Photo by Sian Richards.
Tafelmusik’s double bassist since 1979, Alison Mackay, retires as a core orchestra member at the end of the current season. Her immersive multimedia fusion of Saxon and Arabic music, Tales of Two Cities: The Leipzig-Damascus Coffee House, returns to Koerner Hall from February 21 to 24, 2019, before embarking on a six-city tour of the United States. Tales of Two Cities is performed entirely from memory by Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra with narration by actor Alon Nashman, and classical Arabic music performed by Trio Arabica—Maryem Tollar, voice and qanun; Demetri Petsalakis, oud; and Naghmeh Farahmand, percussion. Details at tafelmusik.org.
JAMES STRECKER: Please tell us about a project that you have been working on. Why does it matter to you and why should it matter to us?
ALISON MACKAY: We are preparing now for a revival of our Tales of Two Cities concert, in which we travel back and forth between Bach’s city of Leipzig and the Syrian city of Damascus in the early 18th century, conjuring up two coffeehouses which are transformed through the magic of images and music.
Although the cities were 3,000 kilometres apart, Leipzig and Damascus shared several defining features. Because they were both situated at the crossroads of ancient highways, they became centres for famous trade fairs with visitors coming from far and wide to buy and sell goods.
They were also both important centres of scholarship and the dissemination of ideas. The University of Leipzig was one of the oldest in Europe and the city was an important centre for the publishing of fiction and works of theology, law, and philosophy. Damascus was an even more cosmopolitan hub of intellectual activity – scholars writing in Greek, Persian and Arabic travelled to the city to have their works on mathematics, astronomy and philosophy copied by famous scribes.
And in the eighteenth century, both cities enjoyed a lively coffeehouse tradition with people gathering to hear performances by the most accomplished musicians in town over the newly popular drink of coffee. The orchestra will be playing music by Telemann, Handel and Bach, who directed a coffeehouse ensemble in Leipzig.
The project also involves a deep connection with performers of Arabic classical music (Trio Arabica will be our guest artists for the performances), with the wonderful actor, Alon Nashman, and with a circle of international scholars who have been generous advisors in the creation of the programme and donors of the stunning images which are projected in the course of the concert.
The relationships which have been forged between the orchestra and these collaborators – relationships which continue to deepen – have given this project particular meaning for me and I am thrilled that it will be performed four times in Toronto and then on tour in the U.S., ending at Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles. It will be particularly exciting to explore the music with our new Music Director, Elisa Citterio, and a little nostalgic since it will be my last major tour with the orchestra before retiring at the end of this season.
I think the exploration of Syrian history and culture is important for us at the moment in Canada as we seek to welcome and understand the heritage of some of our newest Canadians. And I think that the contemplation, in the context of a concert performance, of the values which we all share has something important and perhaps uniquely Canadian to offer Tafelmusik’s international audiences.
JS: How did doing this project change you as a person and as a creator?
AM: Each time we have the opportunity to explore our repertoire in the particularly deep way that playing an orchestral concert from memory demands, I am humbled by the dedication and passion of my colleagues and inspired by the incredible virtuosity of our colleagues in Trio Arabica. Also, I want to try to be as generous with younger artists as the intellectual contributors to this project have been with me.
JS: What might others not understand or appreciate about the work you produce or do?
AM: A casual audience member might not be aware of the time it takes to research the history, choose the music in collaboration with the Music Director, write the script, choose the images and work with the wonderful image designer Raha Javanfar, and meet with Glenn Davidson, the brilliant lighting designer, and Marshall Pynkoski, the famous stage director.
But that is a good thing! I think the result should just be an enjoyable piece of entertainment, with the “learning” aspect light and palatable.
We musicians do feel a little deflated when audience members don’t notice that we are playing for a whole evening without music stands – it takes so many hours of work to get to that point!
JS: What are the most important parts of yourself that you put into your work?
AM: For me, the social context of music is endlessly fascinating and I try to convey the excitement I feel at discovering the tiny historical connections which shine light on the past.
I like to ponder the emotional effect each piece of music might have on the performers and the listeners. I like to try to choose repertoire that can be played repeatedly with pleasure over the long months of memorization and several years of touring.
I like to explore and celebrate the anonymous artisans, labourers and innovators whose contributions made and continue to make a life in the arts possible.
I like to see parallels between our modern condition and the conflicts and challenges of the past.
Most of all, I like to try to create a performance which is challenging but uplifting – sending the audience home on a wave of beautiful music.
JS: What are your biggest challenges as a creative person?
AM: I wish that I were better at learning foreign languages and I wish that I were a faster writer. And I wish I were better at ceding control to others!
JS: Imagine that you are meeting two or three people, living or dead, whom you admire because of their work in your form of artistic expression. What would you say to them and what would they say to you?
AM: I would love to have had dinner with Haydn to discuss life and art. I would love to have been an invisible spectator while Bach taught, directed and played the organ. I perhaps wouldn’t have directly conversed with Bach in case I didn’t end up liking him, (I really couldn’t bear that) but I might have asked someone else to ask him about the tempos he had in mind for all of his works that I love the most.
As far as what they might have said to me, they would definitely have both told me to practise more.
JS: Please describe at least one major turning point in your life that helped to make you who you are as a creative artist.
AM: One of the most inspiring experiences I have had was at the ancient mosque in Cordoba, Spain, which is now used as a Christian cathedral. (My husband) David and I went on a midnight tour with a group of about 20 visitors from all over the world. Our journey through the building was animated by dramatic lighting and historical music and narration (in each person’s native language), heard on earphones. The commentary and music were on the highest level – the whole experience was absolutely scholarly but absolutely accessible and beautiful. It has always remained a model event for me.
JS: What are the hardest things for an outsider to understand about your life as a person in the arts?
AM: Sometimes people imagine that music is a hobby – members of the orchestra are often asked how we earn our living. It’s not surprising perhaps, since we have something we love so much as our work….
On another note, once at a formal post-concert dinner a very rich person said to me “It must be a big treat for you getting to eat this nice food.” For some reason I found that very enraging.
JS: Please tell us what you haven’t attempted as yet that you would like to do in the arts? Why the delay so far?
I would like to create a piece of music theatre for children to act and sing in. Maybe some time I’ll have the time and the courage to do it.
JS: If you could re-live your life in the arts, how would you change it and why?
AM: I would have had more focus on technique and practising when I was very young. A friend of mine, who is a very accomplished performer, works as a practise coach for a young student for two hours every day. I wish I had had that!
JS: In your creative life thus far, what have been the most helpful comments you have heard about your work?
AM: Of course, kindly meant critical comments are always helpful. But in the larger picture, I would say that I’ve been helped most by the people who were encouraging – who helped me overcome my self-doubt!
JS: If you yourself were a critic of the arts discussing your work, be it something specific or in general, what would you say?
AM: Ha – good question! I’m not sure what I’d say about my work. But I always feel as if I sound like a complete egomaniac when responding to interview questions – if I were a critic of my answers, I think I’d be rolling my eyes by now!
JS: Finally, what do you yourself find to be the most intriguing and/or surprising things about you?
AM: It’s a little surprising that I don’t know how to drive – a bit pathetic for a bass player!