Copia carbone (2022)

for ensemble

Commission: Ensemble Proton Bern (CH)

Instrumentation: B.fl, lp, C.cl, bsn (+cf), midi ctrl, hp, vn, vc

Duration: 10’

Publisher: Casa Ricordi

Première: 15 March 2022 @ Dampfzentrale, Bern (CH)

Protonwerk n.11. Ensemble Proton Bern, Aaron Cassidy (cond.)

Copia carbone aims to explore the interaction between a group of (mostly unusual) acoustic instruments, and a sampler made almost exclusively of unprocessed audio samples of the same instruments, a sort of “carbon copy” of the ensemble. The two realms of sound (acoustic and electronic) follow a similar path of transfiguration/amplification/distortion of the same material and its structures, building complementary colors and blurring their boundary.

The custom-made virtual instrument is a rack of different samplers, each of which is tuned to slightly different temperaments and tuning systems. Notes are triggered through arpeggiators with a fine control over rhythmical variations, shuffles and wonky pulses.

The form of the piece gradually unfolds the different qualities of each sampler/section, until a sort of “coda” brings all the previous material to a temporal vortex, moving quickly back and forth through what has been already heard, under a new (rhythmical) light.

Copia carbone was awarded the Tremplin musical prize by the Fondation Prince Pierre de Monaco, 2023.

PERFORMANCES

15.03.2022 @ Dampfzentrale, Bern (CH). WP

30.03.2022 @ Gare du Nord, Basel (CH)

31.03.2024 @ Walcheturm, Zürich (CH)