Cycle de séminaires « Regards sur la musique. Perspectives comparées», 1re session, en ligne, 15 janvier 2021, 14h30-16h (heure locale portugaise).

Organisé par le Centre d’Études Comparatistes de l’Université de Lisbonne, Marcos Cardão & Pénélope Patrix.

MÚSICA E CONFINAMENTO / MUSIC AND CONFINEMENT

João Pedro Cachopo (CESEM, Universidade Nova de Lisboa): « The Rebirth of Opera from the Spirit of Social Distancing? Challenges, Opportunities, and Prospects for the Future​ »

« Due to the current pandemic and the demands of social distancing associated with it – be it under lockdown or in the so-called new normal – the performing arts are facing an unprecedented crisis. What in the course of the last century became a possibility – the recourse to audiovisual technologies of recording and transmission – has suddenly appeared as a necessity of sorts. In this paper, I claim that this crisis represents not only a challenge but also an opportunity for the performing arts. On the one hand, there is no denying that the new constraints have had a strong, indisputably negative impact on the field. On the other hand, they have also lent themselves to new explorations. In the context of this debate, the well-worn dichotomy between pro- and anti-technology discourses – opposing accolades of the brave new world of digital connectivity to laments on the loss of authenticity and presence – begs for a subtler perspective on the very relationship between art and technology. If the pandemic-driven crisis also represents an opportunity for the performing arts, this has less to do with the marvels of live streaming than with the way in which certain restrictions have fostered artistic imagination and reopened the debate on what it means to perform and create music, theater, and opera. In order to develop this idea, I will turn to a few operatic examples: from Yuval Sharon’s Twilight: Gods to Marina Abramovic’s Seven Deaths of Maria Callas to David Pountney and Alex Woolf’s A Feast in the Time of Plague. »

Héloïse Rouleau (OICRM, Université de Montréal): « The Practice of Music During Pandemic Times in Quebec »

« In March 2020, the World Health Organization described the COVID-19 outbreak as a global pandemic, calling for social distancing, quarantine and confinement. The health crisis disrupted the musical environment in unprecedented ways. The complete cessation of live concerts forced actors from the community to react, as citizens, but also as professionals whose working conditions became, for an indeterminate period, unequivocally transformed. The moment we are currently going through can therefore serve as a forum for reflection on the evolution of musical environments. The study of musical activities in Quebec allows us to take a first look at what happened during the first months of the pandemic, to see how the situation can help us rethink more broadly the practices of institutions, musicians, audiences and teachers who actively participate in musical ecosystems. This short presentation will provide initial insights into the innovative actions of institutions and musicians “entrepreneurs”, the production of Web content during quarantine, the mental health of musicians and their confined audiences, and the upheavals in music education. We will investigate in further details the activities of the musical community during the first months of quarantine. A few examples of content posted online will help us challenge questions of representation and engagement in the production of virtual music performances. Finally, we will address the mental state and well-being of musicians during this crisis, and the potential resiliency factors that allowed them to pursue their professional practice. »