A holistic view of the creative potential of performance practice in contemporary music

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel UniversityThe creative potential and work of the performer in new music extends from the moment of conceptualising a concert to the moment of presenting it on stage and comprises many areas between and around those two points. In this thesis I explore the nature of this activity, from the act of playing itself to the commissioning and creating of new pieces, curatorial and collaborative tasks, and the actual concert presentation. I deliberately include interrelations between performer and music promoters, composers and the audience. This leads me to further areas of investigation, namely the question of the performer’s leadership, the charismatic bond with the audience and the creation of what I call “concert aura”. I do not strive to offer all-purpose formulae for the “perfect concert” or for the ideal collaboration. I investigate performance practice not as an absolute art but rather as something embedded in and shaped by social relations and society. Accordingly I understand this thesis as an empirically based study of the questions performers could ask, as well as processes in which they might want to engage, to find meaningful solutions for each new situation. Not all of the questions I raise will be new to each performer, but in their collaborative and concert practice many performers rely on a random, unsystematic, empirical understanding that has been gained by chance. In contrast, I attempt to draw a theoretical basis for my investigation from the fields of psychology, philosophy, media science and sociology, together with the evaluation of my own and other artists’ performance practice. In this way I hope to develop an academic foundation and a comprehensive, systematic approach that can be applied to different collaboration and concert situations. Part 1 of my thesis is concerned with theories and concepts relating to creativity, collaboration and presentation (concert aura and charisma) and aims to establish a firm theoretical basis for application in practice. Part 2 presents, discusses and analyses a selection of case studies from my own practice, considered in relation to the theories discussed in the first part. I conclude by offering guidelines to collaboration and giving a model example of how one might plan a future performance, aiming to create a Gesamtkunstwerk through the totality of the preparation and presentation, its social and psychological connotations. The thesis includes two DVDs with Quicktime Movies and two CDs with recordings of the compositions, commissioned as part of this research and discussed throughout the thesis. The Appendix contains three sample-CDs with an accompanying commentary which give an introduction to contemporary playing techniques for the acoustic and electronic violin and acoustic viola. This CD is intended as a guide for composers to get acquainted with the instruments and was given to each composer involved in this research

A Selected Analytical Bibliography of Works for Saxophone by Composers Associated with the Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music: 1946-2021

Although the saxophone is one of the most recently invented concert instruments, countless pieces of music have been written for it. This document aims to contribute to the established scholarship that examines and highlights existing saxophone repertoire, by looking specifically at composers associated with the Darmstadt International Summer Courses. Bruce Ronkin’s Londeix Guide to the Saxophone Repertoire 1844-2012 is a standard resource for the 21st century saxophonist to have. It includes some, but not all, compositions for saxophone written before 2012. By looking at this specific set of composers, with many who are alive today, this document is able to fill in gaps found in the Ronkin, as well as contribute to the list of works written after 2012

Skrjabin e il Suono-Luce

Skrjabin, an eccentric figure in the music scene of the beginning of the century, has often aroused both the most heated enthusiasm and the most ferocious criticisms. However, in recent decades, important researches have been carried out in Italy and abroad, leading to a more balanced view of the man and his work. The contributions which are included in this volume come largely from the conference Svetozvuk, il ‘Suono-Luce’ (Cherubini Conservatory of Florence, 2015), and intend to bring a significant element to the studies on Skrjabin by addressing different and complementary themes. The resulting multifaceted kaleidoscope highlights the key role of Skrjabin in the 20th century, not only as a precursor of multimedia, but most importantly as the creator of a highly original language which would influence entire generations of musicians from different backgrounds

The seasons in the city : artists and rural worlds in the era of Calvino and Pasolini

The Seasons in the City. Artists and Rural Worlds in the Era of Calvino and Pasolini explores rurality in postwar Italy. Between 1958 and 1963, the country underwent an unprecedented yet uneven industrialisation, a period known as the Economic Miracle. Drawing on a relational and dynamic understanding of rural space provided by human geography, this thesis investigates the impact of these economic and socio-cultural transformations on the countryside, and on the ways in which the rural world was perceived and conceptualised in the following decades, especially by contemporary artists and intellectuals. Works of Gianfranco Baruchello, Claudio Costa, Piero Gilardi, Maria Lai, Ugo La Pietra, Antonio Paradiso, Pino Pascali, Giuseppe Penone, and Superstudio have been selected and analysed for the complex views on the topography of the country they convey, whilst challenging more conventional forms of art. Organised in themed chapters that find resonance in the contemporary works of two iconic Italian intellectuals, Italo Calvino and Pier Paolo Pasolini, these artistic practices manifest the ways in which Marxist theory and anthropology contributed to artists’ identification of rural landscapes and communities at the time. More importantly, this thesis offers an alternative geographical perspective on 1970s Italian art, one that challenges the pastoral myths that were constructed in the country’s metropolitan centres

Memorie sotterranee. Storia e racconti della Borsa di Arlecchino e del Beat 72.Saggio sonoro

Il primo numero della collana \u201cIl teatrodella memoria\u201d \ue8 dedicato a due esperienze preziose per la memoria del teatro di ricerca italiano: la Borsa di Arlecchino di Genova e il Beat 72 di Roma, teatri sotterranei nel senso reale dell\u2019aggettivo e luoghi di una memoria del sotterraneo per indicare, in un senso metaforico, pratiche artistiche lontane dai percorsi pi\uf9 consueti e ufficiali. Nel saggio sonoro storia e memoria partecipano a un comune racconto, in cui la stratificazione dei vissuti e la polifonia delle voci si intrecciano con la molteplicit\ue0 dei dati e danno conto della complessit\ue0 del processo con cui la narrazione storica \ue8 elaborata: alla narrazione cronologica e dettagliata della storia delle due sale si accompagnano le voci dei testimoni con i loro racconti in soggettiva, le cronache pubblicatesui quotidiani del tempo e ancora fotografie di scena o dei fuori scena, locandine, approfondimenti critici su singoli episodi, figure, spettacoli. Il saggio sonoro \ue8 pensato nell\u2019ottica di una fruizione plurisensoriale: oltre ai testi da leggere, voci, fotografie e immagini si possono ascoltare e vedere in una applicazione in formato exe

Memorie sotterranee. Storia e racconti della Borsa di Arlecchino e del Beat 72

Il primo volume della collana \u201cIl teatrodella memoria\u201d \ue8 dedicato a due esperienze preziose per la memoria del teatro di ricerca italiano: la Borsa di Arlecchino di Genova e il Beat 72 di Roma, teatri sotterranei nel senso reale dell\u2019aggettivo e luoghi di una memoria del sotterraneo per indicare, in un senso metaforico, pratiche artistiche lontane dai percorsi pi\uf9 consueti e ufficiali. Nel volume storia e memoria partecipano a un comune racconto, in cui la stratificazione dei vissuti e la polifonia delle voci si intrecciano con la molteplicit\ue0 dei dati e danno conto della complessit\ue0 del processo con cui la narrazione storica \ue8 elaborata: alla narrazione cronologica e dettagliata della storia delle due sale si accompagnano le voci dei testimoni con i loro racconti in soggettiva, le cronache pubblicatesui quotidiani del tempo e ancora fotografie di scena o dei fuori scena, locandine, approfondimenti critici su singoli episodi, figure, spettacoli

Memorie sotterranee. Storia e racconti della Borsa di Arlecchino e del Beat 72

Il primo volume della collana “Il teatrodella memoria” è dedicato a due esperienze preziose per la memoria del teatro di ricerca italiano: la Borsa di Arlecchino di Genova e il Beat 72 di Roma, teatri sotterranei nel senso reale dell’aggettivo e luoghi di una memoria del sotterraneo per indicare, in un senso metaforico, pratiche artistiche lontane dai percorsi più consueti e ufficiali. Nel volume storia e memoria partecipano a un comune racconto, in cui la stratificazione dei vissuti e la polifonia delle voci si intrecciano con la molteplicità dei dati e danno conto della complessità del processo con cui la narrazione storica è elaborata: alla narrazione cronologica e dettagliata della storia delle due sale si accompagnano le voci dei testimoni con i loro racconti in soggettiva, le cronache pubblicatesui quotidiani del tempo e ancora fotografie di scena o dei fuori scena, locandine, approfondimenti critici su singoli episodi, figure, spettacoli

De lo abyecto en el cuerpo humano y sus relaciones con el Arte y la Semiótica

Esta tesis doctoral ha sido abarcada de una forma panorámica, tratándose de una tesis teórica ; que trata temas contemporáneos abarcados de forma científica. Tiene por objeto examinar cómo el concepto de abyecto en el cuerpo humano es utilizado en el arte y la semiótica. Tenemos por objetivos concretos: establecer cómo aplicamos el juicio del gusto estético y lo subjetivo del término abyecto. Para ello recurriremos a la crítica del juicio kantiana. Puesto que es de vital importancia estudiar cómo enjuiciamos los objetos y que factores intervienen en ello. Establecer el marco ético y moral en el que nos movemos para determinar que entendemos por abyecto. Demostrar la existencia del lenguaje abyecto por asociación de cosas comunes y cotidianas v.g. Das unheimlich, como lo definió Freud. Dándonos cuenta que surgió una teoría después de la lectura de una obra literaria. Quedándonos patente que el principio de realidad, muchas veces surge del arte. Así cómo la necesidad de tener un arte transgresor para poder desarrollar las sociedades. Los textos de Julia Kristeva, Michel Foucault y Umberto Eco; han representado un grado de confrontación importante para acercarnos al estado de la cuestión. Con esta investigación nos hemos propuesto demostrar la siguiente tesis: el concepto de abyecto es real , puesto que lo encontramos en la existencia del ser,( el cuerpo) y por extensión en el arte. (convención social de expresión), con un lenguaje propio y su propia semántica lingüística con sus propios semas -signos- y con su propia semiótica visual. Lo abyecto sirve para cruzar los límites y jugar con las prohibiciones, más concretamente en transgredir. Lo abyecto perturba, el orden, el sistema y la identidad. Por ello es tan interesante, porque nos hace reflexionar, lo preestablecido, la hermenéutica del cuerpo, como sujeto, activo y pasivo. Además de ser absolutamente necesario, porque sin los deshechos, no existe el cuerpo, se deben eliminar los residuos para poder seguir vivo. Encontramos un paralelismo claro con el arte, es necesario eliminar los elementos residuales para crear la obra. Está dividida en tres partes; la primera parte de la investigación ha estudiado y analizado en profundidad el cuerpo abyecto, la abyección en la sociedad, en la cultura. La segunda parte ha analizado y estudiado lo abyecto en los principales movimientos artísticos, citando ejemplos. La tercera parte la componen las conclusiones y la bibliografía. PALABRAS CLAVE: Abyección, cuerpo, arte, semiótica, cultura.Latorre Romero, A. (2014). De lo abyecto en el cuerpo humano y sus relaciones con el Arte y la Semiótica [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/39309TESI