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LUIGI NONO — La Lontananza … © Grazia Lissi Luigi Nono (1924 – 1990) La lontananza nostalgica utopica futura (1988/89) Madrigale per più “caminantes” con Gidon Kremer, violino solo, 8 nastri magnetici, da 8 a 10 leggii 1 Leggio I 09:26 2 Leggio II 12:23 3 Leggio III 10:11 4 Leggio IV 07:36 5 Leggio V 11:19 6 Leggio VI 10:13 TT 61:12 Marco Fusi, violin Pierluigi Billone, sound direction 3 Proximity, Distance personally always been intrigued by what is that Nono draws are assembled into an al- non-perceivable by afar, by the silent whis- most melodical profile, that can be sung by our interpretative approach to Luigi Nono’s pers that are almost a secret between the the performer. This leggio represents, in La Lontananza Nostalgica Utopica Futura violin and its players. this interpretation, the moment of perfect balance and equal dialogue between the vi- When reading Nono’s interpretive indica- olin and the tapes. The presence of the vi- tions with obsessive insistence on the inau- olin is always perceivable, interacting and dibility of violin sounds, I started visualizing echoing the tapes or moving away from my journey through the piece as an explo- them, towards moments intimate and in- ration of this fragile and microscopic son- trospective connection with its microscop- ic world. The leggio I functions as a sort ic sounds. It is through these moments of The violin phonation. In my eyes, Nono acknowledged of introduction, where the violinist and the internal listening that the apparent balance Playing La lontananza nostalgica utopica these sounds, giving them a right to exist, sound projectionist establish their relation- with the tape is slowly destroyed. Then the futura has been a goal of mine for several to be perceived and celebrated in their frag- ship and identify the possibilities of their in- interpretation shifts focus towards the ex- years. Deeply fascinated by the openness ile beauty. Through our training, violin play- teractions. The violin part of the leggio I is ploration of the fragile and infinitesimal, of this work and the astonishing range of ers learn how important these small sounds rich in different materials and instrumental that lies within the strings and the bow of possibilities contained within the perform- are, accentuating, hiding or playing with techniques, moving between extreme dy- the violin. ing materials, the violin manuscript feels them, crafting and developing our personal namic and agogic levels. While presenting charged with an incredibly physical and instrumental colour, through a combination clearly recognizable figures, such as sfffff Through this interpretive perspective, the tactile description of sonic states. Nono of aural and tactile connections with the in- explosions and harmonic clouds which re- leggio III emerges as the focal point of persistently demands an almost inaudible strument. Every performance on a violin im- appear predominantly later on, the few ap- the whole piece, with its indication tutto sound creation, echoing an unstable inner plies an active and highly refined motoric pearances of ppppp tenuto long notes ppppppppp / quasi inudibile, highly sugges- voice, clearly indicating an instrumental ap- control of the instrument, where the finger- slowly introduces the violinist to the explo- tive of an intimate and introverted approach. proach focused towards the “interior iden- tips of both hands are in dialogue with the ration of the microscopic sound world that Unconcerned with the external perceivabili- tity” of the instrument, towards a personal materiality of the strings and bow. Violin- becomes fundamental in the development ty of my sound, I explored the tactile possi- exploration of the microsounds that radiate ists develop an instinctual knowledge of our of the piece. bilities of this leggio, turning my listening in- only for few centimetres from the strings. own instrument’s reactions to the slightest wards, following sonic leads offered by the Violin players are privileged listeners of their modification in our touch, speed, pressure, The leggio II maintains this variety of instru- microscopic modifications of finger pres- instruments, as we are granted the liminal and contact point. Though this control is of- mental techniques and approaches while sure, speed of the bow, in an extensive in- sounds that are ancillary to the violin’s sing- ten conformed to a traditional notion of a including the first introduction of a new el- vestigation of the minute instant alterations ing voices, the debris of our instrumental “good” violin sound for the audience, I have ement of cantabile. The fragmented lines of intonation, colour and inharmonicity of 4 5 each sound. In a meditative effort, I focused point of the performance, the sensation of the listeners to me, I folded back on the last pages leaving wide margins to the play- specifically on theseminutiae, express- uncertainty is immense, and the multiplici- presentness of my playing, slowly recon- er for continual exploration on all the pos- ing the whole leggio as a mantra conveyed ty of possible directions, the many “future necting with the state of mind that was set sibilities; every instrument, every hair, every through whispered tones and violin mutter- possibili” is deeply felt on a musical, inter- in leggio III. The extremely long notes rang- string and player. Leaving the stage during ings. Moving from leggio III, the exploration pretative and instrumental level. By the end ing from ppppppp to ppp that constitute the his very last note, the violinist’s path is not of the following leggii continues along this of leggio IV all the possibilities are open, main substance of the leggio V instinctu- over. We carry offstage with us the joy of performative approach based on a tactile and the slow walk towards the next station ally redirect the interpretation towards the imagination, research, and performing, con- relationship with sound, allowing for an in- is loaded with uncertainty, hesitation and performer/instrument intimacy established stantly touching the strings, searching new stinctual sonic reactivity to external stimu- curiosity. earlier. The various bowing techniques em- sounds to whisper to the audience and to li, provided by the tape materials. ployed here offer a wider range of explo- ourselves, always exploring. The leggio V initially attempts to calm this ration which seamlessly connects with the Emerging from the static nucleus of insecurity, by returning the player to the last leggio VI. The tapes leggio III, the leggio IV moves in extreme most ritual and primal instrumental ges- Friend and long-time collaborator, compos- instrumental gestures. The initial shocking ture, the breath. Few crescendo – diminu- Slowly dissolving the violin into the back- er Pierluigi Billone took charge of the sound explosion of the first chords, where the air endo figures, archetypical of the inhale-ex- ground, melting the live sound with the re- projection of the eight audio tapes that di- of the bow stresses the string almost to its hale circle that we learn to associate with corded materials, incessantly playing at alogue with the violin part. Our approaches breaking point; the fast and ethereal har- our bow, reconciliates my disoriented mind the edge of inaudibility, the dynamic of the moved from almost opposite starting points. monic clouds that echo the earlier blasts, with my body, by focusing on an instrumen- whole leggio VI is ppppp. Other than a few While my reading of the violin material initi- dispersing the tension through a frantic and tal sound “molto pregno di canto”, only to rare loud events, distant memories of pre- ated from a tactile proximity to the sound incessant left-hand movement; the oscilla- disrupt this again shortly after, with the in- vious energies disperse and this leggio source, allowing my fingers and digital sen- tion of the bow between two strings, in the troduction of dramatic sfffff, sul ponticello. brings the performer’s focus, once more, sations morph into the sonic result, Billone attempt to catch all the minuscule in-be- While witnessing the initial attempt to a inwards. Its main fabric is made of long started, with an eagle-eye view, mapping tween states of a double-stop. All these cantabile being perforated once more, by notes, tenuto sounds that unpredictably out the sonic territory of the tapes, analys- gestures juxtapose and break down the at- these drops of acid sounds, I realized how change state, weaving and threading, and ing the contents of each tape to the most tempts of the leggio to return to a cantabi- Nono’s work is not aiming to recover from continually oscillating and pulsating, “mai minute details. Through a months-long pro- le state, which is only hinted at for few bars. the fragmentation of leggio IV. Instead, the statico, come cercandosi”. All the instru- cess, Billone produced a series of analy- The continual alternation of different instru- many possible futures that were hinted can mental possibilities, explored extensive- ses of each tape, listing the contents, the mental techniques required by this leggio live together as possibilities, as alternative ly in the previous leggii, are now gradual- process of construction and elaboration of is highly disorienting, especially consider- paths which the performers and the listen- ly left to the discretion of the violinist. With Nono’s final materials, as well as annotat- ing that it follows the most static and mono- ers can choose to follow. Instead of contin- a powerful gesture of trust towards his fu- ing a printed version of each waveform with chrome moment of the whole piece. At this ually attempting to find a direction to carry ture performers, Nono barely sketches the detailed indications and references. 6 7 According with the introduction to the What is not clearly stated in these notes rials are open for possible insertions, con- lone labelled this initial 12’ fragment as “as- performing materials is that the eight tapes appear to be in fact structions and different mixings.
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