Along with the respect and admiration of fans and colleagues, Māksliniece can also list three of the highest awards in the form of awards that a living artist can receive in the United States. And the list of achievements would not end soon. But perhaps more important is another conclusion, which the already mentioned philosopher expressed in other circumstances, but still thinking about Meredith Monk:
“She belongs to that special breed of New York intellectuals and artists who share a number of common traits despite belonging to a particular genre, direction, fashion, group or era. One of these features is the belief in the artist’s right to complete freedom. The other is absolute individualism.”
Born in New York in 1942, Monk studied at Sarah Lawrence College and began her voice exploration journey in the early 1960s. At the same time, this led her to the active art life and various communities in the city at the time, and kept her apart, because in music, performances, films and other art actions, Meredith Monk always tries to do everything herself.
For a long time, the artist has devoted her main attention to unaccompanied vocal works. Or, if the accompaniment has been chosen, it is most often keyboard instruments. At the upcoming concert evening in Riga, Monka will perform together with John Hollenbeck – a long-time partner in music and a like-minded person who, since arriving in New York several decades ago, has become a recognized member of the local jazz scene and a sought-after percussionist in various projects.
“Her inimitable ululating and cooing, dizzying twists, falls, screams and other wordless acrobatics – it all sounds so natural, attention-grabbing and important,” said the well-known British music reviewer and essayist Tom Service. In a completely different conversation, Māksliniece replied as if to complement it:
Tags: ocean voices person American musician Meredith Monk perform Hanza platform
