Recursive Encyclopaedia

Le Sabbie Dure is a new encyclopaedic work for Contrabass flute, ensemble and live-electronics.

The solo flute is equipped with miniature microphones placed inside the tube, which amplifies the inner world of the instrument. This work explores the acoustic qualities of multiple microscopic articulations produced on the instrument and their plastic instrumentation in juxtaposition to the ensemble. The composition is inspired by the Charyn Canyon in Kazachstan, with its beautiful coloured mountains. The work has been composed for the Viennese collective The Black Page Orchestra.

Premiere performance: September 11, 2021 – TivoliVredenburg – Gaudeamus Festival

The Black Page Orchestra

Alessandro Baticci, Solo flute

Patrick Lechner, Live video

Davide Gagliardi, Sound

Listen to “Le Sabbie Dure” on SoundCloud:

Download the score of “Le Sabbie Dure” here:

Solo Contrabass Flute

Bass Clarinet

Bariton Saxophone

Electric Guitar

Keyboard

Violin

Cello

Percussion

Sound Design

Tech Rider:

This work has been endorsed by:

NIMIKRY is the name of the composer-musician-developer duo, consisting of flautist ALESSANDRO BATICCI and violist RAFAL ZALECH. The two met in 2014 at the UNIVERSITY of MUSIC and PERFORMING ARTS in Vienna. Both studied electro-acoustic composition and are active as the duo NIMIKRY in contemporary music. During their studies however, BATICCI and ZALECH also began to develop extensions of their instruments. Their latest project is called “DigitAize”, which makes it possible to scan the violin, model its sounds and much more with the help of self-programmed software and a sensor pad. In an interview with Shilla Strelka, ALESSANDRO BATICCI explained why composers set out to find new ways of creating sound, how to go from being a musician to becoming an inventor and entrepreneur, what projects they already have been able to realize and the philosophy behind them.

“WE WANTED TO REDEFINE THE INSTRUMENT […]”

Rafal and you are composers and classically trained instrumentalists. A few years ago you took a bold step: You ventured into the development of new music technologies. More specifically, you are creating digital mapping systems for your instruments. At what point did it seem necessary to think beyond the boundaries of your instruments?

Alessandro Baticci: It was a compositional necessity to deal with the instrument in a new way. Advanced playing techniques, with which we were both familiar, were no longer sufficient. We wanted to redefine the instrument and create a meaningful coupling with electronics.

“‘DIGITAIZE’ MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO DIGITALLY CAPTURE STRING INSTRUMENTS IN A VARIETY OF WAYS”

The development you are alluding to is called “DigitAize”. It’s an extension for string instruments – a digital fingerboard that scans the instrument’s fingerboard with a sensor and controls a module that is linked to a software you developed. Could you explain how it works?

Alessandro Baticci: “DigitAize” makes it possible to digitally capture string instruments in many different ways. It forms an invisible bridge between the acoustic instrument and the computer. We use a self-developed sensor that is mounted over the instrument’s fingerboard. This sensor is linked to an electronic evaluation unit that processes and interprets the data and sends it wirelessly to the computer.

This makes many things possible, including real-time notation, control of synthesizers, monitoring of movements, evaluation of dexterity and many other applications.

In contemporary music there is an increasing tendency to develop extensions of classical instruments.

Alessandro Baticci: It’s now almost part of the nature of contemporary academic music that it deals with the expansion of instruments, either by extended playing techniques or by the inclusion of electronics. But exclusively searching for “the new” or “the unheard-of” can also be a chimera and at the same time a dead end. I would even go so far as to say that this tendency no longer stems from an actual musical necessity, but follows a trend, a mannerism that is typical of contemporary music.

“OUR PRIMARY CONCERN WAS NOT THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW SOUNDS, BUT THE TRANSFER OF THE EXPRESSIVE POSSIBILITIES OF ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS INTO THE DIGITAL WORLD”

You are also expanding, but you have a different, more far-reaching agenda.

Alessandro Baticci: We are not primarily concerned with developing new sounds, but with transferring the expressive possibilities of acoustic instruments into the digital world. It’s about fundamental elements of composition: the control of electronic processes by the musical instrument and a better synthesis of electronic and instrumental sounds. The experience we have had with live electronics has driven us to look for new and better possibilities.

Why was it crucial for you to continue using your acoustic instruments and not to rely on purely digital options?

Alessandro Baticci: Although the current musical instruments market contradicts me, I maintain that in one or two generations it will be very difficult to deal with an acoustic musical instrument. The acceleration and the density of information with which we constantly strain our brain lead to a great lack of concentration and endurance. The school system is already confronted with the consequences today. There will be enough controllers and digital solutions to provide an instrument-like experience, but they will only require a fraction of the effort involved in mastering a classical musical instrument. Self-playing pianos and AI-based software are already contributing to the music consumption of a large mass of people.

Our technology expands the acoustic instrument and allows for it to live on in the future. It does not want to be a simplification of it. Moreover, this digital translation also requires a deeper acoustic exploration of the instrument. In this respect we can speak of a neo-humanistic mission. On the road to total digitalization, we are adding those areas that characterize us in our human nature and which are unique to us.

How did you proceed?

Alessandro Baticci: Innovations in instrument making have always initiated a lot of things. And in the last 200 years, apart from the electric violin, there has been no major change in the world of string instruments. Our technology makes it possible for the first time to digitize the acoustic instrument without having to make any compromises regarding playability. We have been working on the development of this system over the last five years, thinking about every aspect: playability, assembly, maintenance, feature, coupling, compatibility. How one uses it, is then up to each and every one. Our aim is to create the widest possible range of options.

“[…] LEARNING BY DOING IS OUR CREDO”

As a musician, how does one begin to move towards software and hardware development and to deal with such advanced technology as “DigitAize” requires? Was that a difficult process?

Alessandro Baticci: We were not aware of what was in store for us. We got involved in a complex process. We had to acquire a lot of knowledge: from 3D modeling to C programming, from designing to creating business models. We also rely on external experts in the respective sectors, but learning by doing is our credo.

At the same time you become researchers in your field. How did you go about it?

Alessandro Baticci: The empirical method is especially essential in the creative field. But the project covers many different fields of knowledge. It’s only to a limited extent about music. An important part is hardware and software development and programming. Of course we can’t do everything ourselves, but we set the direction. As an artist you are certainly advantaged, because you are used to follow your intuition. Rafal and I have learned that the work of a programmer is not unlike that of a composer. After all, in most cases there is not just one way to program something, but numerous, if not infinite ways. Of course, one follows criteria such as resource optimization, but there’s still enough leeway to leave your own imprint. In the end you create a small world, a microcosm. Isn’t that similar to composing?

“DIGITALIZATION IN OUR SOCIETY HAS SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES FOR MUSIC AS WELL”

Do you have the feeling that this kind of digital extension is a necessary step in contemporary music?

Alessandro Baticci: It is not about contemporary, classical or electronic music. Our current development is a necessary step in music, in instrument making, in art in general. In the small garden of one’s own artistic activity it is often difficult to see the bigger picture. The digitalization in our society has serious consequences for music as well. And here I want to put aside any kind of value judgement, and it’s not about categories like “good” and “bad”. I’m talking about a development that is changing our way of thinking, our languages, our human nature in general and with it inevitably our forms of expression.

If you analyze the development of the music industry in recent years, interesting conclusions can be drawn: All successful digital musical instruments and controllers are based on purely digital solutions. In contrast, the continuous development of acoustic musical instruments has been severely neglected, especially in the last century. In the process, one element that is important to us has been lost: the interaction with the acoustic instrument requires the development of fine-motor skills and this is an important source of creativity, expression and human authenticity in music. Our development wants to maintain this added value in the digital domain. Our technological extension redefines acoustic instruments anew.

Do composers too get involved in such technological extensions?

Alessandro Baticci: It remains a tool for instrumentalists. Composers can and will certainly use “DigitAize”, but first and foremost the musicians should benefit from it. Nowadays there are many instrumentalists in various genres who are creatively dealing with their instruments and who also compose, experiment, improvise and work with electronics themselves. The product is aimed precisely at these musicians.

I believe that in the future it will also find a broad application in the film music sector and in musicals. We also want to use our technology in the field of education. Here we see a great potential, especially in the visualization of motion sequences and the monitoring of intonation.

“DigitAize” is a tool for string instruments. Now, you are actually a flautist. Are you planning a version for flute as well?

Alessandro Baticci: Yes, in autumn we should be able to finalize the development of a version for flute. The system is based on the same module as the one for string instruments, but the data processing is radically different due to the different nature of the instruments. In the end, the goal is the same: to enable a digital representation of the instrument.

Do you plan to adapt “DigitAize” tools for a variety of different instruments?

Alessandro Baticci: We have many projects going on right now. As far as the further development of “DigitAize” is concerned, I see the greatest potential in its application in music education and in a profound synthesis of the instrument. The control of virtual sound sources and digital mapping can be infinitely enhanced by the inclusion of “physical modeling” or “machine learning”. This is a concrete vision for us.

Another idea you have implemented is the application “Audition Assistant”. What is that exactly?

Alessandro Baticci: “Audition Assistant” is a portal for classical musicians. It is intended as a practical training tool for instrumentalists, but it is much more than that. It offers professionally recorded accompaniments for the most important works of classical music. You have the possibility to change the playing tempo and the temperament without limits. This makes it possible to practice a piece really well. In addition, the app has a built-in mute device and metronome. It also offers the possibility to record oneself while playing and share the recording with friends. Thereby we want to initiate a new form of musical interaction and enable a stronger exchange between friends and classmates. After a long period of development we have just released the app “Cross-Platform” and are working on a major update which should be ready in autumn.

“I BELIEVE THAT MIXING DIFFERENT DOMAINS OF KNOWLEDGE IS THE ORIGIN OF NEW IDEAS”

You have to think in a parallel way on many levels. On one side you are a composer and musician, and on the other a developer and entrepreneur. How do you put all that together?

Alessandro Baticci: I believe that mixing different domains of knowledge is the origin of new ideas. I was fortunate to have been able to educate myself in very different disciplines, and I really enjoy this variety. This gives me the necessary motivation to work creatively.

I strongly assume that your inventions are also used when you appear as Nimikry?

Alessandro Baticci: Exactly. That was now and then the reason why we wanted to further develop the technology in this form. We were looking for new ways of expression for our instruments and have conceived a compositional idea that was not yet possible in this form. Now the development is completed and we have new tools to implement our compositional visions in a better way. Necessity is the mother of invention.

The Covid-19 crisis brings with it a performance ban for musicians. How did you deal with the quarantine period? I saw that you were working on a new project.

Alessandro Baticci: Of course, like all artists, I’ve experienced a major breakdown. I could actually feel a slowdown in my pace of life which also had positive aspects. But Rafal and I tried to devote ourselves to the further development of the projects and not to think too much about the consequences of the measures.

Personally, I was also able to complete a project that I have been working on for some time; during the quarantine I created a “sample library” of all my flutes: “Hyperflute”. With it I focused on the extended playing techniques of the instrument. I have also tried to integrate the notation of the playing techniques in order to establish a light, economical and uniform notation. The result is a massive tool for composers, arrangers or sound artists.

With so many different projects, do you still have time to devote yourself to music and composition?

Alessandro Baticci: Unfortunately the time for this is more limited. But I think that many of these projects have a positive influence on my compositional activity as well. Especially the creative applications of “DigitAize” have inspired me to make new experiments which in turn have an influence on my work. It’s a fruitful process.

Many thanks for the interview!

Shilla Strelka

Translated from the German original by Julian Schoenfeld

Solo works

Concerto improvvisato

fl, tape

20′

Vospher *

fl

8′

Cadenza

vl

10′

The Elephant Celebes

tuba, live-electronics

9′

Ossa e Sussurri per la Fine del Tempo

trombone, live-electronics

8′

Horror vacui *

fl, electronics

7′

Clichè Rouge

pre-recorded piano, electronics

20′

The Tin Drum *

piano

7′

The Tin Drum II *

piano

13’

Season of the Livings *

fl, electronics

I) Katasterismoi

II) Hic et Nunc

III) Ship of Fools

IV) The Garden of Truth

V) Jean Christophe – R.R.

VI) The Large Glass

15′

Pigment Works VI *

piccolo

I) La mort dans l’ame – Alizarin

II) Ein Mal ist kein Mal – JP.S. – Azurite and Burnt Sienna

III) Burnt Umber – tomber en poussière

5′

Morphological Echo *

piano, electronics

12′

D’ailleurs c’est toujours les autres qui meurent

fl (alto fl)

10′

Past, Present, Future

Vlc

10′

Demos Demostriacon *

piano, live-electronics, “ghost electronics”

15′

Bones and Whisper for the End of Time –

Taratantara in the Garden of Truth

piano, live-electronics, “ghost electronics”

18′

eat, eat and eat again (2014)

flute (or bass or alto), live-electronics

Mister BLP (2014/15)

flute (or bass or alto), live-electronics

Mister Fierce (2015)

for saxophone and live electronics

10′

Chamber music

chamber music (no string quartets) with/without electronics

Correndo, un Sonetto su un foglio *

piano, microphonist, electronics (1 player)

13′

Histrionics Gestures

tenor, pf, vl, vcl

15′

Galileo annuncia l’elevazione di Kallisti *

fl, pf

7′

Fantasia su una roazione in costante rallentamento di un corpo non elasico

perd. ensemble (6-10), electronics

7-10′

Sonatine

cl, pf

8′

L’apprendista errante

pf, perc. (2)

10′

L’apprendista errante II

organ, perc. (1), harp (1/2)

11′

Preludio al Concerto

solo vl, vl, vla, vcl, hp

7′

Inferno Musicale *

fl, ob, bass cl, bassoon, piano, tape

11′

The Fireside Angel *

fl, pf, electronics

9′

Apoteosi di un Centauro *

tuba, cembalo, pf, synth., electronics

13′

AKCycle I-V

2 fl, electronics

I) Shooting into the Corner *

II) Cloud Gate

III) Mother as a Void *

IV) Vertigo 2008

V) Temenos

50′

Pigment Works I *

2 vl, vcl

10′

Pigment Works II

tuba, pf, optional drones

11′

Pigment Works III *

6 voices, tibetan bell, optional drones

7′

Angelus Novus – Shadow  of Time

(3rd Flute Concerto) *

solo fl, vl, vla, vcl, bass, live-electronics (2)

60′

The Large Glass – La mariée mise à nu par ses célibataires, même *

fl, pf

3′

Pigment Works V *

fl, vl

9′

Pigment Works VII *

fl, vl, vcl

9′

Pigment Works VIII

fl, vl, vcl, musical gestures, electronic drones

25′

Pigment Works IX *

 alto fl, bass cl, electronics

10′

Lugubrious Games *

vl, pf, optional electronics

17′

Ears on Stage *

2 fl, pf

7′

La Chambre d´écoute *

organ, alto fl, tromb, perc. (2), b. sax., electronics

30′

Mister DMA (2015)

for alto flute, electric guitar, snare drum and live electronics

13′

Electronic music

electronic music

Computer Cantata

4 channel fixed media

30′

Apparizione Dionisiaca

8 channel fixed media

9′

Deus ex Machina

18 layer electronic construction

30′

Von Welt zu Welt

2 channel fixed media

10′

Cliché Rouge II

4 channel fixed media

19′

Angelus Novus

Electronic Music from ILLUMINATUS

8 channel fixed media

80′

Knall-Irrtum (2013)

8 channel fixed media

8′

Musical theater

Il Dialogo delle Ombre *

 6 actors, tape

24′

Alles im Schatten, alles im Kopf *

2 fl, synth., pf, live-electronics

2 actors, 2 dancers

50′

Season for the Birth of Time *

12 trios (36 solists), 2 piano, perc. (2),

1 percussionist-conductor, dancers, electronics

90′

Psyche and the Daemons

virtual opera in 4 scenes

Wavering Forms in Purple Area

1st scene of Psyche and the Daemons

 tenor, ghost-cembalo, fl, alto fl (fl),

bass cl, ghost-cembalo, electronics

15′

Cosmic Encounter in Cadmium Red Area *

2nd scene of Psyche and the Daemons

2 pianos, synthesizer, rattles, electronics

17′

Dismemberment of Thoughts and Meaning in Vermilion Area *

 3rd scene of Psyche and the Daemons

2 alto fl (2 fl), vcl, electronics

15′

Pigment Works IX (Naphthol Red Area)

as 4th scene of Psyche and the Daemons

alto fl, bass cl, musical costumes, electronics

10′

Hagbards Arrival, from ILLUMINATUS

 for bass singer, synth, bass Cl, contrabass., bass fl, double bass, electronics

13′

ILLUMINATUS

2 soprano, electronics

60′

Sonata SIRIUS

dancing fl (piccolo), prepared piano (tam-tam), electronics

7′-15′

Orchestra/Ensemble

orchestra/ensemble

Night-Thoughts *

string orchestra (6/4/4/4/2), electronics

15′

SYNKTROTRONIA

solo vl, orchestra (1/2/2/1, 2/2/2/0, 2, 8/6/6/6/2)

12′

Soli

(2/2/2/2, 4/2/2/1, 2, 1, 10/8/6/6/4)

10′

Death of Caesar *

solo string quartet, string orchestra (6/4/4/4/2), toy gun

7′

The cycle of free energy

Entropy I

(2/2/2/2, 4/2/2/1, 2, 1, 10/8/6/6/4)

9′

Entropy II

(1/2/2/1, 1/2/2/0, 3, 8/6/6/6/2)

7′

Enthalpy I (String Quartet no.5)

string quartet, live-electronics

11′

Enthalpy II

string orchestra (8/6/6/4/2)

8′

Concerto

pf, perc. (2), string orchestra  (8/6/6/4/2)

15′

Kreisen durch Formen

ensemble (1/1/2/1, 2/1/2/1, 3, 2/2/2/2/1), electronics

30′

Preludio II, III

II) ensemble (fl, cl, hr, trp, perc.(1), pf)

7′

III) string orchestra (6/4/4/4/2)

7′

Mister BLP (2014/15)

solo flute, ensemble (vl, vlc, b.sax, trb, pf, e.guit., perc.)

String Quartets

string quartets (with/without electronics)

Quartetto (String Quartet no.1)

string quartet

6′

Prima Facie (String Quartet no.2) *

string quartet, live-electronics

11′

Estrazione della Pietra della Follia

(String Quartet no.3) *

string quartet, electronics

9′

Preludio I (String Quartet no.4)

string quartet

7′

Enthalpy (String Quartet no.5) *

from The cycle of free energy

string quartet, live-electronics

11′

l’Organo a Bocca di Des Esseintes

(String Quartet no.6) *

string quartet, electronics

11′

The Stendhal Sindrome (String Quartet no.7)

string quartet, cembalo, soprano, live-electronics

7′

Trittico Dalìniano

(String Quartets no.8, no.9, no.10)

string quartet, demolished cello, live-electronics

I) Burocrate medio atmosferocefalo

munge un’arpa cranica *

II) Allegoria dell’aria al tramonto

III) Cannibalismo in autunno

34′

Woodify is the result of a year-long personal research to find a sound quality on my flute, that would suit my taste. Being unsatisfied with the sound of my instrument, I started to experiment to find something that would give me more resistance, more dynamics as well as tone colors.

Each piece is precisely shaped using cutting-edge technology and superior machining. After an accurate quality test each wooden piece is then carefully hand- crafted and assembled in Vienna.

Woodify are made out of selected seasoned woods, to ensure the greatest sound results and quality of the product.

Great care is being put into the choice of quality materials and the design of each component to make Woodify a unique product.

Woodify sound solutions are made out of selected woods. Each wood type has unique sound characteristics as well as elastic properties and has been chosen for its particular qualities.

After years of experiments with different wood types and combinations, we found the perfect wood type to fit to each flute, according to it´s response to vibrations and it´s inner properties. Each wood type matched the material of the instrument.

A snake can change its skin but not its disposition.

— (Arabic saying)

With the development of artificial procreation and genetic engineering humans have ultimately distinguished themselves from the natural, bare life. In modifying genetic material, making in-vitro-fertilization possible, and in implanting chips into human tissue, named bio-hacking, the human species has broken the boundaries of nature. But at what cost? How can these technologies alter human nature and the way of life? Are we simply a biological surplus, an intermediate stage on the way to cybernetic mutation?

Within this scenario, Tramonto Umano places human bodies in a dystopian dream and explores potential facets of digital interaction between human and machine on various levels. Characters, human relics, artificially animated and used as mere kinetic bodies, act within Sturmer’s pictorial vision. By means of special technological processes, the performers’ actions and gestures are digitally captured, reconstructed and molded. The performers’ movements and the painterly actions can be captured in real-time due to the development of sensor-active exoskeletons and serve as basis for further audio-visual processes. Hence the entire creative procedures become a digital database, out of which the visual and sonic world arises.

Pure human movements become basis and setting for a new artificiality and define a cybernetic aesthetic. Cyborgs and their demiurges act within an unnamed space, present their existence and possible relationships in an optional reality. Everything that happens in front of the spectator affects the digital world and is reflected through the digital manipulation in sound and vision. The Myth of Er from Plato’s Republic is the inspiration for the dramaturgical storyline of the performance. The destiny of human souls in the afterlife serve as metaphor for our own destiny in digital times. Plato’s post- human vision, the dream or nightmare that Er recounts after having come back to life, gains a new point of view in today’s age of technology. In Tramonto Umano the spectator is placed in a gray post-apocalyptic scenario. And the question remains open: is our reality the ultimate dystopia?

CAST:

Stirn Prumzer aka. Christopher Sturmer – live-painting, concept Patrick Lechner – live-video, digital framework

Gabriele Bakšytė, scenical realization

Il flauto é metallo

This installation explores different ways of sound reproduction using DC-motors and various metal surfaces, as well as fans. The sounds are triggered by a pre-composed sequence. The object can be placed in different positions in space and can vary in number. This installation was presented the first time in 2017 at the University for Applied Arts in Vienna.

We designed a complex digital mapping system, which allows to convert the instrument into a powerful midi controller, thus allowing normal playing.

Our self-designed software and tools create the best interface to control our instruments and generate real-time processing of any sort: controlling virtual instrument, real-time notation, sensors tracking for live-processing devices, to name a few. Our library features complex, highly digitally compatible objects and plug-ins designed as a juncture for our instruments.

We encourage other artists and composers to help us expanding our platform on augmented instruments and create new works to exploits all the possibilites of our prototypes. Each composer, with his unique prospective, helps us to break boundaries and find new artistic solutions.We offer complete technological support and a higly flexible digital interface that can be adapted to every need. Composers such as Wolfgang Mitterer, Jorge Sanchez Chiong and Matthias Kranebitter composed for our instruments.

Our sound world developes at the same time with our research and technological improvement. The distincitve element we want to preserve is our focus on instrumental playing as main source of sound and expressivity.

Our technology allows the conversion be- tween physical mouvement and digital process- ing to a great extent.

We like to produce space- and frame-related musical performances. The reflection on the history of a place and its community is also of great importance in our artistic process.

The Austrian vocal ensemble Cantando Admont and the Vienna-based composer-performer duo Nimikry join together to present works for voices, solo instruments and electronics.

This collaboration started with a new electronic realization of L. Nono´s monumental piece “Das Atmende Klarsein” for Bass Flute, small choir and live-electronics.

After a successful production and new electronic realisation of L. Nono´s mas- terpiece “Das Atmende Klarsein”, the two collectives engaged on a journey to explore new possibilities for the combination of human voice with instrumental gestures, as well as electronic manipulation. The two collectives also explored the possibilities to re-contextualize ancient music in juxtaposition with electronic music.

The aesthetical focus in this cooperation is set on works dealing with manipulation, diverse processing and the use of live-electronics. Cantando Admont and Nimikry present new works for voices, augmented instruments and electronics in combination with Luigi Nono´s . “Das Atmende Klarsein”.

for 2 singers, ensemble and live electronics

Premiere performance:

26. November 2021 LAB Frankfurt

============================

CAST

Soprano – Alina Huppertz

Bass baritone – Harald Hieronymus Hein

Ensemble Modern

Conductor – Marc Leroy-Calatayud

Singers coaching – Maria Conti Gallenti

Music – Alessandro Baticci

Director & Libretto – Gabrielė Bakšytė

============================

PRODUCTION

Space – Susanne Brendel

Costumes – Lara Scherpinski

Light design & technical assistance – Matthias Rieker

Dramaturgy – Franziska Betz, Dorothee Harpain

Sound Sound design – Norbert Ommer

Live electronics – Felix Dreher, Alessandro Baticci

Sound engineer – Volker Bernhart