Giacinto Scelsi ( 1905 – 1988 ) Coelocanth ( 1955 ) Divertimento n° 3 pour violon solo ( 1955 ) 1 I 03:39 11 I 02:27 2 II 04:09 12 II 02:56 3 III 04:51 13 III 01:33 14 IV 02:17 Three Studies pour alto solo ( 1956 ) 4 I 03:49 Divertimento n° 4 pour violon solo ( 1955 ) 5 II 04:53 15 I 04:25 6 III 03:07 16 II 03:13 17 III 04:13 Divertimento n° 2 pour violon solo ( 1954 ) 18 IV 05:07 7 I 02:17 8 II 03:05 9 III 01:33 10 IV 02:35 TT 60:44 Marco Fusi, violin & viola 2 3 The Ritual of the Fingers city of Rome, in an apartment overlooking The creative act is, for Scelsi, a moment of The Tactile Experience of Scelsi’s Music the Roman forum. “Rome marque la frontière possession by the divine. Scelsi’s role is that entre l’Orient et l’Occident. Au sud de Rome, of an intermediary, a medium who enables l’Orient commence et, au nord de Rome, god­like entities to communicate with the L’Occident commence. Cette frontière earthly world, manifesting themselves traverse très précisément le forum romain. through sonorous phenomena. “… je suis un Là est ma maison, ce qui explique ma vie intermédiarie seulement. […] Les choses et ma musique”. 3 The symbolic choice of arrivent au moment voulu, au moment où Giacinto Scelsi ( La Spezia, 1905 – Rome, Rome as his home represented Scelsi’s own c’est necessaire qu’elles soient entendues 1988 ) is one of the most original Italian cultural, artistic and spiritual interests. His ou pas. Tout est prèvu là­haut, ça ne depends composers of the twentieth century. Musi­ fascination for Eastern philosophies, Yoga pas d’ici”. 4 Scelsi, in a state of trance, cian and poet of aristocratic descent, Scelsi and Zen meditation are combined with a allows himself be possessed by these spent his childhood in his family’s castle, in insightful knowledge of Christian, Greek, entities and improvises on his keyboard Valva, where he received “un’educazione Egyptian and Mesopotamian mythologies; in “un état d’inspiration […] qui n’a besoin medievale” in which he recalls “scherma, the Scelsi’s library and collection of de rient d’autre”. 5 To preserve the sonic scacchi, latino”, 1 and developed an early recordings displays his cultural interests, his results of these moments of possession, attraction towards improvisation on the curiosity and openness to the intricacies of piano. “De l’age de trois ans et demi, j’ai the mind and his lifelong quest for a dialogue commencé à improvisers au piano. [...] je ne between different expressions of human 3 “Rome marks the border between East savais pas du tout ce que je faisais. J’étais spirituality. Scelsi’s Roman flat is his private and West. To the south of Rome, the East en transe, horse de moi”. 2 After the Second hermitage, where he leads a reserved life begins and to the north of Rome, the West begins. This border cuts straight through World War, Scelsi decided to settle in the of studies and meditation, seeking contact the Roman Forum. That is where my home and communion with superior entities. The is, which explains my life and my music”. mystical and spiritual afflatus that inspires Scelsi, Les anges sont ailleur…, pg. 36. many aspects of Scelsi’s life was also the 4 “…I’m only an intermediary. […] Things 1 “A medieval education”, “fencing, chess, arrive at the right moment, the moment in Latin”. Giacinto Scelsi, Les anges sont initial spark of his creative processes, which which it is necessary that they be heard ailleur…, Arles, Actes Sud, 2006, pg. 24. for him represented a privileged moment of or not. Everything is foreseen up there, it 2 “From the age of three and a half, I started communication with higher beings. Scelsi’s doesn’t depend on down here”. Scelsi, Les to improvise on the piano. [...] I had no musical and poetic works are permeated by anges sont ailleur…, pg. 69. idea what I was doing. I was in a trance, 5 “a state of inspiration [...] that has need outside of myself”. Scelsi, Les anges sont a spiritual aura and a constant search for the of nothing else”. Scelsi, Les anges sont ailleur…, pg. 64. divine. ailleur…, pg. 69. 4 5 Scelsi records his sessions on magnetic The second Scelsian creative season is second creative phase, Scelsi approaches more abstract conceptions, in which the tapes. Once the connection with the divine shaped by the introduction of a new musical the ondiola’s keyboard with a performance instrumental designation do not appear to is exhausted and the finished performance instrument, replacing his attachment to the style very close to his previous piano tech­ be predetermined. documented on tape, Scelsi considers his piano: the ondiola. 7 This forerunner of the nique. The recorded impro visations from creative function fulfilled, and entrusts an modern synthesizer is an electric instrument, this period show an extensive use of fast The instrumental designation of most assistant with the task of transcribing the presenting a performance interface com­ and virtuosic figurations, alternated with improvisations of the first period were tapes into traditional Western classical posed of a keyboard ( piano­like ); a series moments of static held pitches. In these straightforward: created on the piano, they musical notation. The opportunity to listen of switches, functional to modify the sound­ occasional moments of stillness, Scelsi were transcribed into works for solo piano. to these tapes, currently preserved in the colour; a lever, connected to the lower side begins to explore the possibilities of sound In this second creative season, the material archives of the Scelsi Foundation in Rome, of the instrument and operated through the modification via the instrument’s registers. produced by Scelsi is instead, open to is highly revealing of the unique qualities action of the performer’s left knee, which Despite the similarities in Scelsi’s perfor­ multiple instrumental designations. In most of Scelsi’s improvisations. Listening to controls the output volume; two wheels ming approach, the introduction of the cases, the improvisations are transcribed for the tapes also offers significant elements on either sides of the instrument’s box, ondiola produces significant differences in monodic instruments, capable of supporting for identifying different periods in Scelsi’s allowing for microtonal alteration of each the resulting materials. On the one hand, sounds and modifying timbre and sound creative trajectory, reflecting strongly the note. The ondiola presents Scelsi with two the possibility of delivering sustained volume at any given time. For some of the influence each musical instrument had significant technical innovations: the ability sounds reveals to Scelsi entirely new areas improvisations, the instrumental designation during the improvisations. to sustain sounds in time ( as opposed to of research and expression, operating over has changed over the years: this is the case the natural decay of piano, the ondiola holds volume, timbre and pitch; on the other hand, for the tapes for the Divertimento N° 4 pour Scelsi’s first creative phase is heavily in­ sound until the keys are released ) and the the construction features of the ondiola, its violon, initially transcribed into Ixion, a work spired by the piano, which is intended as impossibility of executing more than one light and nimble keyboard with small and in five movements for clarinet solo. 8 From both the source and final designation of the sound at the same time ( due to its design, not­weighted keys, allows exploration in this period we are granted a significant creative act. The works of this period are the ondiola is a monodic instrument ). In this extreme virtuosities of clarity, articulation part of Scelsian works for solo instruments, derived from recordings of improvisations and speed. These new instrumental including the Tre studi per clarinetto in Eb, which were performed on the piano, and resources characterise the Scelsian Pwyll and Quays for flute, the Quatre pieces they are intended for transcription into 6 Works belonging to this creative period improvisations of this period, in which one pour trompette solo, Preghiera per un’ombra are, among others, Preludi, Suites and works for piano. The vast majority of his Sonate per pianoforte, the Cinque frequently finds instances of meditative for solo clarinet. This improvisational opus for piano solo belongs to this creative Incantesimi, the Quatre illustrations sur la stasis abruptly juxtaposed with episodes of season and is characterised by a great Métamorphose de Vishnu, Hispania. digital frenzy, virtuosic acrobatic passages technical virtuosity, timbral experimentation, 7 For further information on the Ondiola, which test the limits of performers’ physical see Carboni Fabio, “Abitare il suono: 8 Giacinto Scelsi, Ixion per clarinetto solo. and exhaustive exploration of the technical Giacinto Scelsi e l’ondiola”. i suoni, le possibilities. The use of the ondiola Edizioni dell’Autore, Copyright 1959 by and expressive possibilities of the piano. 6 onde... No. 13 (2004), pp. 12–13. direct Scelsi’s improvisations towards Giacinto Scelsi (Rome). 6 7 season is also responsible for the works be complete, delivered to his assistants for the exploration and continuous variation approach that characterises these printed featured in this album, improvised on the a transcription in traditional notation. The over groups of pitches and rhythms. The versions is in line with performance habits ondiola around the mid­50s. vast majority of the compositions from this state of possession that Scelsi sought in belonging to early twentieth century period are the result of a stratification of his improvisational transcendence is clearly repertoire; evoking a performing style close In his third creative period, Scelsi distances improvisations, a continuous elaboration perceivable here.