Concrete is an opera by Robert Ashley, a composer and multi-disciplinarian in contemporary music and the arts since the 1960s. He was responsible for the groundbreaking ONCE Festival in Ann Arbor during the sixties which promoted a collaborative space for artists to share ideas, and was the director of the Mills College Centre for Contemporary Music. As would be expected from these experimental leanings, Concrete is no ordinary opera, forgoing traditional orchestration and singing in favour of a libretto that focuses on the thoughts of an old man. These thoughts in turn become discussions which encompass the avant-garde nature of Ashley’s previous work and continue to push the boundaries of pre-conceived notions of music.
It may seem, on the surface at least, that Ashley’s compositions in Concrete are no more than spoken word monologues with characters speaking sometimes absurd stream-of-consciousness thoughts over each other. However, Ashley uses the opera format to cleverly subvert this initial reaction. By using the opera format he allows the performers to alter their tone, intonation and delivery in line with the emotional resonance needed for each performance. There are five discussions that occur during the opera, posing questions to the issues the old man ponders but not necessarily providing answers: why are all the buildings in the city lined up perfectly? Why is it that so many recreational activities are played counter-clockwise?
Naturally, given the physicality of the opera medium, it makes more sense to witness the performance rather than simply listen to it passively. Then again, without the visual stimulus it becomes easier to isolate the curious sonic field that surrounds each piece. On the second disc, the musicality of the voices begins to shine through much more. It takes quite a while to uncover the patterns that Ashley has written into the dialogue, but when you finally hear them, the entire work makes much more sense. Mediating between the character’s musings and their delivery affords a much more poignant experience than simply listening to the words alone.
Interspersed with ebbing synths and electronic fragments, the non-verbal elements of the opera are just as interesting. It’s not complex, but it does provide an evocative backdrop for his libretto. Concrete is a curious, overwhelming experience that every listener can take something different from – whether it is from the text, the sounds or the rhythm and tone.
Alexandra Savvides
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