all of my new connections have been great experiences. This, as I mentioned above, was to turn out to be the best thus far. I instantly liked both David and Leon. Leon was different than I expected; I hadn’t had as much communication with him as I had with Susanne, so I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. What I got was a very warm and kind individual whom I instantly liked and got along with, which was great.

Susanne was recovering from being ill, so at first she was a little stand-offish, mostly I believe not to infect the rest of us, and also, of course, that she didn’t know what to expect from me. I can be scary, you know…but seriously, she was taking a great chance in inviting me to Bonn to play; as much, if not more, than the chance I took in going there. For all of us, it was a leap of faith.

And it paid off, ten times more than expected. We all instantly connected-well, the second day we connected better; I was pretty burned out after I arrived and not playing very well, and Susanne was still in recovery mode (but playing beautifully), and Leon discovered that some of the equipment he rented had parts missing. But that second day we started to gel. By the third, we were an ensemble, we were feeling each other, we achieved uni-mind, as I call it. Pieces that at first seemed like potential disasters started to come together better than expected.

Now, we were an ensemble.

The day of the concert was intense. Susanne first played a solo program of new compositions by Icelandic composers to promote her new CD. She blew my mind, to put it bluntly. I have worked with a lot of great pianists in my time (and many horrible ones…), but Susanne is the best that I have ever experienced live; her tone, expression, artistry…just beautiful. To put it into words almost diminishes it, so I’ll stop trying. But combining this with the fact that she is also an incredibly kind and pure soul just makes the experience that much greater.

Our program, which started about a ½ hour after Susanne finished, was really fantastic. We clicked on all accounts. From the premier of my piece “Gymnopaedia”, to the solo and duo works, to the trios, all was very uplifting. I really enjoyed working with Leon, most especially in our improvisations. He is fantastically creative, and it’s such a great experience to work with a composer who is also a performer (like me!), someone who understands both sides. It’s very refreshing. This way, we can both explore structural and performance aspects of an improvisation; there’s no limitation.

I can’t say enough good things about the concert, so I’ll stop trying. The following day of relaxation in Cologne was also a beautiful experience. Visiting the Cologne Cathedral was an experience, as was enjoying the downtown area with my friends. Susanne wants us both (me and Leon) to move there. I can be talked into it…the city, the culture, the cleanliness, the people, the quality of life…fantastic. The only thing I don’t like is the lack of palm trees (I do love a Mediterranean climate), but it seems to be my lot in life to live in cold climates…so I can deal. Plus, knowing and working with such artists is far more warming than any amount of sunshine.

So, begrudgingly, I went back to Russia…yuck. Ah, well, at least I can relax a little when I get back; I had to be up at 3AM to get my flight, and I hadn’t slept much at all this weekend, so a day of sleeping was really appealing to me. Think that happened? Nope. Margaret, bless her, after meeting me at the airport stated that she had good news and bad news. The good news was that I was invited to be a guest artist at the Jazz Filarmonia, St. Petersburg’s version of Jazz at Lincoln Center-cool-the bad news was that I was playing in a couple of hours…so much for sleeping…

So, I went, and to say that I was disappointed was a vast understatement. Russian jazz players…well, I thought that I either stepped back into the late 1930s or that I was watching a Ken Burns production…the tunes, the style, the solos, all taken from off the records, NOTE FOR NOTE! They were playing these tunes like etudes-no soul, no style, no creativity-everything was copied. Literally. So, of course, when I was introduced, I wanted to do something a little…different. I thought, “OK, let’s do something a little more modern, but nothing that will scare the audience TOO much”. I suggested a couple of tunes and the rhythm section looked at me like I had horns…they knew none of the tunes I mentioned. “What?”, I said in shock, you don’t know “Black Orpheus”, you don’t know any Miles Davis?”. OK, fine, do you know “St. Thomas”? The bass player did-OK, that’s a start-I had to sing the rhythm to the drummer so he could understand what I meant by Calypso. The bass player told the changes to the piano player and we actually started something. I, of course, couldn’t stay in the straight-ahead world too long went a little free jazz (peppered with R&B) on them…they were scared…GOOD, they need to be scared. The other players had no idea what I was doing. On a later tune, a soprano player came up started playing something rather more modern-he was instantly shunned by the others-so I of course spoke to him. He said that he loved what I was doing, that he understood modern jazz and that he works with American musicians on a cruise ship and is on top of new trends and styles-ah, good! He also couldn’t stand the Jazz Filarmonia for the same reasons.

There’s hope yet…

Well, my friend, thus ends the Bonn experience. Fantastic place…I may be brushing up my German sooner than later…it’s such a stark contrast to here, and in many ways, it really is the pinnacle of Western culture.

Time to dust of the Berlitz tapes…

Your traveler,

Demetrius

9 April 2008

9 April 2008
Mark Twain
United States of America

Dear Mark,

Well…it happened. I had to do it. It was time to take on the greatest challenge of my time here with no idea of what the outcome might be. Granted, I had been stranded in Ukraine, harassed by Passport Control, in an airline accident on the runway, threatened by Customs, and almost arrested in Uzbekistan, but nothing, NOTHING, gave me more cause for alarm then this…

…the prospect of a Russian haircut…

Now, don’t think that I’m blowing this out of proportion. You have to understand that in a culture where good taste is, well, rather non-existent, the Russian haircut reigns supreme. In all honesty, the women’s hair styles are not so bad, assuming that you like bangs and mahogany dye, but all in all not offensive. The men’s styles (if I may use the term loosely) are another matter altogether. Here we encounter a level of taste so Infernal that it would frighten Mephistopheles; the bowl cut, the buzz cut, and the mullet: the Unholy Trinity itself!

I had to do it, it was time. I tried to resist, truly I did. My last haircut was last July. I was determined to let it grow for the year; after seeing the carnage around me, I had sworn folic asceticism. “There is NO WAY these people are touching my hair” I proudly declared, “NO WAY!”…

Umm…make that “WAY”…it seemed that my last haircut, although lovely in July, had grown out rather unattractively. It was flat and bushy on the top and there were so many wings flying off in a multitude of directions that I could’ve been mistaken for a Seraphim. The last days here have been extremely windy, and this also led to my decision; it kept getting in my eyes, nose, mouth, etc…I also have a performance at the Hermitage tomorrow that will be video taped for publication and broadcast…OK, it’s time…I give in…the March to the Scaffolding…beat the executioner’s drum…into the lion’s den go I…

But, I wasn’t going in empty-handed, uh-uh, no way. Since I didn’t know the Russian phase for “no mullet”, we printed out a picture of me playing one of my concerts in Athens in October; it was a nice picture that showed my hair from a good angle. I thought “OK, I’ll smile and show them this; in the worst case scenario, I have Margaret, bless her, for ‘quality control’; what could go wrong?”…this last phrase was meant to quiet the growing doubts, but I was ready.

So, we went to the place. It was a biggish store with three ladies working; none spoke English. The little one was going to take me; an older, stocky lady whom I believe I had seen elbowing much larger and younger travelers on the metro…but maybe I was just expecting the worst…the worst started to come true when, disregarding the photo that she was shown, shoved my head under ice-cold water (she was strong and wily, that one…) to execute…oops…I mean ‘begin’ the procedure…

I’ve got to admit, I don’t think in all of my haircuts combined had my head been bent and shoved in so many random directions, and so quickly…granted, it could have been the fact that her glasses were about as think as my wrist…remember, this women had sharp objects near vital arteries…Margaret, bless her, did jump out of her chair at one point to make sure that the nice lady had seen the picture and knew what we were going for.

There was more than one instant when my hair was starting to exhibit ‘mullet-like’ qualities; this frightened me. But, this did not frighten me nearly as much as the what I caught out of the corner of my eye, between the chair and the sink…dried blood…LOTS of it…splattered on the wall and floor. “She’s as blind as a bat!”, I was thinking, “ and, she’s obsessively, MANIACALLY, cutting of less than a millimeter at a time from one side, then the other. She’s like, preparing me for the kill, dressing the lamb and leading me to slaughter…”.

Actually, Margaret, bless her, after the event did present a plausible explanation for the blood: it was dried mahogany dye…OK, maybe it was, but for the duration of the haircut, I was fearing for my throat…

You know what else didn’t help the situation? Well, I’ll tell you: a radio blasting Russian pop music! Dear God, if the Russian haircut wasn’t bad enough…taste takes another nose-dive here to nether-depths unfathomable, and it’s EVERYWHERE: cafes, trains, airplanes, churches…OK, not in churches, but you get my point. In some of it they are trying to copy American R&B and pop styles-which is rather difficult in a culture with no sense of rhythm-but mostly, it just ends up sounding like some perverted genetic experiment that mated the Bay City Rollers and Bollywood…

Anyways, back to the haircut…after what seemed like hours on the chair due to both fear and mullet-awareness, the haircut was finished. It’s not horrible…it’s like nothing that you would get in the US, but it is better then before: I was starting to look a little too much like St. John the Baptist. Now, with my trendy facial hair, I look more like a Victorian Prince of Darkness, which kinda works for me; all that’s missing is the horns…

Thus ends the Russian haircut experience. Margaret, bless her, is happy with the results and is no longer ashamed to be seen in public with me…and, to be honest, it’s so much nicer now not to be mistaken for a Muppet.

Until next time,

Demetrius

March 24-27 (Ukraine)

March 24-27 (Ukraine)
Mark Twain
United States of America
Dear Mark,

Ukraine…well, this was a trip…

Actually once I got there, it was very good; it was getting there that was the real adventure.
So…I go through passport control and security at Pulkovo 1 terminal in St. Petersburg; everything is normal. We board the plane-Aerosvit Airlines out of Kiev-and prepaare to take off. We are taxiing down the runway when suddenly, there’s a huge bump, a smashing sound, and the plane bounces, yes bounces, up and back…everything stops and we are asked to leave the plane…

…it seems as if we ran over a truck on the runway…I’m not kidding here…ripped a large hole in the fuselage. Needless to say, the flight was cancelled. Pandemonium then ensued…
People were screaming and yelling. There were no more flights to Kiev that day (which was where my transfer to Dnipropetrovs’k was) and it turned out later that there ended up being no more flights for 2 days-this is when the Pandemonium really kicked in…people rushing the Aerosvit offices, me included, to find a way to our destinations. Of course, no one spoke English, so my questions went unanswered…the one official who spoke any (and not much, mind you…) English just said…”no flights for you”…but he did sign my ticket for a refund.

This didn’t help…I had a big concert and master class the next day at the Dnipropetrovs’k Conservatory that had been publicized across the country and they expected there to be many in attendance. This trip was also being funded by the US State Department. I had to contact all and say that it’s not looking good. Reactions to this ranged from disbelief to downright anger…my contact at the Conservatory who organized this, Yuryi Serdyuk, said “but…but…you don’t understand…we made posters!…you have to make it…they’ll HANG me!”.

A man that eloquent can not be let down…I wasn’t finished with the system…but I needed reinforcements…

By day: an unassuming scholar, just seemingly one of many researching in the Russian library…but…when duty calls, she dons her red cape (OK…a red hat and scarf, but you get the picture…) and flies into action for Truth, Justice, and the American Way!

Margaret saved all of our butts that day…the Conservatory’s, the US State Department’s, mine…and I can safely say that Mr. Serdyuk was NOT hanged.

Margaret was functioning as translator for all-me, the information desk, other airlines, the Conservatory-we tried to come up with a solution. I didn’t need to get to Kiev, I needed to get to Dnipropetrovs’k (by the way, I still can’t actually pronounce this name properly…) by the next morning; there were no flights…

…but, we had an idea: I asked “where in Ukraine can you get me?” and “how close can you get me to my destination?”.

As it turned out, there was a flight leaving in a half hour for Moscow; from there, I could catch a flight to Donsek, which was about 4-5 hours (think Boston to NYC) away from Dnipropetrovs’k by bus or car…hmmm…”Yuryi! Who do you know in Donesk?”…it turned out that Mr. Serdyuk had a colleague there; he contacted him to meet me in the airport and get me to the bus station.

So I took the flight. Now, of course, when my flight was cancelled, the nice man at Passport Control put a big “CANCEL” stamp in my passport where the stamp for the original flight was…needless to say, I had to explain this throughout the trip: leaving and entering both Russia and Ukraine…I am going to laminate a card (in Russian) to give with my passport so I’m not trying to explain by gesture why I have this stamp…which, by the way, I must admit was a spectacle…especially when I gestured the plane running over the truck…they got the idea…

I got to Donesk and met Yuryi’s frind Valeri, who also didn’t speak English, but he brought along his young son who is studying English in school. They got me to the bus station and booked me on an overnight bus to Dnipropetrovs’k.

It was interesting. I was sitting in an outdoor waiting area, by myself, in the middle of the night, somewhere in Eastern Ukraine…one can’t help but reflect on one’s life and travels. I actually couldn’t help it, but I started to laugh out loud. “What a crazy, mixed up life I lead…” I thought, “where the Hell am I, anyways?”. “I’m just a kid from Lowell, Massachusetts, and now I’m in a deserted, practically pitch black, outdoor bus station in the heartland of the former Soviet Union…who woulda thought?“ Paul Simon’s “Homeward Bound” kept floating into my consciousness. Yup, a long way from home…

The bus came, and I went. I arrived in Dnipropetrovs’k at about 5 the next morning, looking like I have been traveling for 20 hours, which I had been. There, waiting for me, was Yuryi’s smiling face…he gives me a hug and says “OK?”…and I say “I’m here, aren’t I?”

After crashing for a couple of hours, I headed to the Conservatory for my master class and concert. Both were successful, as was the next day of classes. I talked about American music and college level music study and we compared ideas. Other than my interpreter, who was a clarinet student, no one actually spoke much English. Strangely though, it’s amazing how much we could actually understand each other…this was mostly due to the tremendous amounts of cognac and vodka consumed during the day. When language inhibitions break down, boy, do people make sense! We described for each other our entire methods and concepts of practice and study, our careers and lives, as well as other topics like fishing…understood all of it…

Thus ends my Ukrainian adventure. Great people-kind, considerate-and Yuryi Serdyuk is a fantastic conductor and musician, as well as a beautiful human being. He and I are not finished collaborating; I’ll do my best to help him get some gigs in the US. But that’s what these trips are all about: making connections and building bridges.

Until next time,

Demetrius

20 March 2008

20 March 2008
Mark Twain
United States of America

Dear Mark,

This will be a different kind of letter. I can't say just yet why I'm writing it or what specifically its about. All I know is at this point, this letter has to be written. I want to talk about ethics and morals.

Society has imposed certain beliefs upon us. For good or bad, these beliefs have defined us and our relationship to society as a whole. Granted, many beliefs, such as those in religion and government, have been strained and even lost over the years. I am not referring to anything or anyone specifically-that is not my intent. My intent is to look at the effects that modern society has on an individuals sense of ‘self’, and more importantly, how that individual views the common rules, both written and unwritten, of that society.

Firstly, I believe that I should define my terms; people, or at least American college students (and I’m sure other college students across the globe), confuse the terms ‘morals’ and ‘ethics’. When I was younger, when confronted by a friend saying that I had no morals (we won‘t get into why…), I would always grinningly reply “wrong, I have a tremendous morals; what I lack are ethics!”. Morals are the rules of weal and evil that one puts on oneself, while ethics are those of society. The question for me has always been if what was good for society was equally good for the individual.

What I think has really sparked this was an article (or actually, many articles and recent discussions) in the St. Petersburg Times. The article in question had to do with quality of sold food products. A new study has shown that over 50% of Russian oil, meat, and dairy products are unfit for human consumption. The article continued to say that many labels are incorrect and that food is sold without any of the real ingredients listed and also well after the food in question has spoiled. It also went on to say that the worst food products actually went to schools and orphanages, provoking numerous accounts of poisoning.

Now, I have had recent conversations with friends who stated that in Soviet days, the products were extremely limited, but what you got was of tremendous quality. One friend, who loves fish, said that he will no longer buy it because the quality is so bad. Twenty years ago, they wouldn’t always have fish, but when they did, you were sure that it was good and fresh.

Now, since the fall of communism, the Russian economy has undergone great change. From what I understand, what went from limited good quality products went to numerous, low quality products that make more money. Something was missed here in the transition. The societal concept improved, but the morality didn’t; if anything, it deteriorated. In the West, especially in certain European countries, the choices and quality of products are much, much greater. Granted, this has to do with decades, if not centuries, of a free-market economy, but both the ethics and morals, at least in this topic, are both of high quality. Just because something is good for the economy doesn’t mean that it will be produced; it has to be good and safe for the consumer.

Article number two: a train carrying nuclear waste was parked in a district of St. Petersburg. Radiation levels were 30 times acceptable levels. For economic reasons, it made sense, but the human factor was completely disregarded. Does one do what is good for the society, or does one listen to their individual morals. The environmentalists who were there to monitor the levels were threatened by a guard with a loaded and cocked machine gun.

Article number three: nationalism has caused a great deal of race related violence. A young African student was stabbed over 30 times after a soccer game. Groups of nationalistic youths threw bananas at the opposing (French) team’s black members. Here is another frightening point: what is being portrayed as this society’s ethics? Patriotism is one thing, but nationalism to the extent where violence is accepted against foreigners is bordering on something else. Is racial purity becoming an ethic, and if so, what of the individual’s morals? Do these also adapt to the new ethics? Is it out of mass-thinking, or ignorance, or is this being taught? What changes a supposed all-accepting, educated communist society to a violent, nationalistic, neo-fascist, only-caring-about-money society? Where did the ethics go wrong?

Discussion: at one point, education, most especially in the arts and sciences, was considered one of the most important goals of an individual. Everyone was well versed. At one point, being a piano teacher was an honorable career. Now, this has changed: education means nothing and making money has become the only factor of importance. From what I have been told, the level of students has dropped considerably in the last 15 years.

Now, Mark, you know that no one hates communism more than I. In all of my letters, I have always praised the individual and shouted the doctrine of Humanism and the Enlightenment from the rooftops. I am not praising communism here, but something has changed. Maybe, they weren’t ready for the change. A society’s ethics and yes, even an individual’s morals don’t change that drastically; or, at least, I didn’t think so. The West has succeeded in a democratic, free market because, well, the West invented it. I think that the cultural ethics of Europe and the strong morality of the US helped to temper this to work over many, many decades for the benefit of society as a whole; granted, there are still issues-nothing is perfect; and it’s better or worse depending on the country-but all in all it functions well.

Here, I think that they once had the cultural aspirations to be Western Europe and even in some ways a rival educational system, but with the opening of the markets the society flipped completely, embracing all of the degeneration and corruption of money without the balance of cultural wisdom to temper this. Kid’s let loose in a candy store…they gorge and gorge and don’t share…this leads to suspicion and more corruption, and eventually to an ‘us vs. them’ mentality, which is the breading ground for nationalism and hate crimes.

Do they, the Russians, have a new set of societal ethics? Have individual morals evolved to now display these new ethics? I don’t know. All I know is that the democratic experiment here has produced some frightening results, and I don’t know how long this will last, if democracy even still exists here.

Maybe, in some ways, it’s better. The cultural mentality is not Western. They didn’t have Ancient Greece or the Renaissance or the Enlightenment. The vast majority of people don’t think as individuals; maybe they need to be shown the way, if not ruled. Maybe the only way to bring order and stamp out corruption and violence here is to have a strong leader. I don’t know…I can only hope that it is NOT this way and that this country will eventually find its ’sea legs’ as a strong, democratic nation.

All I know is that I see a society in flux. I like these people, very much-I want them to be alright and to be a part of the world society. I want them to be a democracy, and to take their rightful place as allies with the Western powers. The West, the world, can only benefit from a strong Russia with a strong moral streak. This way, we can all help each other; not just economically, but also to guard against moral or ethical injustices from any of us.

Until next time,

Demetrius

March 1-7, 2008 (Kyrgyzstan)

March 1-7 (Kyrgyzstan)
Mark Twain
United States of America

Dear Mark,

Kyrgyzstan is breathtaking. In all of my travels, I have never seen a place of such natural beauty and splendor, save the Grand Canyon. Granted, the two are in a way opposites: one a desert canyon and the other a mountainous landscape, but both should be on everyone’s ‘top two list’ of what to see during their lifetime.

The Kyrgyz are a very traditional people; a nomadic culture that was brought to settlement (for good or bad…) by first the Russians and then the Soviet Union, who also exploited their resources. The people, however, being on the Silk Road, have not allowed this to effect their kindness and hospitality, which is unmatched in most regions of the world. There are also strong parallels between them and the Native American cultures and there has been speculation on a common heritage.

This traditional outlook may have also led to the way that music education is presented in both the earlier and advanced schools. The training is very Russian in its approach and tendencies (and you KNOW my views on that…), yet it doesn’t have the inclination towards experimental or Avant-garde ideas which the other post-Soviet nations seem to be embracing. The training to me seems very conservative, and like it’s post-Soviet neighbors there is a lack of knowledge of Western music and compositional techniques after the 1960s. Where the other CIS countries (like Russia) seem to be constantly flailing around in the mid-20th Century Avant-garde, the Kyrgyz training appears to disregard much of it…this is where I come in.

But more on that shortly…

My hosts were fantastic! The US Embassy rolled out the red carpet for me, and I can only hope that I honored their commitment to inter-cultural connection that seems to be a main priority here. My main contact person and host, Kamila Kojokmatova, who is a musicologist turned cultural ambassador in her own right, is dedicated to improving the academic situation here and bringing the music programs (as well as other artistic initiatives) up to Western standards. She also created (with the backing of the US Embassy) the American Music Center where I gave many of my talks and lectures to students from all Bishkek colleges. This is a great resource and she has acquired many good recordings and important scores, which is fantastic. The students here have something to start their education of music from the West, which is far better than what I have seen in other countries.

The other member of our traveling trinity was my interpreter, Elita Asankulova, who was just great for numerous reasons; the most important of which being the fact that she translated all of my lectures and interviews and followed all of the unimaginable nuances of my East Coast dialect. Even though I’m from New England, there’s very little of proper English pronunciation left, let me tell you…she also (along with Kamila) has a great sense of humor, which is crucial in dealing with me for an extended period of time…

The students were great. I think that some were a little frightened at my concerts; coming from such conservative training, the music that I play (I played solo, with electronics, and with film) was very much out of their, and their teacher’s, comfort zones. This, I think, was good for them. They reacted, which means that it had an impact. Many didn’t know what to make of me, my music, and my ideas. Actually, the Rector of the Bishkek College of Music gave after my main concert what sounded to me like a disclaimer, and I paraphrase “this was new; some liked it, some didn’t”…hey, that’s OK. I think what was even more interesting was the reaction in my composition seminar the next day when I told them that my music is actually considered conservative (I do love a good tune…) by Western academic circles and that I probably would never get a full-time academic position due to this. This hit home when I played some recordings of more experimental music and they really didn’t know how to react. “See”, I told them, “my stuff’s not so bad now, is it?”; they nodded sheepishly…

One of the major events that was taking place while I was there was the week leading up to International Women’s Day. This is a Socialist holiday turned Hallmark (in a post-Soviet sort of way). I did, however, get to officially ‘congratulate’ women many times, including on Kyrgyzstan television (where I also played Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady”; seemed like a good choice) and at a special solo concert I gave at the US Ambassador’s residency. The pieces I played were all American women composers. Now, to be honest-and I KNOW these particular ladies feel the same way about this as I-I dislike putting them into a category of ‘Women composers’ rather than just ‘composers’. Alex, Carol, Denise, and Molly are all kickin’ composers! The pieces are fantastic and I have played them all year on tour, and will keep playing them. Using these terms forces these artists to be judged separately rather then how they should be, which is with their peers. I have always felt the same way with any competition or job ‘audition’; the best person should always win, regardless of any gender, creed, or race (I also hate this use of this word; we’re all one race if I remember correctly; just with a whole lot of neat variations…) concerns. That was probably the only thing that state Communism got right; equality across the board. Communism’s problem was this (oops…no, I guess they didn’t quite get this right either then, I’m afraid…) was that it should’ve been an equal starting block for employment, etc., and then it should have allowed for the person’s individuality to carry them to the highest planes they could reach for. Blank slate (or the ‘blind audition’) at the beginning, then let the Individual be exalted! I know…I’m just a dreamer…it’s that wild-growing Humanism hair again…amazing how much it’s grown since I’ve been here….

But back to Kyrgyzstan…these are a wonderful people; kind, considerate, giving, and wanting to learn and to be included on the world stage. It’s this last idea where I think that I may have had the most impact. The students, mostly composers, who weren’t afraid of what I was doing and were even intrigued by the possibilities, will be the ones to lead them to this. They see the possibilities, and they see how they can use what I taught them to expand their own individual voices. This has been my hope all along: not to inundate students across the CIS with American and other Western musical ideas and history, but to bring the West’s most important gift, Individuality, to young artists seeking a way to express themselves in a closed, mass-minded, environment.

I hope that here, as well as elsewhere, I have planted this seed. I want to return here, soon, to see how it may have taken root. We have spoken about an extended stay here in the near future, even a Fulbright to work with students intensely…this intrigues me, not just for the opportunity to live in this remarkable place, but also to see the evolution of thought that I, that WE, are bringing about.

Until next time,

Demetrius