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Bernard Parmegiani (1927-2013)



Violostries (1962)

  1. Violostries - 1962 – I
  2. Violostries - 1962 – II
  3. Violostries - 1962 - III


    Bookmat: Soaked with the intuitive power of brain-scanning sonic properties, tones fade and explode with stunning neuronic intensity; a sort of interface enabling natural sounds or analogical synthetic sounds to release digitally synthesized sounds. We suddenly swing from one domain to another, from the instrumental to the electroacoustic, from a language we understand, to an 'unknown language'.

    "Violostries" (1963/64): Premiered and recorded in April 1965 at the Royan Festival -- France, by Devy Erlih (violin) and Bernard Parmegiani (sound projection). "Violostries" represents the intersection of several musical research directions, presented as two simultaneous dialogues: composer/performer and instrument/orchestra. After a short introduction tutti very spatialized: "1. Pulsion/Miroirs": multiplied by itself, the violin is projected into the four corners of the sound space. "2. Jeu de cellules": concertante piece for violin and audio medium, the latter being made up of very tightly woven microsounds. "3. Végétal": slow and invisible development following a continuous time, resulting from an internal and permanent processing of the matter.

    'Violostries' represents the convergence of several different directions of musical research. First, the composer-performer dialogue ; Devy Erlih having written the score for violin based on a general conception of the work composed on tape, itself made up entirely of sounds from the violin. Another aim was to experiment with a form adaptable to the processes of sound-diffusion made available by an electroacoustic approach. Returning to classical forms of “instrumental-orchestral” dialogue (the concerto) can be attempted through these unique possibilities for orchestration.
    Nine pitches, reworked and remixed into many shapes and sizes, form the envelop curve of this piece.

    After a short, highly spatialized, tutti introduction :
    1. 'Pulsions / Miroirs' : the violin self-multiplied, being projected around the sound space.
    2. 'Jeu de cellules' : violin and audio media (the latter formed of very tightly-written micro-sounds) enter a concertante section.
    3. 'Végétal' : the longest section, doubtless where they can be most admired, the performer plays in a greatly contrasted way to the two previous movements.
    The term 'Végétal' (approximately “vegetational” — T.N.) suggests an analogy with plant growth : the slow and invisible but continuous result of internal matter permanently at work.

    [Bernard Parmegiani]

    • Premiered in April 1965 at Festival de Royan – France by Devy Erlih (violin) & Bernard Parmegiani (sound projection)