ESSENCE. EXPRESSION. E/MOTION

ESSENCE. EXPRESSION. E/MOTION 

Head of Studies for Musical Theatre education and singer Lone Baltzer focusses on how to revitalize a pop material into new artistic expressions by analyzing and understanding the artistic core of a pop song. 

This Artistic Research project takes its point of origin within popular music. The study aims at exploring how we, as artists, are able to revitalize original work without losing its emotional essence.

By using varying practical and research-based methods the project investigates and creates technical as well as artistic immersion. The aim is to create and heighten the technical and artistic awareness through conducting several practical and also process-based experiments. Lone Baltzer’s practice is based on original popular song material and its effect on us. Therefore, part of the investigation will be focusing on how we, as humans, obtain and perceive music.

The project focusses on producing a technically deeply rooted method for decoding a song and to produce tangible professional methods (technical and artistic) to work with reinterpretation. All with the view to maintain the song’s original emotional essence, with great respect for both singer and songwriter.

Lone Baltzer:

"I will be working with particular musical parameters and effects used for revitalization and I will be examining the process of creating new work with a focus on discovering the point of balance. Are there limits to the degree to which we can change and modulate a song without losing its emotional essence? Will effects that initially seemed useful prove themselves to be obstructive at a later stage?
My first task will be to define and create the right wording. This is why the word 'essence' and the phrase 'emotional essence' must be identified in correlation with this particular examination.

Are we able to compare renditions with other familiar objects – eg. food?

We must examine what happens if we contextualize a song and its essence in comparison with other art forms – how would we then describe our findings?"

STUDY PROCESS

The study process consists of three phases:

• Essence research and determination of the music’s core and essentiality
• Reflection, dissection and musical parameters
• The piece reinterpreted
   

ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANTS

• Reflection partners: Susanne Hjelm Pedersen and Ralf Richardt Strøbech
• Partners for discussion: Ulla Ankerstjerne, Martin Konge, Mikal Larsen and Sheri Sanders + seven 2nd year students (Musical Theatre)

Project period 

June 2018 - March 2019