Performances as Affective Experiences
– Observation of outstanding musical performances by quartets show occasional mutual glances among the musicians that contribute to the harmony of the multimodal flow of information. They have to focus on the scores but also take into their gaze the moods and motions of their partners.
– You can meet these performers through a video announcing their program at the Festival of Lucerne (Switzerland):
– A master class by English conductor Benjamin Zander coaching a young cellist about how to convey proper emotions while performing Gabriel Faure’s Elegy. Note also the reactions of the audience: both their own facial expressions of emotions and the feedback they aim at the performer.
– “Presence”, concerto for cello and string orchestra by Latvian composer Peteris Vasks (born in 1946). Cellist: Sol Gabetta. This piece offers a range of musical contrastive emotions involving reflexivity, meditation, even spirituality. Observe the facial and other body expressions not only of the soloist but also the other musicians, notably when they do not perform but experience the music as listeners. This video includes many close-up portions but also some wider angles that provide a view of the orchestra from the point of view of the audience.