- en elektronisk fortolkning af Xenakis' mesterværk
v. adjunkt Merlyn Luke Perez-Silva
The score for Iannis Xenakis’ seminal percussion work Psappha (1975) asks nearly as many questions as it provides instructions. On the surface, it’s modernist graphic notation and efficient annotation expresses a nearly mechanical, deterministic utility: “choose between these options, and then do these things”.
Performing such a work, however, adds layers of complexity that lead to countless possibilities of variation: the texture of the instruments, the reverberations of the performance space, the skill and style of the percussionist.
This artistic research project investigated the implications of using a computer and electronic drum machines to perform the piece, with minimal interference from a musician. What is lost in translation, and what unforeseen opportunities arise?
The project took place in two phases: transcription, and performance.
The transcription phase involved digitising the work into both MIDI and an Ableton Live project. This may be the first time in history this has been achieved. Each of the piece’s 2,396 segments were entered into a DAW by hand, tripple checked for accuracy, and annotated with the accents and dynamics described in the original score. The results have been made available to download below.
The performance phase took this work to the stage, using Roland 808 and 606 drum machines as primary sound sources, controlled by a laptop playing the score. Effects units like overdrive and echo were added to the system, allowing the performer some influence on the colour, dynamics and decay of the drum sounds, as a ‘real’ percussionist would.
The piece was premiered at DIEM Elektro in RAMA’s Klubscenen on 19th February, 2024, using the room’s multichannel audio playback system to create an immersive listerning experience. The score was played in double time, whilst additional material was created by slowing down and speeding up the score by orders of magnitude. This technique created the possibility to experience fractals of the piece, with the computer playing at speeds no human could achieve.
Watch the debut performance here:
Listen to a fixed-media version of the original score here
Download the composite MIDI file here:
Download the Ableton Live set here (requires Live version 11.3 or higher)