Leila Bordreuil
Where are you now?
At home in Brooklyn.
Where would you be ?
Touring in Europe.
What have you been doing lately?
Stretching time. Doing things slowly, meticulously, and thoughtfully. I’ve also formed a much deeper and unprecedented relationship with my cats, who’ve been quarantined their whole lives!
What are you hearing right now?
I am writing this in my backyard, where I spend a lot of time soaking up the sun and practicing deep listening. Currently, the backyard seems deafeningly quiet. The city rumble is gone. Yet the birds have gone wild, chirping a lot more than usual. And in the background, the ambulance sirens sound all day and night — a grim reminder that 800+ people have died in New York City in the past 24hrs. New York's urban rumble has been a motor behind my music, which took a very noisy turn when I moved to here. Creating new work in this disquieting and symbolically charged soundscape has been unsettling, to say the least.
Are you taking advantage of this containment period to make music?
Yes of course. Since many of my performances are cancelled or postponed, I’ve actually been taking a moment to play and compose freely with no sense of tangible outcome. For instance, I’ve been revisiting the Rachmaninoff Cello Sonata and the Prokofiev Cello Sonata, which I’ll never perform in public. And of course the Bach Suites, but I generally practice those anyway. I’ve been doing more visual art too, which also has no public outcome, and that’s been really relaxing.
How will the world be after all this?
Tough question! I hope that capitalism falls on its face. And not being able to buy anything in the world capital of consumerism has certainly been an interesting experience. But unfortunately I think capitalism might just come out of this stronger. The monopoly the tech industry has on our daily lives and social relationships just took a huge leap, and that’s something that cannot be undone. On a more positive note, this is also a golden opportunity for social change, and we should all be taking advantage of that.
How can we support the music community?
Step One: boycott Spotify! And then of course, purchasing music or merch from an artist or label directly is the best way to support them. Otherwise, Bandcamp is the most ethical platform for streaming and purchasing music at the moment.
Five musical recommendations ?
Marina Rosenfeld - Plastic Materials
Pharoah Sanders - Tauhid
Sergei Rachmaninoff - Cello Sonata (interpreted by Rostropovich and Horowitz)
Tourette - Jardin du Sommeil Chant d'Amour sur la Nuit Grandissante
Bill Nace - Both
One book ?
Anything by J.G. Ballard will turn your quarantine into an aesthetic (especially Concrete Island).
What will you do when you're out?
Go to the beach!
Link:
https://leilabordreuil.bandcamp.com/album/headflush
