Radio Papesse

Mirror features a series of different recordings of water-based elements collected in a journey from North to South following the Eastern Scottish coast; of rain outside my house in London and of icy snow in my hometown park in Italy, combined with processed sounds of triangle, concertina and cymbala.

The composition represents a journey back to my hometown and evaluates the notion of home as journey rather than place. Therefore this composition aims to represent moments, images, and objects that recall the idea of home. Whether these can be allocated in memories, places or objects, the musical context is placed in a continuum of referential symbols (Nancy 2007:10) that define a journey across time and space.

The relationship between notes and noise (Smalley 1997:120) has been paramount in the structuring of the piece. The opening in fact features an ambiguous harmonic-inharmonic spectrum that further develops into streams that disperse into noise (Smalley 1997:120).

Only towards the end (10’30’’) we notice a shift towards a note-based spectrum and finally a harmonic one to close the piece. The shifts between these spectral opposites aim to provide an architectural context for the journey to be experienced. Nodal points (Wishart 1996:123) have been established to mark the passage from an event to the other both in the spectromorphological and the semantic fields. In fact the passages between events are pinpointed by changes in motion (2’16’’- 6’50’’), widening of the spectrum (11’15’’), and causality (3’45’’ – 6’25’’ – 7’ – 7’38’’ – 8’ 21’’ for instance).

Aural and mimetic discourses have been applied to Mirror to explore the idea of landscape described by Trevor Wishart (1996: 130) whereby the characteristics of the sound experience [are] related to our recognition of the source of the sounds.

The juxtaposition of real and abstracted sounds in fact has helped creating a dynamism between what can be recognized and what can be hinted at that would confirm how the "search-mode" (Emmerson 1999:137) is brought into play in the process of understanding and experiencing the work. [Luca Nasciuti]

Luca Nasciuti is a London based composer trained in electroacoustic composition, classical music, visual and performing arts. He holds a MMus in Studio Composition from Goldsmiths University in London, and a BA(Hons) in Music with Performing Arts from University of East London. His work spans installation, video, and performance art, focusing on the legacy between acoustic and electroacoustic sound, and the interplay of sonic and visual practices within site-specific contexts. His practice evaluates notions of phenomenological reduction and symbolism in composition and sound art whereby the architecture of the work is defined by and built upon the cultural and imaginary information found in field recordings.

Label: Somehow Recordings SR51
Mastering: Lawrence English at 158.