The value of the music video in the digital era

At a time when the digital environment has become a flourishing context for artistic and cultural activity, the exploration of its implications for the outreach of classical music has emerged as a growing area of interest within the classical music community. Fueled and inspired by the immeasurable potential for connection and self-expression offered by the digital era, classical musicians now have the opportunity to explore the creative possibilities offered by a wide variety of social media platforms and dedicated online spaces — from online concert broadcasting or practice vlogging to the production of comedic classical-themed sketches or playing technique video tutorials, the way we make, think of and share classical music has become more digital and audiovisual than ever before.

©Nadja Pollack

Among the extensive pool of content, concepts and formats within the audiovisual realm, the music video has always stood out to me as a particularly captivating art form in and of itself. Like most children born in the 90s, I was raised exposed to a world in which digital media, music, literature, film and TV were all dominated by mainstream popular culture. At this time music videos were already a well-established format within the popular music industry, a trend that has skyrocketed over the last two decades to reach unprecedented levels of popularity among both artists and audiences across the globe. Immersed in this cultural context, I grew up fascinated by the audiovisual content generated by music artists through the 00s, intrigued by the experience of not only listening to but also watching music and performance. I developed a keen interest in exploring the format in the context of classical music, which later led up to the project of creating a video featuring J.S. Bach’s Chaconne.

Often referenced as a ‘monumental’ work and as a ‘masterpiece’ of the Western music canon, Chaconne is hailed as ‘the greatest structure for solo violin that exists’ (Yehudi Menuhin) or as ‘not just one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, but one of the greatest achievements of any man in history’ (Joshua Bell). This piece, the fifth and final movement on Johann Sebastian Bach’s second Partita for Violin Solo No. 2 in D Minor (BWV 1004) is widely considered to represent the pinnacle of J.S. Bach’s works for solo violin. 

The responsibility of dealing with a cultural legacy of this magnitude can be very intimidating when working on the Chaconne. Well in advance of coming up with a visual concept or planning for the technical demands of the filming, the music itself was the great main challenge to be met, and I faced this challenge with excitement, enthusiasm, a great deal of experimentation, and the relentless support of my mentors.

This developing relationship with the music needed to find its visual interpretation, and a desire to film the performance of the piece in a way that felt appropriate for and in tune with its musical grandeur led most of the decisions I made through the entire process. Upon teaming up with the Holland Brothers and getting on with the initial concept, one of our biggest challenges was finding the right filming location, which we wanted to stand in complete harmony with the music itself.

Still under Covid lockdowns and restrictions, finding a concert venue to film in during the pandemic was a lengthy and difficult process. Many potential options were considered across the UK for several months until the Theatre Royal Brighton opened its doors to us. The wait was absolutely worth it. The space turned out to generate a great environment for the piece, and the managing and technical teams at the theatre were incredibly welcoming and supportive, greatly contributing to the experience of filming this video.

Projects of this nature are bound to be extremely rewarding — regardless of the approach taken, these inevitably push musicians to think of the works we perform in ways we may have not considered before, nurturing our sense of hunger for further creative exploration.

Today more than ever, it is up to us to play with the inexhaustible landscape of possibilities that our audiovisual culture and its contextual digital era offer for us to find exciting new ways to express, make and share classical music.

Watch Rebeca Nuez Suarez perform the Chaconne from J.S. Bach’s Partita for Violin Solo No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004 here: