Brian Grazer compares Michael to Mozart on the Morning Show today...

Hopefully the book will have some nice excerpts about his conversations with Michael.
 
Ive thought for some time Mozart and Michael had parallels in comon. Even though I disagree with some of the statements posted in this blog entry,I found the comparison between these two giant geniuses very interesting.


Michael and Mozart: A Corresponding Virtuosity
(Article by Sherry Davis; www.moderndaymozartian.com)

michael_jackson_chez-mozart.jpg


*This entry was originally posted on July 29, 2009. I've made edits and additions to the content since this time, which I believe augment the topic tremendously. Per an update today (8/2/11), I've decided to re-publish for your review and enjoyment. Thank you! -Sherry

A striking image depicting the fictional meeting of musical prodigies Wolfgang Mozart and Michael Jackson. This photo was taken in 1997 at the Grévin Museum in Paris where Michael's waxed likeness is also on display. It takes my breath away for its implications and imaginings. There exists an uncanny congruence between the two artists, both of whom died in a cloud of suspicion while on the verge of revivals, which followed unwarranted plateaus.

Before pursuing a single detail about their biographical similarities, a strong relationship between these artists can be drawn simply from their names. Mozart's name "Gottlieb" ("Amadeus") means "Beloved of God." The name "Michael" is commonly translated as "Who Is Like God?" which expresses a question or rather an inquisition to inspire humans to seek the identity of God. Indeed, the music created by these two individuals has evoked spirituality amongst listeners to a degree of great significance. It may be a Mozart mass or one of Michael's humanitarian anthems, but one thing is for certain: millions have been inspired and fulfilled spiritually by their music. A quote by Sir Georg Solti is appropriate to mention here: "Mozart makes you believe in God - much more than going to church - because it cannot be by chance that such a phenomenon arrives into this world and then passes after thirty-six years, leaving behind such an unbounded number of unparalleled masterpieces."

And yet another similarity can be drawn before delving into biographical beginnings, and that is their success in 20th Century popular culture. The 1980s represented a decade of significant popular and critical acclaim for both artists, especially the year 1984. The Mozart revival was led by Milos Forman's film "Amadeus" and Falco's hit tune, "Rock Me Amadeus," while the decade itself generally embraced 18th Century themes in fashion and culture. This simply reinforced and popularized Mozart's existing worldwide renown. Meanwhile, Michael was busy securing his status as a global phenomenon. In 1984, "Thriller" won a record-breaking 8 Grammy Awards. "Amadeus" was released in 1984 and won 8 Oscar Awards.

Michael was the seventh child in his family, as was Mozart. Lucky number seven! As children, they possessed a musical maturity which granted fluency of expression. Daines Barrington of London's Royal Society wrote a detailed report in 1770 about Mozart's ability to extemporaneously capture emotions such as love in his music, emotions that he could have hardly experienced himself at nine years of age. The same applies to little Michael. Motown's Berry Gordy described him singing "Who's Lovin' You" by Smokey Robinson: "He sang it with the sadness and passion of a man who'd been living the blues and heartbreak his whole life."
In addition to playing the violin and keyboard, Mozart also sang on tour as a prodigy. By contemporaneous accounts, he had a softer, delicate voice, but it was incredibly powerful when necessary. The same can be said of Michael's vocalizations. I stumbled upon this image while conducting research and thought it would be interesting to include here. The portrait of Mozart dates from Rome in 1770 and is unauthenticated, but it's still enjoyable to employ imagination alongside the authenticated photo of Michael. It's uncannily significant to note that even the authenticated portraits of Mozart vary as greatly as the photos of Michael Jackson throughout his career.

mm1.jpg


For all of the doting and fame that ensued, these artists remained sensitive and concerned about being loved. As a child, Mozart was inquisitive and would constantly ask others if they loved him. It seemed to be his utmost concern. Andreas Schachtner, Salzburg court musician and friend, said, "He would often ask me ten times in one day if I loved him, and when I sometimes said no, just for fun, bright tears welled up in his eyes, so tender and kind was his good heart." Michael said in his 1993 interview with Oprah: "I love what I do and I would love people to love what I do and to be loved. I just simply want to be loved wherever I go." And in terms of romantic love, it seems by all accounts that both of these young men were hopeless romantics, articulating that their lives would ultimately be incomplete without love and family.

An excerpt from Henri Gheon's In Search of Mozart captures the essence of a child prodigy's incessant need to feel loved: "We are told that Mozart, dragged all over Europe from the age of six, exhibited like a performing dog before kings, overloaded with flattery, presents and kindness, often asked those who seemed interested in him the naive question, 'Do you love me?' It was his greatest need. Even before his genius had time to mature, he was discarded like a plaything which no longer amused. At each stage in his life he had to be remade. With each proof, a new proof was required."

The fathers of enterprise ruled as strict disciplinarians and held rigorous schedules to cultivate the qualities of genius they discovered from their sons. Both Michael and Mozart were estranged from their paternal patronage at the end of their lives, but despite having experienced complicated father-son relationships, they were both deeply involved in the lives of their own children as exceptional fathers. Michael had two sons and Mozart had two sons (who survived into adulthood). Both artists highly regarded arts/music education for their children and they implanted the foundation themselves. There are numerous accounts, by journalists, friends and family members, describing the loving environment Michael provided. Moments were often musical and his voice could be heard accompanying playtime. "He taught them about art and music," said the Jackson family attorney. "They are bright, they are so intelligent, they’re so talented. They are just wonderful children. They are a reflection of Michael Jackson."

As for Mozart, it was unheard of for an 18th Century father to be so attentive and nurturing. His final letter to his wife in October 1791 concerns his elder son Karl's manners, his studies at the boarding school and their trip to the opera together. Danish actor Joachim Daniel Preisler visited the Mozart family once on a Sunday and wrote about his experience there: "This small man and great master improvised twice on a pianoforte with pedal, and so wonderfully, so wonderfully it staggered belief! He interwove the most difficult passages with the loveliest themes. His wife cut quill pens for the copyist, a pupil composed, and a little boy of four walked about the garden singing recitatives. In short, everything surrounding this splendid man was musical!"

Mozart's father was dishonest about Wolfgang's age to prolong his childhood novelty. Michael's biographer Taraborrelli says that "Motown's public relations team claimed that Jackson was nine years old, two years younger than he was, to make him appear cuter and more accessible." This came at a great price. Their publics readily reminded them that they preferred their former, younger selves, which made growing up markedly painful. Mozart wrote about this from Paris: "...these stupid Frenchmen think I am still seven years old." He was no longer the cherubic prodigy, but a pockmarked young man with disproportionate features, namely a larger nose. Even a newspaper had called him "Great-nosed Mozart."

Also facing an aesthetic transition, Michael dealt with severe acne and resulting taunts about his appearance during adolescence. Like Mozart, his nose was a prime target. He was teased relentlessly as "big nose" and "ugly." In an interview in 2003, Michael talked about how affected he was by a woman who kept asking, "Where's little Michael?" She had scanned the crowd and easily overlooked him. When somebody finally pointed him out, she glared at the teenager's face and said, "Ewww! What happened to YOU?" This clearly had a profound affect. "I could have died right there," he said solemnly in the interview, several decades later.


Michael and Mozart shared a love of dancing and they learned this art form as children. Mozart's first public performance was not as a musician, as you would easily assume, but as a dancer at age five in a Latin play, Sigismundus Rex, the same age Michael began his own career. His love of dance is well documented by contemporaries and by his own admission. In fact, Mozart's friend, Irish tenor Michael Kelly, wrote in his memoirs that "His talent lay in that art (dance) rather than in music." That's quite a statement for history's greatest composer!

Dance only occupied a part of their energetic existence. Such playful dispositions inevitably led to games and pranks, a sense of humor that provided a necessary diversion to musical genius and all that it entailed. It was a ritual for Michael to surprise his crew with water balloons and flying whipped cream pies after wrapping up on the set of a short film. There are countless stories of Michael's antics at Neverland, many of which you can see in videos made public online. Mozart created many jokes in his music and through word play. Schachtner once said: "But before he had begun music, he was so ready for any prank spiced with a little humor that he could quite forget food, drink and all things else." And in this similarity, they shared a deeper level of congruence, which was the loss of a childhood that was sacrificed for musical genius. This inspired the incorporation of child-like innocence, fantasy and nostalgia into the dramatic narrative of their musical contours, almost as a means of auto-biographical catharsis. "Give Mozart a fairytale, and he creates without effort an immortal masterpiece." (Camille Saint-Saëns, Portraits and Souvenirs)

For all of the accolades and superstardom, there was an equitable amount of criticism. Many critics felt that the work of Michael and Mozart was too lavish, grandiose, extreme and novel for audiences. For instance, in January 1787, the Viennese correspondent of the "Magazin der Muzik" reported of Mozart: "He is the best piano player I have ever heard; but it is a pity that in his ingenious and really beautiful compositions he goes too far in his attempt to be new, so that feeling and sentiment are little cared for. His new quartets, dedicated to Haydn, are too strongly spiced - and what palate can stand for that long?" Due to such criticisms, both undoubtedly faced pressure to conform to the musical conventions of their day. Michael conformed to the Motown machine in his earlier years and developed independence along the way while Mozart had to conform on certain commissions. A Leipzig publisher once wrote to Mozart: "Write in a more popular style, or I can neither print nor pay for anything of yours!"

An affinity for opulent fashion was also a shared likeness and it's one of my favorite topics to discuss about these gentlemen. Michael and Mozart both performed for crowned heads and found themselves courting aristocratic circles, respectively. Their sense of fashion was not influenced by this societal notion, but it was rather an outlet of creativity and imagination where they naturally excelled, inventing and re-inventing themselves as spectacles, men of the theatrical realm. Michael liked military details because they "demand attention...have clean lines and they fit almost like dance clothes," explained tailor Michael Bush. Mozart's contemporaries noted that his dress was often garish and this has certainly been said of Michael's stylistic preferences.

"Mr. Mozart was an extremely eccentric and absent-minded young man, but not without a certain spirit of pride. He was very popular with the ladies, in spite of his small size; he had a most unusual face, and he could cast a spell on any woman with this eyes..." noted Luigi Bassi, a singer in Mozart's operas. Mozart biographer Piero Melograni also made an excellent point which I think can be attributed to both artists: "It is true that Wolfgang always sought to compensate for his physical limitations by an elegance in dress. The care he took with his clothing and his hair must have helped him deal with the powerful on an equal basis."

The photo below from the LA Times (May 26, 2005) depicts Michael's penchant for 18th Century fashion. He wore many elaborate silk waistcoats and jacquard designs. He even wore pieces of British and Austrian regalia (Mozart was Austrian).


And perhaps even more fulfilling are the photos my friend Jacqueline Marie sent to me of her 1994 issue of Black and White magazine which capture Michael posing in 18th Century gentleman's attire.

costume_wideweb__430x322.jpg


192965_249219961768803_109276845763116_919381_7678285_o%25282%2529.jpg


289173_249237161767083_109276845763116_919394_59072_o.jpg



Michael and Mozart reveled in the fact that their music brought joy and happiness to others. Taking on various forms of prejudice, such as racism, classism and elitism, they were all the more happier to deliver progressive sentiment with their artistry. Michael's lyrics and monumental humanitarian efforts speak for themselves. He expressed sincere love and appreciation for his admirers at every turn. And it's impossible to forget the vivacious remark by Mozart about his revolutionary opera "Le Nozze di Figaro" living in the streets of Prague amongst average folks, away from the exclusivity of aristocratic salons. "I looked on with the greatest pleasure while all these people flew about in sheer delight to the music of my Figaro, arranged as quadrilles and waltzes. For here they talk about nothing but Figaro. Nothing is played, sung, or whistled but Figaro. No opera is drawing like Figaro. Nothing, nothing but Figaro. Certainly a great honor for me!"

Indeed, brotherhood was of immense importance to these artists, both personally and professionally. Mozart was a member of the Viennese Masonic lodges "Zur Wohltaetigkeit" ("Beneficence") and "Zur Neugekroenten Hoffnung" ("New Crowned Hope") and also attended meetings at the lodge "Zur wahren Eintracht" ("True Concord"). The lodge was full of intellectuals and progressives who wanted equality for all, an end to aristocratic society. Beneficence, New Crowned Hope and True Concord certainly describe Michael's personal philosophy and philanthropic mission as well as the sentiment captured in his songs such as Heal the World and Will You Be There. As Schubert famously exclaimed, "What a picture of a better world you have given us, Mozart!"

Both artists were connected to Africa personally and professionally. Michael used rhythms, dance and incorporated the African language of Swahili as lyrical content. Mozart was influenced by Afro-French composer and violinist Joseph Bologne (Le Chevalier de Saint-George) on an early visit to Paris. Mozart was especially inspired in regards to his writing for violin as Bologne was a virtuoso on this instrument. Bologne's gifts were great, but his advancements were hindered by prejudice. He became known as "Le Mozart Noir" ("The Black Mozart"). In 2005, a film was made about his life entitled, "Le Mozart Noir: Reviving a Legend." Mozart also had an esteemed African colleague in Vienna, but his name unfortunately escapes me. I came to know of him when I saw his portrait hanging in Mozart's apartment museum (Mozarthaus) in Vienna a few years ago. This connection demonstrates that although great musical artists may seem worlds apart across time, geography and genre, they are all bound by the same fibers of genius and humanity.

Despite such lavish success, thoughts of premature death were articulated. "I never lie down at night without reflecting that, young as I am, I may not live to see another day," Mozart wrote at age 31. Towards the end of 1791, Mozart became convinced of his demise, despite his wife Constanze's efforts to redirect him. Something very similar had happened in Michael's case. According to former wife Lisa Marie Presley, Michael told her (while also in his 30s) that he thought he would die early like her father, Elvis Presley. She wrote on her blog after Michael's death: "At some point he paused, he stared at me very intensely and he stated with an almost calm certainty: 'I am afraid that I am going to end up like him.' I promptly tried to deter him from the idea, at which point he just shrugged his shoulders and nodded almost matter of fact as if to let me know, he knew what he knew and that was kind of that."

Mozart's father had also articulated concern for his son's early demise. "Your countenance...was so grave that many intelligent persons, seeing your talent so early developed and your face always serious and thoughtful, were concerned for the length of your life," Leopold wrote in a letter to his son.
Michael and Mozart worked tirelessly, often neglecting their own care, as they faced various ailments and rigorous performance schedules over the years. Physical appearance seemed to trumpet the end. Josepha Duschek described her friend Mozart in September 1791 on his visit to Prague, three months before he died: "His face looked like cheese and his eyes were dark and full of melancholy." In the concert film, This Is It, Michael did not look well in some scenes, and members of his creative team expressed concern about his health in those final weeks.

Doctors did not agree conclusively on Mozart's cause of death and they still don't agree. As recently as August 2009, at a time when Michael's death was being heavily debated, the investigation into Mozart's cause of death surfaced and made headlines worldwide. "What Really Killed Mozart?" questioned the New York Times. It could have easily been, "What Really Killed Michael?" The ambiguous deaths of two of the world's biggest names in music history, although 218 years apart, had entirely monopolized the media.

It has been long believed that Mozart died of rheumatic fever, but the latest medical studies show that it was likely from strep throat complications. Due to funeral customs of the day, Mozart was buried in an unmarked communal grave, a location that has never been established. At present, the circumstances surrounding Michael's death are still being debated, and as is the case with Mozart, it seems as though we may never know the entire truth.

In his interview with Good Morning America in August 2008, Michael said he hoped to "be myself" in future works. He was planning a film adaptation and a classical music album amongst other projects. Mozart reflected quite similarly during his final illness: "I must leave my art now that I am no longer a slave to fashion, am no longer tied to speculators; when I could follow the paths along which my spirit leads me, free and independent to write only when I am inspired. I must leave my family, my poor children, just when I would have been in a better position to look after their welfare." Mozart's referring here to financial debt that was to be eradicated by these new commissions and opportunities, just as Michael's This Is It tour was also to remove a significant financial burden. Amongst ideas and plans Mozart had for the future? Just like Michael, tour performances in London.

An excellent question to entertain here is whether or not Michael himself acknowledged any kind of relationship to the Salzburg genius. He mentioned listening to his music in interviews, but did he feel a connection biographically or artistically? Perhaps we'll never know for sure, but I found some interesting evidence concerning this topic from artist, Dagmar Herrman, via the Fine Art America website, where his work is featured. "This one, the 'Pop Mozart' is one of the two paintings Michael Jackson himself has chosen and I delivered it to him personally in 2002, Berlin, Hotel Adlon. In my artworks dedicated to Michael Jackson, I tried to show a deeper insight in the tragedy and loneliness of his life, but nevertheless the glance and the expression and passion that he presented in his art too. I did it with my honest admiration and the respect he deserves."

By+Dagmar+Hermann+Chosen+by+Michael+2002.jpg


These are striking parallels, to be sure, but the greatest denominator in terms of their art, in my opinion, is their passion, mastery and innovation of musical drama (another topic deserving of its own attention!). As the greatest of opera composers, Mozart redefined the genre. With his theatrical stage performances and short films, Michael redefined popular music with sentiment, sophistication and intelligent craftsmanship, adding new dimensions of depth and creativity. As Michael once said, "Today's cutting edge is tomorrow's classic."

I think it's appropriate to close with a quote from Wolfgang Hildesheimer, which is applicable to both artists. "The riddle of Mozart is precisely that 'the man' refuses to be a key for solving it. In death, as in life, he conceals himself behind his work."

Sherry
 
While I've read the comparison of Michael to Mozart before, I've never read that piece. It was fascinating reading. Thank you for posting that!
 
I watched this interview this morning on GMA-happened to have it on, so I was surprised I caught it-and then I looked up Grazer's book on Amazon and it showed an excerpt from the same story about Michael.

Personally, I was delighted that he talked about Michael "becoming Mozart" and professorial when discussing how to make music. We've all heard other people like Brooke ******* among others say that he "becomes this genius" when talking about his music-his voice lowers, and it's obviously his passion to discuss. We've had the pleasure of hearing this for ourselves in his depositions. I wish all of his interviews were like those depositions-to get inside that mind and hear how music is created.

What struck me as "weird" about the whole thing was Brian Grazer himself-he said Michael was wearing two white gloves, and he asked him to take them off before they started talking. And Michael took them off-and he said that changed everything for him. I guess I just didn't get that part-why was it so important to him to have those gloves removed? Also, was wondering why they met in the first place and when? Was this a meeting that came out of Michael's film career dream? Was it for a soundtrack Grazer wanted to talk to him about for a movie he was producing? But I don't know.
 
I've also wondered if the "music haunting Michael's soul" was something like this clip from Amadeus... he always said he could hear all the parts of his music in his head... just fascinating, the parallels between Mozart and Michael.

 
That radio program is not available in my country... :(

Just notice how Michael is a heavy weight in music, he gets compared with the most brilliant and successful child prodigy as Wolfgang Amadé Mozart still is. I wish Michael's vast and beautiful legacy enjoys the same perpetuation Mozart has had.

I found an interview with Sherry Davis and Joe Vogel in 2011 discussing about Michael and Amadé.


Sherry: It’s truly a pleasure to meet you and to have the opportunity to share this dialogue with others in hopes of advancing the study, understanding and recognition of this very deserving topic. Congratulations on your upcoming release! Does this work address Michael’s classical preferences or influences in any manner?



Joe: Thank you very much, Sherry. It’s my pleasure. I do discuss some of his classical interests in the book. Michael began listening to classical composers at a very young age and his love for it continued throughout his life. He tended to be drawn to work with strong melodies and a vibrant or dramatic emotional quality. He often liked pieces that were attached to or evoked some kind of visual representation. Most of his favorite modern composers (Copland, Bernstein, Barry, John Williams) did films scores, ballets or musicals. His all-time favorites were probably Debussy, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, and Mozart.




A Corresponding Virtuosity
Sherry: You mentioned that you enjoyed reading some of my entries. Did you learn anything new from Michael and Mozart: A Corresponding Virtuosity?




Joe: You drew out some wonderful parallels. I just recently finished a piece on Michael’s Dangerous album, which was a real artistic turning point for Michael, so I enjoyed the parts where you talked about their shared desire for total creative freedom. It’s not an easy thing to follow your creative vision when there are so many pressures (commercial, corporate, family, conventions, fads, etc.) that seek to box you in. Not to mention the negative response from critics. Your quote from a Leipzig publisher about Mozart—"Write in a more popular style, or I can neither print nor pay for anything of yours!"—was a sentiment often leveled at Michael.




Music, Drama and Ideas
Sherry: In a reflective entry I published two summers ago, The M Icon: My Story, I described Michael Jackson: “He was a significant part of my early artistic life, instilling in my childhood compass the righteous marriage of music, drama and ideas. He redefined the popular music genre with the deliverance of autobiographical sentiment, sophistication and intelligent craftsmanship, adding new dimensions of depth and creativity.”




Music, drama and ideas. The same is true of Wolfgang Mozart, whom I also came to adore for the same reasons. With the conceptualization of works that challenged the status quo such as Mozart’s “Figaro” and Michael’s “Black or White,” they were musical protagonists, shouldering a great weight of social ideology through the performance art of their time, delivering grand fantasy and escapism in the same flourish.




The extensive study you’ve undertaken for Michael’s “Earth Song” reveals a rich tapestry of musical genres, social and historical references. I wholeheartedly agree that no other artist could ever embody the plight of our planet as well as Michael did with this work. Is it any coincidence that its creation began in Vienna, where Mozart composed the immortal anthem of “Figaro?” When I watched the trailer for your study on “Earth Song” and heard Lacrimosa from Mozart’s Requiem, I knew you understood.




So, is this the ultimate common denominator? Is this why they are so profoundly beloved, because they spoke directly to their audience, in advocacy of their audience, and in cathartic escape for their audience?




Joe: You’ve captured it eloquently. People seek many things in art and music, but what makes an artist like Michael Jackson (and Mozart) so resonant for me is its soul. There is a component to their work that is intensely pleasurable and that is important; but whatever the emotion, whether absolute despair or transcendence or some strange combination, they allow you to feel alive and in tune with what Emerson calls the “Over-soul.” You hear the music and suddenly have that feeling, Yes! Yes! This is the way it is! It often captures something so deep and profound it can’t be expressed in words. But the really beautiful thing is when you can identify some of those connections and see, as you put it, the “rich tapestry.”




Nature and Nurture
Sherry: Mozart learned how to read and articulate musical notation at a very early stage in his childhood, but prior to gaining this knowledge, it was clear that he was naturally gifted. Michael displayed precociousness at the same tender age, but unlike Mozart, he never learned how to read music. He later stated in interviews that he felt it wasn’t necessary. I’m not suggesting that his music lacked in any way because he didn’t receive this particular educative source, but I wonder how his music and artistry would have been different had he achieved fluency, particularly in regards to incorporating classical sentiment.




Could he have possibly been more influenced by masters like Mozart if he knew the art of composition? Instead of using an excerpt from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony to preface “Will You Be There” and interweaving synthesized strings with melodic contour, could he have composed original material himself? Speaking of quoting the masters, I’m just curious as to which of Michael’s songs would you preface with a Mozart work?




Joe: This is an interesting question. On the one hand, you may be right that being able to read and write music may have opened up certain possibilities and made him more independent. On the other hand, Michael really enjoyed working collaboratively. He liked to test out different creative partners to see what kind of chemistry existed or what kind of unexpected synthesis might occur. Many of his closest partners (Quincy Jones, Brad Buxer, etc.) were classically trained. And he was very good at communicating what he was hearing in his head.




As for a song that might be prefaced with a work by Mozart, maybe something like “Fantasia in D Minor” before “Scared of the Moon.”




Classical Sentiment
Sherry: When I discovered that Michael was composing an album of classical music with Emmy award-winning composer David Michael Frank at the time of his death, another dimension was unveiled. It seemed almost like I received permission to truly embrace his relationship to the genre and to Mozart from this point. Was the news of this album’s existence at all surprising to you?




Maestro Frank said that Michael’s music was similar to the sweeping strings of John Barry. He was orchestrating these works for Michael, so again the question arises: how would nurture (education) have modified his artistry? Given the film score reference, it would seem likely that Michael’s vision was more Romantic in style than Classical, especially since Debussy and Tchaikovsky were two of his favorite composers. What do you anticipate to be the nature of this album? Do you think this music will remain in the vault? Or will it be finished and released?


Joe: Well, I knew that Michael had worked on classical and jazz pieces through the years, so it wasn’t a total surprise. But it was fascinating to hear that even in the midst of his high-stakes comeback and all the pressures of a new pop album and tour, he still wanted to do music for the sake of music




Of all of Michael’s unreleased material, this is the work that I’d like to see released the most. It would be a great showcase of Michael Jackson’s artistic ability and range. From what I understand it is not on the priority list at the moment, but I really do hope that David will get the green light from the Estate at some point and complete it for Michael.




Posthumous Work and Enduring Legacy
Sherry: Mozart is the only musician in history to enjoy uninterrupted success since his lifetime. He has been dead since December 5, 1791 and his works are played on heavy rotation around the world in 2011. He left a bounteous catalog to fulfill humanity’s insatiable appetite. I’m certainly not alone in the opinion that Michael Jackson also left us with enough music for generations upon generations. So, why was it necessary to release the “Michael” album full of unauthenticated works just one year after his death?




Mozart died before completing the famous Requiem mass and this unfinished work was a quagmire shrouded in mystery. It was completed by many mediocre composers, following Mozart’s sketches, yet it was passed off as his work. Sadly, the story as well as the mass itself has become legend which has transpired into the idea of legacy. A 19th Century musicologist would say quite confidently that the Requiem was Mozart’s legacy, but nothing could be farther from the truth. And in the same way with Michael, would he have wanted us to see his tour footage? “This Is It” and “Michael” all other posthumous works are continuations or extensions of his legacy, but alas, they are not his legacy.










They were perfectionists, lest we forget, who crafted their art so meticulously and lovingly. Mozart hid manuscripts under his bed. He was paranoid and took great pains to ensure that his music was kept from prying eyes until he was ready to bring it forth to the world. Michael was the same way. When the unfinished song “Hold My Hand” was leaked in 2008, Michael was devastated. Yet, it was released in the posthumous “Michael” album in 2010. I recall the Boston Herald's review when it was released: "'Michael' is filled with sequencing mistakes, rough takes and off vocals. Surrounding weak vocals that Jackson would have NEVER let stand..." And from Entertainment Weekly: "It can be hard to listen and not wonder what he would have done differently — or if he would have wanted us to hear it at all."




In both cases, consumerism, the artist as product, was placed before the honor and integrity of the artists themselves, despite being two of the world’s greatest musical icons. It seems that nothing is off limits. How do you think the posthumous cycle will continue?




Joe: There is no question that artists are often treated as products, and exploitation is often rampant following a great artist’s death. Joe Jackson was treating his son like a product just days after he died. There are times when the exploitation is truly sickening.




That being said, I personally have no problem with unfinished material being released. Once a great artist dies, there is naturally an enormous amount of interest in what they left behind. I don’t believe it harms an artist’s legacy to release something like “This Is It,” where you get a very raw, authentic glimpse into how he operated. Now, obviously under ideal circumstances Michael would have been able to perform the actual show. But under the circumstances, I thought the film was cathartic for most fans and illuminating for many non-fans who didn’t realize how involved Michael was in all aspects of his work, what a perfectionist he was, and how spectacular these concerts were going to be.




The album, Michael, is a bit different, because you have people trying to complete Michael’s creative vision, and in some cases, making bad decisions. And then, of course, you have the Cascio tracks, which were accompanied by all kinds of uncertainty and controversy. But still, there are some very nice tracks on the album, and I’m not sure with a historical figure like Michael (or Mozart) you would just want to let music gather dust. People are smart enough, for the most part, to realize there is a big difference between a posthumous album and an album that the artist sees through from start to finish. So all it really can be from now on is fragments, pieces of an unfinished puzzle. But I’d personally like the public to hear and see many of those pieces. There is some still phenomenal material Michael left behind that has yet to be released. I think the key is transparency. If a demo is “completed” or embellished by a collaborator, release the demo as well, so the listener can compare the two.
 
[h=1]Five Minutes With: Lang Lang[/h] 8 October 2011 Last updated at 08:21 BST
In this 150th edition of Five Minutes With, Matthew Stadlen talks to the award-winning concert pianist Lang Lang - once named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Lang Lang discusses his favourite composer, being a showman, life as a child prodigy - and whether Michael Jackson is as much of a genius as Mozart.
More from Five Minutes With...



See video here: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-15213957
 
Back
Top