Original composition: sonic arts performed live
Under Dr. Ashley Fure's course, I had the chance to create a sonic arts/digital composition and perform it live for audience.
The piece I presented was titled "Alluvione 1966" and included live recorded sounds as well as acquired tracks. As the title suggests, it was a tribute to the flood of Florence, Italy, my hometown, as this month marks 50 years since the event occurred. Some of the sounds in the composition combined recorded sounds of the Arno river's water, voices of survivors from interviews, my own singing and speech, and an allusion to Howell's "Requiem" and Esenvalds' "In Paradisum" in memory of the victims of the flood.
The piece was processed using Ableton and, for the performance, there were various elements I was controlling using MIDI knobs and keys or performing live with voice and microphone. Thanks to firenzealluvione.it I also created a video of footage from the event to be projected behind my setup.
I wish I had a picture from the actual performance! A poster of the event will suffice for now - it was definitely a terrifying, but also liberating experience, to perform my first composition of this kind and to learn the technical elements it takes to process these sounds. Maybe one day I will polish the piece up some more and re-visit it - ah, how I always wish there was more time :)