Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

Work Overview

Giacomo Meyerbeer's 1872 Opera Robert Le diable is considered by some to be the first grand opera. Deconstructing the first grand opera extracts piano accompaniment fragments from the Ballet of the nun's scene within this opera and reassembles them to create something new. In this performance the solo piano holds the main sound fragments and around the performer 8-11 wireless speakers play an out of sync version of the new deconstructed piano sound controlled via individual mobile phones. As the new sound on each speaker moves around the performance space it constantly overlaps and collides with different versions of itself in counterpoint to the solo piano sound modifying the sound space and creating massive sound deconstruction of the old to reveal transformation to the new.

This work is part of Mark Pollard's ongoing research work deconstructing the familiar, which deconstructs and reconstructs iconic objects, locations, music and sounds to create new meaning and experience.

Work Details

Year: 2019

Instrumentation: Piano, 8-11 hand held wireless speakers ; or 8-11 keyboards(1 piano and any other electronic or other keyboards) ; or 8-11 wireless speakers.

Duration: 14 min.

Difficulty: Advanced

First performance: by Anna Smith — 30 Oct 19. Victorian College of the Arts, Grant Street Theatre, Melbourne VIC