Inside Vipassana #16: 'Cello Song with Will Martina and Lauren Riley-Rigby

Cello is my favorite string instrument. In college during my methods classes (this is where we learned how to teach each instrument by having to learn to play each instrument) I remember that semester excitingly walking with my cello every day 2 miles from the university campus bus stop to my home in order to practice. In my methods class we had French horn players, singers, pianists, clarinetists, and saxophonists like me; and all of us trying to make sense of bow grips and left hand positions. But I remember it all being great fun. Our teacher was the cello instructor of the university, so she actually had pretty high expectations which was wonderful because she really expected us to know how to play. She had us write arrangements for cello choir, which we, as a class, had to perform. I remember (and still have copies of) a number of my little compositions and arrangements. I was especially fond of two pieces: one which referenced the opening of the 1st Symphony of Brahms; the other, my arrangement of the opening of the Prelude from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde!

For my undergraduate senior saxophone recital I composed Urban Sketches for Alto Saxophone and Violoncello for a cello friend of mine and me to play (actually we used to have late night improvised jam sessions, the result of which lead me to actually composing a 'formal' piece, Urban Sketches, for us to play). I still love the piece (which you can hear at the above link) especially for how the cello and saxophone can be so sonically similar with a warmth of tone, as well as an easy flexibility and dexterity. One of the things on my 'to-do-someday' bucket list is to write a cello 'concerto' or a piece for cello choir or at least a major piece that features the cello in some fashion.

Now Vipassana doesn't specifically 'feature' the cello, except in a few spots, but my love of the instrument does come through in various passages. And for a number of years now I've been fortunate to have two wonderful cello players (and great persons) playing those passages with beauty and excellent musicianship: William Martina and Lauren Riley-Rigby. So I asked them a few questions about their experience with Vipassana.

---

---

Will Martina

How did you come to playing the cello? 
I often read about musicians who had a compulsion to play - or felt drawn to - their instrument. That's not how it was for me. I was quite young when my parents suggested I take up an instrument. I was given the choice of cello or piano and had a lesson on each to see which one I preferred. The piano teacher was a bitch (from my six year-old viewpoint), so it was an easy choice to make.

Both you and Lauren have played Vipassana for many years now, so how has performing it changed for you over the years? What challenges does that pose to you in the piece and how is it different (or similar) from other kinds of music you perform? What do you like about Vipassana?
I often say that playing Vipassana is much like my experience of doing yoga. On the surface it appears serene and relaxed, but under the surface there's a lot of strain and energy. It requires me to use my body as efficiently as possible. The same could be said for the mental aspect. Counting, listening, and going for a rhythmically tight but sonorous approach/sound requires more effort than one might think. Each time I come back to play Vipassana, I find some physical and mental muscles that might have atrophied since the last time and need some working out and special treatment until they start working again.

What do you find beautiful (or where do you find beauty)?
Everything, everywhere (or very near to it) has the potential to be beautiful, depending on one's ability to experience it. I do actively try to find beauty in the environment I inhabit (i.e. Queens). It's not easy.

What's your favorite Bjork and/or Gustav Mahler piece? Why?
I honestly don't have a favorite piece by either Bjork or Mahler, though I do like their music.

If you had a chance to perform with any musician/group in any style, who would it be and why?
I don't know where to begin. . .

What is a book(s) that have inspired you?
About ten years ago I devoured the novels of Herman Hesse, and while I don't have the same opinion about things now, they had an irreversible and positive affect on me at the time. Last year I read Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, and while it wasn't necessarily and 'inspiring' book, it clarified a lot of things I'd been thinking about, and I felt different (in a good way!) after having read it.

If you could be flying over any place in the world, where would it be? why?
The Rockies in Winter. I've done a fair bit of traveling, and seen all kinds of landscapes from planes, but the Rockies (between Calgary and Vancouver) was the most intense and awe-inspiring view of them all. I hope to do it again.

What was the last time you've had that numinous feeling about something?
Listening to the Coltrane album Crescent. Cheesy perhaps, but true.

What's next up for you in your own music career?
Same old - gigging and recording - for the foreseeable future. I'm not complaining, though.

---

---

Lauren Riley-Rigby

How did you come to playing the cello?
My discovery of the cello was one of two genuine, powerful, and life-changing revelations I've had in my life.  I was about 12 or 13, and I went to an outdoor Asheville Symphony concert.  Something was drawing me to the cello, and it was so powerful in fact that I totally gave up riding horses, something with which I had been passionately involved since about the age of 4.  So my parents sold my horse, and I started my journey towards becoming a cellist.  I wish I still had such moments of clarity!   

Both you and Will have played Vipassana for many years now, so how has performing it changed for you over the years? What challenges does that pose to you in the piece and how is it different (or similar) from other kinds of music you perform? What do you like about Vipassana?
Vipassana is one of my favorite pieces, especially for this type of ensemble.  It is such a unique combination of classical, jazz, and less definable musical elements.  There are some really serene, beautiful moments, and also some driving, groovy sections -- for a little while I was listening to the first and third movements on my long runs.  I do think the music has a distinctive spiritual element -- sometimes there is an emotional vibe that you can't quite put your finger on.  When I first heard/played it, there were spots that reminded me of Michael Nyman's music from Jane Campion's great film, The Piano. Great variations of moodiness, and with a strong sense of movement and direction.  I also love Joe's conducting.  Very beautiful to watch and easy to follow! 

There are a couple spots that are tricky technically (cello-wise), but mostly it's the counting that is a challenge.  As classical musicians, we're not too often called upon to read complicated rhythms or to feel time in multiple ways.  Jazz musicians are so beyond us, generally speaking, in this way. 

I'm a better cellist now than I was when I first played Vipassana (in 2006, I think), so some of the tricky repetitive figures are easier for me now...but still a good workout for the left hand!  Overall, a joy to play this piece.  It's also interesting to perform a piece multiple times.  I've done a million performances that were one-time deals, so it's quite rewarding to revisit this music in different venues, different times of year...

What do you find beautiful (or where do you find beauty)?
Mostly in nature and with my husband and family.  Western NC, coastal New England, Sweden, Ireland - all faves.  Also, sensual experience -- food & wine!!!   Flowers, autumn, winter, snow, trees, mushrooms, critters of all kinds...

What's your favorite Bjork and/or Gustav Mahler piece? Why?
The 2nd movement, Andante Moderato, of Mahler Sixth.  I had one of the most beautiful moments of my life listening to that movement. 

If you had a chance to perform with any musician/group in any style, who would it be and why?
I'd have to say Rasputina.  As a cellist who likes the music I do, there's no cooler band.  Plus, how could one not want to wear 19th century corsets while playing moody, neo-classical, rock-inspired cello?  It's something that could be totally cheezy & ineffective, but it's so not.  Rasputina rules.  I think Melora Creager (the creator of Rasputina) is a brilliant musician and has done something really unique with her band.  There's really no one out there doing what she's doing.  Her arranging is quite remarkable too.   

What is a book(s) that have inspired you?
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom; The best book I've ever read.  I love it so much, I may go so far as to regularly carry it on my person.

If you could be flying over any place in the world, where would it be? Why?
Denmark, Sweden, or Ireland -- three of the most beautiful places on the planet.

What was the last time you've had that numinous feeling about something?
Last night I was playing some Chopin Nocturnes that I studied years and years ago.  It was on my family's small butterfly grand piano, one that belonged to my great aunt.  My parents came in to listen and then my husband played a standard.  It was one of those moments where all of these memories and feelings intersect and time stands still. 

Tell us something fun or interesting about you that most people wouldn't know or suspect?
I am hoping to do my Master Gardener degree at the NY Botanical Gardens...just not right now, I've been in college way too long! 

What's next up for you in your own music career?
Not totally sure. I just finished my PhD, so in many ways I'm sort of jobless except for freelancing.  I do have an interesting concert with my quartet coming up in December.  We're doing Shostakovich, Glass, and a really interesting piece called Pannonia Boundless by Aleksandra Vrebalov, who wrote it for the Kronos Quartet.  The concert will be at Bloomingdale School of Music on the UWS, Dec. 10.  Other than that, it would be wonderful to tackle Bach's Sixth Suite and actually be able to play it really well!

You can learn more about Lauren at laurenrileyrigby.com/ 

Numinous performs Vipassana
Wednesday September 22nd, 2010 8 PM to 9 PM
$10  
Brooklyn Lyceum
227 4th Avenue
Park Slope
Take the M, R Train to Union Street

Learn more about Vipassana by reading the other installments of theInside Vipassana series:

2010 series
Inside Vipassana #11: Vipassana Reborn (recap of the 2009 Inside Vipassana series)

Inside Vipassana #12: Bang a Gong with Jared Soldiviero (Numinous percussionist speaks about Vipassana)

Inside Vipassana #13:  Ever changing stillness (behind the melodies of Stillness Flows Ever Changing)

Inside Vipassana #14: Electric Lady (Amanda Monaco, Guitar, and Vipassana)

Inside Vipassana #15: The Dharma in Music (Vipassana, a journey of reflection)

(photo credit, top to bottom: photo of Lauren and Will by Donald Martinez; photo of Will by Donald Martinez; photo of Lauren by Colleen Chrzanowski)

POSTED BY NUMINOUS AT 8:00 AM 

---