Sometimes projects come along that are just too cool to pass up. On the surface, getting to play a string quartet in absolute pitch darkness or connecting classical music with cannabis is obviously interesting, though perhaps leaning toward the gimmicky side.

To the purists, these concerts are transgressive, an insult to the legacy of Mozart and Beethoven, unnecessary tricks to add value to music that ought to be able to stand on its own two feet, in full concert lights, in front of a sober audience.

But art, thank god, is so much more complicated and interesting than that. Classical music, like all music, can simultaneously exist as both museum AND gallery. The old masters can hang with the new kids on the block. Beethoven can take pride in providing the shoulders upon which future composers push art forms in fascinating new directions.

This April, join us in two gloriously transgressive musical events that are deep dives into artistic convention busting…
 
 
 

In the Dark
April 14th, 7PM @ PICA
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On April 14th, we’ll perform Georg Friedrich Haas’ incredible String Quartet no. 3 at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA). Haas has written the piece to be performed in total darkness, with the string players placed in the corners of the room.

This is spectral music in a very literal sense; ghostly sounds are in the air, haunting motifs that create a soundtrack for images your mind creates in this sensory-deprived state. It is a deeply religious piece, with the pitch darkness being necessary to evoke the moment of complete absence from grace experienced the night before the Resurrection. The result is incredible, a modern masterpiece that is thrilling, transformative, and exquisitely beautiful.
 
 
 

Music for 4/20
April 20th, 7PM @ PICA
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Let’s talk pot. Legalization has changed the game. Everyone who used its illegality as a rationale for condemning its use has to now come to terms with this new reality. My cousin, Dr. Todd Miles, has written an excellent book from the Christian perspective on this new reality for the church, made more complicated by the fact that marijuana isn’t mentioned anywhere in the Bible!

For classical music, the conversation about cannabis has also shifted, and perhaps the analogy with the church’s situation is apt. Both are institutions with cultures that seek to preserve traditions. While Wine Wednesdays and Oktoberfests seem perfectly normal and appropriate invitations to experience music whilst lubricated, the idea of Classical Cannabis may seem like a bridge too far. To be perfectly honest, maybe it has to do with the fact that classical music already seems to last long enough without any help from intoxicants…

Frankly, drugs (especially alcohol) have always been a part of classical music since day one. Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique is the most famous example, and many composers these days openly embrace pot’s influence on their creative processes. It’s also true that people have been getting stoned and listening to all kinds of music forever, including classical music.

Then why does it feel transgressive that we publicly and purposefully connect classical music with cannabis? If The Grateful Dead announced a 4/20 concert, no one would bat an eye (though in their case I think every day is 4/20). When the Colorado Symphony presented their Classically Cannabis concert in 2014, it made national headlines!

For me, listening to Steve Reich’s incredible piece, Music for 18 Musicians, in college (while baked) was a game changer. Pure magic. A million little notes creating large waves of harmonies that unfolded like gorgeous sonic flowers. Getting the chance to work with Steve in PDX many years ago on that piece was the thrill of a lifetime. When it came time to choose the piece for our 4/20 concert, there could be no other.

For our concert, we’ll open with Oregon Symphony principal flutist Martha Long and OSO piccolo virtuoso Zach Galatis performing Vermont Counterpoint, accompanied by their own soundtrack of 9 recorded flutes.

Our goal with this project is to create an elegant concert event, and thus we are pleased to partner with GHIA (no-proof aperitifs), as well as high-end dispensaries Serra and Electric Lettuce. We will be serving up GHIA’s amazing Le Spritz complimentary, and all 21+ ticket buyers will receive a voucher for either Serra or Electric Lettuce.

For all the non-partakers out there (of which I now count myself), this program isn’t just for the mind-altered; this music is blissfully entertaining on its own. Steve once told me “If being entertaining was good enough for Mozart, it’s good enough for me.” Amen, I say!

Ron Blessinger
Executive Director, 45^th Parallel Universe