Piccoli Studi sul Potere (Short Studies on Power)
Piccoli Studi sul Potere (2010-2108)
for flute, bass clarinet, harp, violin, cello and video
or for flute, bass clarinet, harp, violin, cello samples and video
Watch them on Vimeo
and on Youtube
Daniele Ruggieri, flute; Davide Teodoro, bass clarinet; Marco Rogliano, violin; Michele Marco Rossi and Carlo Teodoro, cello; Lucia Bova, harp
Commission and production Ex Novo Ensemble (Venice) – Centro di Cultura Contemporanea Strozzina, Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi (Florence) . Audio/video postproduction Edison Studio.
Translations, Francesco Cifariello Ciardi e Anna Bissanti for “la Repubblica”
“Piccoli Studi sul Potere” (Short Studies on Power) is a collection of pieces for solo instruments and video, based on an accurate instrumental transcription of the inflections and rhythms of spoken voice. The entire compositional process has been carried out using original algorithms in Audiosculpt and Open Music.
The aim of these works is to explore the possibility of translating the rhetorical emphasis of famous political speeches into music, thus emphasizing how the rhythm and ‘melody’ of language represent crucial elements for building consensus-seeking strategies.
So far, speeches delivered by Adolf Hitler, George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Barack Obama, and Emperor Akihito have been ‘translated’ for violin, bass clarinet, flute, cello, and harp “Piccoli Studi sul Potere” can exist in two forms, both of which mix the original voice with its instrumental transcription through a multichannel system surrounding the audience. In the live performance version, the soloist sits to the side of the screen on which the video of the speaker is projected, and a click track is provided as a cue to maintain lip sync. In the video version, a recording of the live performance is used.
George W. Bush 19_03_2003
On 19 March 2003, President Bush announced the beginning of the war in Iraq, “to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, and to free the Iraqi people”.
Tony Blair 07_07_2005
As an answer to the British involvement in the war, on 7 July 2005 a terrorist attack was carried out in the London underground which caused the death of 52 people. Tony Blair announced this tragedy from Scotland, breaking up the G8 meeting that was then taking place.
Barak H. Obama 06_04_2009
On 6 April 2009, President Obama held a memorable speech at the University of Cairo in which he stressed the need to overcome negative stereotypes on the clash of civilizations after years of “fear and mistrust”.
A.Hitler 10_02_1933
On 10 February 1933, the newly elected Chancellor Adolf Hitler delivered one of the most important and ominous speeches of his political career from the podium of the Sports Palace in Berlin. His analysis of the 14 years since the end of the First World War and his exhortation to support the Nazi Party’s rise to power were heard on the radio by millions of Germans, unfortunately.
Six moments have been selected from the entire speech to explore the future Führer’s particular oratorical style.
All that remains is to use evil as fertiliser (Lia Cecchin)
Imperatore Akihito 16_03_2011
The video is based on a rare speech delivered by Emperor Akihito few days after the 3/11/11 devastating earthquake and tsunami.A.Hitler 10_02_1933
In his first speech as Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler addressed the Reichstag and was broadcast nationwide on the radio. He declared that “Within four years, the German farmer must be raised from destitution. Within four years, unemployment must be completely overcome.” By 1936, full employment would be achieved, at the expense of suppressing all political opposition. Six excerpts from the speech has been chosen to describe Hitler’s rhetorical style