The Covid-19 crisis has been hard on all of us. It has affected everyone one way or another. Musicians are no different. Classical composer Mustafa Khetty has created a project for classical musicians who are currently out of work due to the crisis.
We caught up with Mustafa to ask him some questions about the project.
Hi Mustafa! You are currently working on a project helping classical musicians during the COVID-19 crisis. What can you tell us about it?
At our studio, musicians were facing difficulty in attending recording sessions. So, we decided to reach out and send them music sheets to record in their home studios. It appears some musicians have a near studio-quality set up. Manuel Villar, a professional multi-instrumentalist in Buenos Aires in Argentina was the first to respond and his home studio set up is reasonably good and we have started. There is another form of Ukraine, Portugal, and Spain.
How did you come up with the idea of creating this project?
In the pop/rock/hip hop etc. world it is normal and session musicians do have a reasonably good home studio. The classical world appears to be less and perhaps the Covid-19 has amplified the urgency and importance of a home studio set up.
I can imagine you’re receiving quite a lot of interest from classical musicians from across the world wanting to take part. Can you explain the creative process of creating the orchestra? How are you reaching out to musicians and then using what they create in the post-production process?
Recording solo parts is easy, ensembles are difficult but there is a way around it. Technology does enable a single part played four times (Cello section) to be dubbed together and with hardware and software plus sound samples, reach similar to a Cello section in an orchestra. Surreal but achievable. With violins, playing multiple parts 12 or more times can be challenging but even four is better than none.
What advice would you give to a classical musician who may be struggling to find the motivation to create music during this time?
Start being hip, invest in a home studio, it doesn’t break the bank and it could bring in revenues, a trickle at first but could be a gallop. Innovate and win!
If a classical musician is reading this interview right now and wishes to take part in the project, could you explain how they can get involved?
Contact me on submit@mustafakhetty.com.
When will the public be able to hear the outcome of this project? And once the orchestra is complete, where will they be able to hear all the hard work you and all these talented musicians have done?
We hope to have ‘Solace’, a short piece about the Pandemic, re-released in June once we have the parts recorded at home studios. It will be posted on the website and Spotify.
This project is a really good way to get to know other classical artists and see their talents. If everything goes according to plan, would you consider doing something similar in the future? If so, what would that be? Would you change anything?
Change before change changes you. Covid-19 has put barriers but for musicians, it need not be physical. If the discipline and background of classical music can be merged with the spontaneity of progressive rock and fusion with the help of the technology of the times we live in, that would be an interesting goal. This year is Beethoven’s 250th birth anniversary. A fusion composition of progressive rock with classical and electronic instruments recorded live, and with editing to synch sound and video post it on Youtube, website, and Facebook. We ought to break the sound and geographical barrier!
We’d like to thank Mustafa for talking to us about this fantastic project! If you’re a classical musician who is currently struggling with the current situation, be sure to get in touch with Mustafa now!
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