#4778, Electronic Music from Italy
On this edition of New Sounds, hear electronic music with ties to Italy.
Caterina Barbieri is an Italian composer and musician based in Milan. Her recent album, Myuthafoo, is rooted in sequencing processes that explore time and space. Barbieri manually programs her electronic sequences to create patterns that evoke a wide array of emotions, from the pulsing euphoria of “Math of You'' to the tender romance of the title track. You’ll hear both of these songs tonight.
Composer Alvin Curran was a co-founder of Musica Elettronica Viva, an electronic improvisational group formed in Rome in the mid 1960’s. Listen to his almost twenty minute work, “On My Satin Harp”. The track comes from his first multi-media solo work, Canti E Vedute Del Giardino Magnetico (Songs And Views From The Magnetic Garden), originally released in 1975.
Then, hear the first track off of Piero Milesi’s 1986 album, The Nuclear Observatory of Mr. Nanof. The Italian composer was a leader in electronic minimalism who took special interest in exploring the concepts of space and sound. This record features the lyricon, the first electronic wind instrument, as well as a small string ensemble. Listen for their distinctive sounds in “Mr. Nanof’s Tango,” which was written for a short Italian film about a psychiatric hospital.
Finally, hear an excerpt from Ben Neill’s Fantini Futuro. This electronic opera was based on the work of the eponymous early Baroque trumpeter and composer, Girolamo Fantini. The piece features the Mutantrumpet, an electro-acoustic trumpet of Neill’s own design. The instrument comes equipped with multiple bells, two sets of valves, a trombone slide and interactive electronics. Imagine a world where Fantini is a time-traveling trumpeter with this inventive composition. - Laura Boyman
Program #4778, Electronic Music from Italy
ARTIST: Caterina Barbieri
WORK: Math of You [5:36]
RECORDING: Myuthafoo
SOURCE: light-years
INFO: caterinabarbieri.bandcamp.com/album/myuthafoo
ARTIST: Caterina Barbieri
WORK: Myuthafoo [7:00]
RECORDING: Myuthafoo
SOURCE: light-years
INFO: caterinabarbieri.bandcamp.com/album/myuthafoo
ARTIST: Alvin Curran
WORK: On My Satin Harp [23:18]
RECORDING: Canti E Vedute Del Giardino Magnetico (Songs And Views From The Magnetic Garden)
SOURCE: Ananda
INFO: discogs.com/Alvin-Curran-Canti-E-Vedute-Del-Giardino-Magnetico-Songs-And-Views-From-The-Magnetic-Garden
ARTIST: Piero Milesi
WORK: Mr. Nanof's Tango [5:45]
RECORDING: The Nuclear Observatory of Mr. Nanof
SOURCE: Cuneiform Records
INFO: cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-nuclear-observatory-of-mr-nanof
ARTIST: Ben Neill
WORK: Excerpt from Fantini Futuro [2:38]
INFO: benneill.com/portfolio/fantini
