Vermalung II - Donny G.

Programme Note

VERMALUNG II - DONNY G.
for 8 Channel Electronics (2006)

Premiere: 01.08.2008 Aschaffenburg , Stadttheater

Vermalung II belongs to a cycle encompassing Vermalung I until IV, both of which quote material from a previously existing music source. In Vermalung I - Western Music for Electronics, rhythmic structures from the soundtrack of Sergio Leone's film Once Upon a Time in the West are reconfigured into the composition. Based on a pop song from John Zorn, Vermalung III - Batman was composed for percussion quartet and live-electronics. Vermalung IV - Ludwig v. for Orchestra is based on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
Vermalung II originates from the aria Don Giovanni, A Cenar Teco in Mozart's opera Don Giovanni. The sound material for the composition is derived mainly from instrumental samples transcribed from the same aria for soprano and accordion. In Vermalung II, I was intensively engaged with the rhythmic form of sound particles. Each particle has a great functional diversity in terms of spatialization, content, transposition, duration and dynamic contour. The transformation of these characteristics in time brings forth a rich versality of polyphony. The piece was realized in the ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe with the program RGS (Rhythmic Grain Synthesis).
Luis Antunes Pena