Duo Pavia – Flückiger
Artists Involved
Marcela Pavia
Year
2021
Kind of Project
Ira Arka premiered on September 15, 2021 at the Fabbrica di Vapore (Steam Factory, Cultural center) in Milan as part of the Festival Vapore d’Estate.
Ira Arka has as fulcrum musical syncretism where new sonorities and forms arise from the music of the past and from different cultures.
Ira Arka proposes, taking inspiration from Renaissance, Andean folk and contemporary music, new frames where stylized forms and new sounds emerge from the differences and contact points between them. Relevant in this sense is the virtual and luminous sound palette created by the timbres of the prepared piano, the acoustic and electronic sounds, the sonorities of instruments such as the psaltery and the hang, and light percussion interventions.
The title Ira-Arka takes a cue from the performing technique of the siku, an Andean instrument that has the characteristic of alternating the notes belonging to the two rows of pipes that compose it (Ira and Arka respectively), with a similar outcome to that of the medieval technique of hocketus, thus connecting distant times and places. Ira-Arka is therefore the technical, poetic and musical content paradigm that gives life to the whole project. From casual relationships like the one mentioned above and from operations of cultural syncretism, paths can be created that range from the Bamberg Code to the Andean carnavalito or from the technique of the Renaissance ensalada to the sounds of the e-bow, even if only in the time span of a single piece.
Ira-Arka and the new interfaces for musical expression:
The electronics counterpoint, orchestrate or improvise together with the piano. Includes fixed media, live electronics and musical interfaces as well, the latter intended not only as a medium for musical expression but as a way to create visual connections between sound, gestures and visuals. The suitable controllers for this purpose are the Leap Motion Controller and Artiphon Orba.
These controllers are used mostly in the sections with improvisation where the live sound of the piano and/or hang/psaltery is taken as musical data for the electronic improvisation, either straight or with the use of Markov chains. The movement of the light sticks (over the Leap controller) produces sounds which changes in timbre, pitch or rhythm according to the kind of movement of the hand. The Artiphon Orba is illuminated itself.
In addition to the fore mentioned utilities the Artiphon Orba has other special functions like producing musical data for the Hyperpsaltery. When Artiphon Orba is placed on Marcela’s Pavia wrist the movement of the hand produce data directly linked to musical expression like dynamics of sound (velocity key in midi language). Moreover other data can be produced according to the type of movement of the hand which can be mapped in various ways.
The lights allow to visually connect gesture and sound.
Marcela Pavia e Esther Flückiger are related by a personal and musical friendship since 20 years in which they have developed a shared research in particular musical territories. In 2009 they launched the project “Flair” Switzerland-Argentina and collaborated together for CD publications, various broadcasts and numerous concerts.
Marcela Pavia (IT/ARG) Composer of chamber and orchestral music, electroacoustic and multimedia works, Musical Theatre for Kids and music for didactics. Author of theoretical essays, Board of Directors of the Italian Society for Contemporary Music, member of Agon Acustica Informatica Musica, Faculty Member of the Soundscape Festival (2010-2019) and member of Acusmonium Audior Association.
Awarded with national and international prizes her works have been commissioned and performed in Europe, North and South America, Australia and Cina and by ensembles and orchestras like Broad Band Ensemble, Noise Ensemble, Ned Ensemble, Dedalo Ensemble, Duo Alterno, Taller Sonoro, I Piccoli Pomeriggi Musicali Orchestra, I Pomeriggi Musicali Orchestra, Cube Ensemble (Chicago), Duo 46 (Usa), Trio Flair (Switzerland), New Made Ensemble etc and in Festivals like Forum Wallis Suiss Contemporary Music Festival, Angelica Festival, Cagliari Computer Music Conference, North and South Consonance (New York), Semaine della Musique Eletroacustique, Universitè 3 Lille (France), International Computer Music Conference (Perth), 10° New York Guitar Seminar at Mannes (New York); Festival Gare Du Nord (Basilea), International Computer Music Conference (Belfast) etc. She was selected by ISCM jury to represent Italy and Argentina in various editions of the ISCM World News Music Days (2011 World New Music Days and Bienal of Music at Zagreb, 2014 WNMD Wroclaw and 2013 WNMD Kosice-Bratislava-Vienna). She was also selected for the 2011 Ircam Workshop at the Biennial of Venice.
Her works have been published by international editors and labels (Editions Delatour, Edizioni Curci, Edizioni Berben, Neos (Germany), Pilfink (Finland) etc.