Making of INTERIOR 123
27.02.2018
Music of the second section is ready!
Hi folks,
Here’s a first demo of the second painting. It’s not 100% yet, it needs a bit of note work and electronics tweaking still, but it gives an idea where the middle part is gonna go. All three movements will be attacca, as if it’s one piece all together.
The musical idea is a crazy sort of sugar-overdose dance thing; basically, kids making a mess…
The alto blockflute is leading, and I have a very clear idea about articulations etc (thanks to Jorge’s amazing 30 minute demonstration video on youtube ;-)); again, I have to use dwarsfluit for the demo unfortunately. Percussion is just cajón in this part, and the third part will go back to vibraphone. All other percussion here is kitchenware in the electronics. For Marko, it’s all gonna be Accordina.
The third part will slow everything down again and connect to the beginning. I know what I want, just need some sessions to work it out of course…. every available hour will go into finishing the piece and making the scores and parts, also for the recordings.
Soon more! Enjoy!
Florian
17.02.2018
We got permission to shoot 360 video at the Rembrandthuis in Amsterdam!
Marcel will be taking 360 degree images of three different rooms at the Rembrandthuis in Amsterdam: de zijkamer, het voorhuis, en het zitkamer. These will be the basis for the three sections of the video. You can see impressions of these rooms bellow. Depending on the lighting situation Marcel might substitute the kitchen for one of these rooms). First video tests of 360 image manipulation successfully done.
Interior 123
First video test
First video test
Concept idea paintings
16.02.2018
First section is ready!
Hi folks,
here a first midi demo!
It’s the first 2 minutes. I didn’t plan it, but I might actually “do” all 3 paintings in my 6 minutes after all, ± 2 minutes per painting, so this would be the first one.
Background:
I wanted the beginning to be as pretty as possible, like arriving in a beautiful room / space (well, an “interior”) and then witnessing what happens there. In this case, it starts with the original painting of Hendrick Sorgh that inspired Miró’s Dutch Interior 1. Instead of a guitar / lute thingy, the vibraphone does the accompaniment, and the accordina the “voice" of the depicted serenade. The other instruments trickle in, and around the one minute mark, this world shifts into its surrealist counterpart - the piece unexpectedly gets, well, quite drunk :D The mood stays peaceful, but the next section will transit to painting 2, which will be an upbeat dance kind of thing, where the flute leads the cat dance depicted in the painting.
The electronics are the vibraphone intro (starting at 1:08), but transposed from a minor to f minor plus two octaves down, and slowed down to 25% the speed of the first measures. I want a low, under-watery, gongy world in the electronics that supports the drunkenness of the surrealism. I’ll rebuild this with “proper” recorded notes later, it’s just for the demo for now. I’ll also work those electronics out in more detail later (I’m thinking of surrealist cat and dog noises etc), but those details aren’t important yet at the moment for me for composing.
I find the element of transformation from the realism of the Dutch “originals” to Miró’s interpretation of them a crucial aspect, so I based this first section on making this surrealist distortion audible, while at the same time hopefully writing notes that can also work just as a pretty (...if slightly tipsy...) concert piece. I’ll continue in this vein, but now the surrealism in the music won’t go away till the end of the piece as far as I’m concerned.
Also, certain playing techniques (glissandi, swells etc) are impossible to simulate in the MIDI.
Orchestration for now is alto recorder, (regular) panflute, viola, accordina and vibraphone. I’ll try as much as possible to stick to those; I like the idea of a more or less “portable” piece ;-)
Hugs,
Florian
11.02.2018
We’ve got the music of the introduction!
A little bit behind schedule due to continuously exploding at home with the flu this week, nevertheless here a first mp3 sketch for the introduction part.
I apparently have no recorder samples anywhere in my libraries, so excuse that it’s a dwarsfluit here Jorge ^^
It’s basically a canon where everyone plays the same, but preceded by 2 bars of real solo appearance with every entrance before getting sucked into the canon. Thought behind it was something modular that can be used in different ways, depending what the intro film thingy needs at the end, and then dissolves into nothing, drowns in reverb, or gets taken over by the electronics of the piece. Also, I wanted a context that lets the music continue and relate between the instruments, rather than just loose meaningless fragments on every instrument.
Saluti, and to be continued.
Florian
06.02.2018
Marcel explains his point of departure:
Nice to hear the momentum is starting. Yesterday my 360 camera finally arrived and I'm excited to get to work.
My plan is to take elements from all 3 of the paintings, but it might not end up being very explicit in the end result. I'd rather not try to copy Miro, I'm more inclined take the paintings as an inspiration. If the structure of the music composition is in 3 parts then I will also conceive the video in 3 parts.
I have arranged a a film studio in Amsterdam where I will do the video shoot of the musicians on a green screen. They will be part of the images as well!
Till soon in VR!
Marcel
05.02.2018
Florian is already working on the music and wants to get stuff concrete. He points basic questions about the collaboration that triggers everyone’s feedback:
- To the musicians: do you have specific instruments / techniques / musical wishes for the new score? Matthijs for example expressed a wish that I use his regular pan flute rather than the bass. How is that for the rest? Enric & Jorge - any preferences as to which instruments you’d like me to write for? Esra and Marko: instruments are of course clear, but feel free to share musical wishes with me. I discussed the basic concept and nature of the piece with him already a while back, but within that layout, I have liberties what to use and what not, so I wanted to do that also according to your own wishes. It’ll be your piece, after all. Generally, the written parts will be much more like traditional music notation and composition than in click Plan Be. “Proper" music and stuff ;-)
- The video introductions:
Jorge said that, before the actual piece starts, there should be a short introduction of every musician in the virtual world, and he asked me to maybe write a bar or two of music for every instrument; also, that he’d need this first.
- The paintings:
Should I focus on a specific one of the three Miró paintings? Or will all three feature in the VR for my piece?
Let me know; for the rest, I’m gonna get to it together with Marcel now.
Salutes, and we’ll be in touch!
Florian
19.12.2017
First work meetings between Jorge Isaac, Marcel Wierckx and Florian Maier. Lot’s of exchange of ideas, approaches, defining the concrete next steps to be taken. Plan of action before the X-mas done.
13.11.2017
Our first main supporter, The Performing Arts Fund NL, gives green light for the project. The realization of Interior 123 is a fact! Everybody working now full power on the project.
01.08.2017
Concept is solid. Grant applications done. First performances settled. Getting in the summer with a good and positive feeling!
12.06.2017
Grant applications being prepared. First selling chunk done. Formal writing work coming up.
19.04.2017
Venues contacted. PR and attack plan already on the move.
15.03.2017
The crew is already assembled. Florian Maier (composer) and Marcel Wierckx (visuals) are equally excited on participating in this project. Everybody is on the same track, concrete thinking process getting shape.
10.01.2017
Our artistic director had worked on the concept for about a year. We evaluated the project (concept and selling possibilities) and decided to give priority to Interior 123. Let’s do it!