Traiettoria…deviata

Here is the first part of Traiettoria, the others being Dialoghi and Contrasti, by Marco Stroppa.

Program notes

Traiettoria for piano and computer-generated sounds is a cycle of three pieces Traiettoria…deviata, Dialoghi, Contrasti, composed between 1982 and 1984 and lasting about 45 minutes.

Traiettoria can be considered as a concerto for piano and orchestra, where synthetic sounds replace the orchestra. In this work, the relationship between synthetic sounds and concrete piano sounds is sometimes designed so that they merge into a single image and sensation. Inharmonic timbres and harmony, in other words, “illusion” and reality, often tend to merge and transform into one another.

The arrangement of the piano and the amplification device has been studied with great care. The synthetic sounds come both from a speaker positioned under the piano that interferes with the soundboard and the strings, and from multiple speakers arranged around the audience. Depending on the solution chosen, the volume of the sound is reduced or surrounds the audience on all sides in a constant pulse throughout the piece. For reasons of balance, the piano is also amplified.

The sound direction of Traiettoria in concerto serves to shape the synthetic sound based on the score and the acoustic characteristics of the room. It must be ensured by a musician whose importance is equal to that of the pianist.

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