I Colori della Città Celeste

I colori interni di questo brano emenano da cinque citazioni dall’Apocalisse (Rivelazione IV, 3; VIII,6; IX,1; XXI,11; XXI,19-20), come lo stesso Messiaen spiega qui sotto.
I riferimenti ai canti degli uccelli si spiegano sapendo che Messiaen era anche un appazionato ornitologo. Inoltre era anche un sinesteta e precisamente percepiva colori insieme ai suoni.

The form of the piece depends entirely on colours. The themes, melodic or rhythmic and the complexes of sounds and timbres evolve like colours. In their perpetually renewed variations, there can be found (by analogy) colours that influence their neighbors, shading down to white, or toned down to black. These transformations can be compared to the superimposition of plays enacted on several stages, the simultaneous unfolding of several different stories that assume and call out for it. Plainsong Alleluias, Greek and Hindu rhythms, permutations of note-values, the bird-song of different countries were all collected and used in this work. All these accumulated materials are placed at the service of colour and of the combinations of sounds that assume and call out for it. The sound-colours, in their turn, are a symbol of the Celestial City and of Him who dwells there. Above all time, above all place, in a light without light, in a night without night… That which the Apocalypse, still more terrifying in its humility than in its visions of glory, describes only in a blaze of colours… To the song of two New Zealand birds is opposed “the abyss”, with its pedal-notes for the trombones and the resonance of tam-tams. To the cries of the Brazilian Araponga is opposed “the coloured ecstasy” of pedal points. The work ending no differently from the way it began, but turning on itself like a rose-window of flamboyant and invisible colours.

Olivier Messiaen, Les Couleurs de la Cité Céleste, per piano, 3 clarinetti, 3 xilofoni, ottoni and percussioni.
Orchestre National de France, Myung-Whun Chung, Conductor

Polina Voronova

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSK_ZM3_qLS1_rJ8V8-nEUhf-oGfQ5LAC2i4wTV3lFlFhw72c8klpJtcm9MAw&s
Russian sound artist Polina Voronova creates shimmering tapestries that walk the fine line between pretty and mystical. Minimal and drone oriented, her compositions are often delicate and full are bell-like tones; a city of chimes and tuning forks.
The album is free available from the Excentrica netlabel in 320kbps MP3.

Download all album in from here.

Holger Czukay

Holger Czukay, già bassista dei Can (uno dei più rappresentativi e originali esponenti del krautrock anni 70), oggi produce brani con largo e intelligente uso di ricevitori a onde corte.

Holger Czukay, formerly Can bass player, now plays music using short-wave transmissions.

Holger Czukay – Backup Dream

This is a love song

Un altro assaggio del nostro duo di improvvisazione (che presto avrà bisogno di un nome; i suggerimenti sono graditi)
Questa volta è un brano un po’ più strutturato, nato nel giorno di S. Valentino (da cui il nome).
In seguito, abbiamo messo giù uno schema aperto del pezzo, definito in termini di suoni, azioni e atmosfere, tipo: inizia con dei tuoi suoni lunghi che io catturo, poi c’è un crescendo che si accumula in un delay e termina con questo segnale da cui si trae il ritmo successivo, etc.

Another piece from our improvised music duo (who needs a name; please suggest).
This is a more structured piece born in S. Valentine day (whence the title comes). We set up an open scheme of the piece, in terms of sounds, actions and atmospheres (the static beginning, then a crescendo ending with a well defined signal and so on).

Federico Mosconi: electric guitar, various effect processing
Mauro Graziani: Max/MSP laptop

This is a love song

Il Ghiaccio Sottile della Tua Fragile Mente

Un primo assaggio del nostro duo di improvvisazione (quasi) totale che vi proponiamo così come è uscito in una sera di maggio.
Un brano basato su un ostinato di tre note su cui si muovono sonorità più o meno lontane che, nella mia mente, evocano suggestioni nordiche e laghi ghiacciati.
Rilassatevi e ascoltate. I commenti sono graditi.

A first taste of our duo playing improvised music.
On a three notes riff, sounds comes from away and disappear like visions in the cold landscape of a frozen lake.
The piece is proposed as we improvised it some days ago. No further elaboration.
Relax and listen. Comments are welcome.

Personnel
Federico Mosconi: electric guitar, various effect processing
Mauro Graziani: Max/MSP laptop

Il Ghiaccio Sottile della Tua Fragile Mente