The Ambiguity of Sounds: The composer and pianist John Palmer

Sursee: the young composer and pianist John Palmer, along with other artists, collected his prize from the City and Canton of Lucerne yesterday. Who is John Palmer? Let us discover. As the name suggests, he is not a Lucerner by birth. He is, in fact, British. However, he has a close relationship with Lucerne. It was here that the now 33-year old man graduated in piano studies. From 1986 to 1990 he attended the Dreilinden Conservatory of Music, studying with Grazia Wendling and Eva Serman. Then his postgraduate studies in composition took him from Lucerne back to London, to Trinity College of Music and on to do a doctorate at City University in the same city. But in a way he is still with us, not having given up his residence in Lucerne. The first contact with Palmer reveals a sympathetic and serious man who thinks deeply about life and art, and formulates quite clearly his own philosophical thoughts. “Between Freedom And Discipline” - with this slogan he tries to live and conduct his musical work. It is extremely important to Palmer that life-style and artistic aims are in harmony with each other. He stresses the fact that his life until now, and particularly in his earlier years, has never suggested he should take anything for granted, and his music somehow is supposed to manifests his life-experiences.

PALMER'S WAY TO NEW MUSIC

Back in 1985, when he started composing, Palmer was a big fan of Chopin's music: “I didn't have a clue about Stockhausen.” The following five years in Lucerne brought about a gradual transformation and awareness which led him to new music. At first it began with a predilection for Debussy and Ravel. Later he discovered 12-tone music, “I found my way to this music by intellectual means: I began by reading books about it. This required discipline, but it worked well. With the time I learnt how to understand this music”. Later on in his musical exploration, Palmer came across John Cage, “It began with my decision to write my dissertation about this composer for the History of Music final year at the conservatory, much against the wishes of my teacher.” What followed was a 3-year friendship with the great musician which lasted until Cage's death. This association with John Cage made a great impression upon Palmer.
Up to two years ago electronic music still remained a taboo for him. “I discounted it because I thought it was artificial.” In this instance it was an English contemporary composer, Jonathan Harvey, who opened his eyes, “His music which works with traditional instruments combined with synthesizers and electronics, struck me considerably. For me it was like a door to a new world.” Today, Palmer is convinced that every young composer should consider electronic music, at least for a certain period. He also believes that it is very important for an audience to stretch its horizons and feels that British culture is already moving in this direction. In London there is a widespread sensibility towards electronic music, contrary to the situation here in Switzerland. One of Palmer's ambitions at the moment is to encourage a general awareness and acceptance of the synthesizer as an instrument in its own right. By taking it on stage he hopes the synthesizer will eventually gain the same status as traditional instruments. In some of his works, for example Omen for orchestra, John Palmer attempts to achieve a sonic unity through the subtleties of timbral transformations, both vocal and instrumental. It is the game of “ ambiguity of sounds”, as he puts it, which particularly fascinates him. Another example is the work Reflections where he uses real trumpet and piano sounds, together with their synthetic imitations.

PLADOYER FOR PLURALISM

What are the technical principles of John Palmer's compositions? “Well, they vary very much. Here again, it is a matter of my previously-mentioned principle of 'Freedom and Discipline'. I am not a follower of a fixed compositional technique, such as serialism, for example. I do not want to create music for the sake of technique.” At the beginning of his compositions the composer sets always an aim. Then he decides which technique he needs in order to achieve that aim. “For this reason I often create my own systems. I like to work with numbers; in Omen I have limited myself to only seven notes”. This is why in his oeuvre one can find works that have little in common stylistically. “I usually prefer rigorous forms, but a work like Spirits, for instance, has no traditional formal construction at all.” Today's musical world does no more end with Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen, says a happy John Palmer for being awarded right here in Lucerne.

Luzerner Zeitung, 25th January 1993, Christian Peter Meier (Translation by Roger Solomon)