LUIGI NONO (1924–1990) PAULO DE ASSIS (*1969) Como una ola de fuerza y luz 6 unfolding waves… con luigi nono for soprano, piano, orchestra and tape for orchestra and three LUIGI NONO (1971–1972) instrumental groups (2012) 33:11 1 Invocation and lamentation WDR Sinfonieorchester NONO / DE ASSIS Como una ola de fuerza y luz of Luciano 17:00 Peter Rundel, Léo Warinsky conductors .....soff erte onde serene… 2 Luciano’s presence in his absence 09:00 TT 67:01 0015022KAI 3 The Long March 11:00 PAULO DE ASSIS D D D 4 Collective explosion in the Recording venues: 1 2 3 4 6 Philharmonie Como una ola … / unfolding waves… certainty of Luciano’s absence 10:00 Cologne, 5 Funkhaus Wallrafplatz, Cologne unfolding waves… con luigi nono Recording dates: 1 2 3 4 6 10–11 Nov 2012, Claudia Barainsky soprano 5 9 Dec 2016 | Sound directors: 1 2 3 4 Jan Michiels piano André Richard, SWR Experimentalstudio, André Richard sound projection 5 Paulo de Assis, Orpheus Institute SWR Experimentalstudio electronics Sound directors assistant: 1 2 3 4 Reinhold Braig Reinhold Braig sound director assistant Sound engineers: 1 2 3 4 6 Christoph Gronarz, WDR Sinfonieorchester Peter Rundel conductor 5 Thomas Sehringer | Recording producer: Stephan Hahn | Executive producer: Harry Vogt Claudia Barainsky . Jan Michiels Publisher: Casa Ricordi, Milan | Sponsor: Orpheus 5 .....so f erte onde serene… Institute | Graphic Design: paladino media, cover SWR Experimentalstudio based on artwork by Erwin Bohatsch (1975–1977) 11:00 WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne Jan Michiels piano Paulo de Assis sound projection Peter Rundel . Léo Warinsky & 2018 paladino media gmbh, Vienna ℗ © 0015022KAI www.kairos-music.com ISRC: ATK941751401 to 06 . Made in Germany 10488 ized copying, reproduc uthor tion, na hiri d. U ng, rve len se di re ng rk , p wo ub d lic de p or er c fo e r r m e LUIGI NONO a h n t c f e o r Como una ola de fuerza y luz a e n n d w b o ..... soff erte onde serene… ro e a h t d c f a o s t d i n PAULO DE ASSIS n a g r o e f c unfolding waves... con luigi nono t u h d i s o r r e p c e o h r t d 0015022KAI f p o r o s t D D D h h i b g i i r t e l l 10488 d A . Claudia Barainsky . Jan Michiels . SWR Experimentalstudio WDR Sinfonieorchester . Peter Rundel . Léo Warinsky ℗ & © 2018 paladino media gmbh, Vienna www.kairos-music.com © Grazia Lissi © Grazia © Grazia Lissi LUIGI NONO (1924–1990) PAULO DE ASSIS (*1969) Como una ola de fuerza y luz 6 unfolding waves… con luigi nono for soprano, piano, orchestra and tape (1971–1972) for orchestra and three instrumental groups (2012) 33:11 commissioned by WDR 1 Invocation and lamentation of Luciano 33:11 WDR Sinfonieorchester 2 Luciano’s presence in his absence 33:45 Peter Rundel, Léo Warinsky conductors 3 The Long March 33:45 TT 67:01 4 Collective explosion in the certainty of Luciano’s absence 33:45 Recording venues: 1 2 3 4 6 Philharmonie Cologne 5 Funkhaus Wallrafplatz, Cologne Recording dates: 1 2 3 4 6 10–11 Nov 2012 Claudia Barainsky soprano 5 9 Dec 2016 Jan Michiels piano Sound directors: 1 2 3 4 André Richard, SWR Experimentalstudio André Richard sound projection 5 Paulo de Assis, Orpheus Institute SWR Experimentalstudio electronics Sound directors assistant: 1 2 3 4 Reinhold Braig Reinhold Braig sound director assistant Sound engineers: 1 2 3 4 6 Christoph Gronarz WDR Sinfonieorchester 5 Thomas Sehringer Peter Rundel conductor Recording producer: Stephan Hahn Executive producer: Harry Vogt 5 .....so ferte onde serene… Publisher: Casa Ricordi, Milan for piano and tape (1975–1977) 33:45 Sponsor: Orpheus Institute Graphic Design: Alexander Kremmers (paladino media), Jan Michiels piano cover based on artwork by Erwin Bohatsch Paulo de Assis sound projection A production of the Westdeutscher Rundfunk. Licensed by the WDR mediagroup GmbH. 2 3 Waves of Grief and Sorrow piece for piano and orchestra to a monumental canta- ta for soprano, piano, large orchestra and tape. Com- pared to the contemplative waves of .....soferte onde Como una ola de fuerza y luz and .....soferte onde serene…, this older waves “of strength and light” con- serene… are Luigi Nono’s only two pieces specifcal- veys a completely diferent approach to death and ly conceived “for” piano. Though they exhibit many its consequences for the living. It is a powerful and compositional and aesthetic diferences, both pieces engaged protest against the unexpected death of a share some important features. Both were composed young revolutionary, a condemnation of social and for Nono’s friend and pianist Maurizio Pollini, who political forms of oppression, and a plea for a revolu- provided the basic sonic materials for their tapes and tionary élan (“the long march”) that, however, is con- who premiered, recorded, and often played them in demned to capitulation as the last, resigned waves concert. Both works include electronic tapes whose from the end of the tape, unmistakably communicate. acoustic materials consist of piano sounds record- ed by Pollini (in Como una ola de fuerza y luz also by Devised after a period of total immersion in Nono’s the soprano Slavka Taskova), leading to an auditory sketches and study of his compositional techniques, (con)fusion between the recorded sounds and those unfolding waves… con luigi nono was originally in- played live. The titles of both pieces allude to “waves”: tended as a transcription of .....soferte onde serene… waves of strength and light, or waves of suferance for two orchestras. However, it became an autono- and serenity. Finally, both pieces are memorial works; mous work, expanding and transcoding some main they are profoundly expressive of death, grief, and features of Nono’s piece, while totally suppressing sorrow, communicating a deep feeling of sufering both piano and tape: the original piano score is ex- and despair, of struggle and defeat, but also of hope, trapolated into a full orchestra placed on stage, serenity, and light. while the sonorities of the tape are sonically “pho- tographed” as realistically as possible, and played In 1975 a “bitter wind of death” – as Nono labelled by acoustic instruments distributed in three groups it – blew over his own and Pollini’s families, leading around the audience. Beyond grief and sorrow, to a change of title from the originally intended unfolding waves… con luigi nono is a refection on Notturni-Albe to the highly poetic .....soferte onde music and on listening through the exploration of serene…, a delicate refection on life and death. In a multiple temporalities and of indiscernible sounds, rather contemplative mode, a static temporality al- changing sonorities that were originally electronic lows for a serene gaze on death, out of which new into instrumental sounds. shapes and energies might emerge. Four years be- fore, in Como una ola de fuerza y luz, it was the un- expected death of Luciano Cruz that dramatically changed Nono’s original plan, which shifted from a 5 LUIGI NONO (1924–1990) sion). The particular way in which this program is set to music implies a certain degree of “personifcation” Como una ola de fuerza y luz (1971–1972) of the instruments: the piano can be associated with for soprano, piano, orchestra and tape, ALN 38 the fgure of Luciano; the soprano with a female fg- ure that appears in diverse roles – as the mother, the lover, and the political companion of the hero; Between April and June 1971, after the democratic the orchestra (in the sketches sometimes labeled as election of Salvador Allende’s government, Luigi “spiriti infernali”) appears as the monster of the state Nono visited Chile for three months, meeting several apparatus; and the tape as a commentator, enhanc- artists, composers and politicians, among whom was ing the character and atmos phere of every single Luciano Cruz Aguayo, one of the leaders of the Move- passage. This program divides the piece in two main ment of the Revolutionary Left (MIR, Movimiento de parts, with two sections each. The frst part symboli- Izquierda Revolucionaria). Back in Italy, Nono start- cally portrays the events of Luciano’s struggling life, ed working on his next musical composition, which his death, and the sorrow for his departure, while the was meant to be a piece for piano and orchestra, for second part addresses our response to those events, Maurizio Pollini and Claudio Abbado. In August 1971, our capacity to react, to mobilize forces and energies Nono and Pollini started making studio recordings in order to transform Luciano’s death into a trigger for for the new piece at the Studio di Fonologia della future action. RAI in Milano, exploring diverse piano sonorities and their possibilities for electronic treatment in view of Part I (They) the realization of a tape. Shortly after that, the news 1. Invocation and lamentation of Luciano [0:00–6:30] of the accidental death of Luciano Cruz Aguayo ar- 2. Luciano’s presence in the absence [6:30–15:30] rived, leading to a fundamental change of Nono’s compositional plans. Luciano’s “presence in the ab- Part II (Us) sence” became the motto of the new composition, 3. The Long March [15:30–25:37] and a memorial poem by Julio Huasi provided a text 4. Collective explosion in the certainty of to be sung, the title of the composition, and an ex- Luciano’s absence [25:37–30:04] plicit dramaturgical program.