SPACE WITHIN Rodrigo Sigal 1 Sound permeates every space, and music is one way to coordinate and organize it. SPACE WITHIN aims to generate emotions by exploring the relationships between human beings and computer generated sound material. This music requires active participation and cannot be understood while the listener is engaged in other activities. It succeeds when the listener searches for links, sources, structures and meanings. In other words, the internal life of this music occurs within the listener. SPACE WITHIN is a compilation of electroacoustic works created between 1999 and 2002, which are also available from various recording labels. The pieces are part of the Ph.D. theses Compositional strategies in electroacoustic music obtained from City University, London in 2003. It contains the performances of three world-class musicians from England and the United States. The works were composed and created with funding from Fonca (Mexico), Mexico-US Fund for Culture and the LIEM and MEC (Spain). Rodrigo Sigal s music has been released by labels in Italy, France, Russia, England and Mexico. The works: 1: Friction of things in other places For electroacoustic sounds 8 00 2002 When things occur simultaneously there will always be different levels of friction. Energy, disagreement, pitch, physical action and others are areas where difference can generate musical material. Friction of things in other places explores different levels to structure sound ideas through differences in material and sound sources. Created at the composer s studio in the UK. 2: Rimbarimba (lejos del silencio) For marimba, Max/Msp and electroacoustic sounds 15 00 2002 Performed by Robert Esler (www.robertesler.com) Rimbarimba was composed as part of the project Far from silence with percussionist Robert Esler. Throughout various sessions in England and the USA the piece evolved into its final form which consists of a score and a Max/Msp patch in order to trigger the required stereo sound files from the computer. The creation of recognisable links between different media is one of the main concerns in Rimbarimba . The integration of rhythmic and spectral materials from the live instrument and the electroacoustic part are therefore central to the piece. Rimbarimba can be considered as a mix between artificially generated sound worlds, layers of recorded sound related to the marimba and a human element that works as a bridge between multiple musical levels. I wanted this piece to be more of a process of exploration than a pre-planned set of musical rules. Decisions were constantly taken in order to emphasise some of the elements that emerged throughout the compositional process. Rimbarimba was commissioned with funds from the USA-Mexico fund for culture in 2001 and created at the composer s studio in London. 3: Twilight For bassoon and electroacoustic sounds 13 30 2000 Performed by: Wendy Holdaway (www.quintmex.com) Four continuous movements exploring the same number of different types of twilight (civil, nautical, astronomical and true night). The piece explores these four stages within a sound world where the bassoon is the leader and the electroacoustic sounds define the boundaries of the relationships. Sound material for the recorded part and general musical ideas developed from bassoon gestures that try to evoke the daily and almost SPACE WITHIN Rodrigo Sigal 3 imperceptible process of light fading away and night covering the sky. Relationships which work as structural points experiment with the fact that light, specially sunlight, and sound are more closely related than we usually think. The sunset is not necessarily a slow-movement process. Twilight was commissioned by the Spanish Ministry for Culture (MEC) and composed at LIEM-CDMC in Madrid, Spain and at London City University s Electroacoustic Music Studios. Premiered at the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid in July 2001, the piece has also been performed in Hungary, Mexico, Argentina, and the USA by different bassoonists. I want to thank Peter Dodsworth, Gyorgy Lakatos and Dominique Deguines for their help with the piece. Twilight won Honorary Mentions at the 2002 International Competition of Electroacoustic Music and Sonic Art Bourges and at the 2001 Luigi Russolo competition. 4 & 5: Cycles (in two movements: Stop and potS ) For electroacoustic sounds 12 30 1999 Feelings and sounds coming back to our memory. Cycles of ideas, transformations, processes and sounds. Composed in two movements organized in a similar way. Cycles was composed at City University s Electroacoustic Music Studios in London and won the 1st. prize at the 1999 International Luigi Russolo competition. 6: Tolerance For cello and electroacoustic sounds 11 40 2000 Performed by Thomas Gardner (thomas.gardner@virgin.net) There may be a place where to worlds are able to meet and co-exist. A sound world of intense and permanent relationships and behaviours. Tolerance won an Honorary Mention at the 2000 Luigi Russolo competition and is dedicated to Thomas Gardner, and has been performed by different cellists in many countries. Bio: Rodrigo Sigal (www.rodrigosigal.com) (Mexico City-1971) Holds a PhD in Electroacoustic composition from City University in London and a BA in composition from the Musical Studies and Research Center (CIEM) in Mexico City, and was part of the composition workshop directed by Prof. Mario Lavista. He also studied with Denis Smalley, Javier Alvarez, Franco Donatoni, Judith Weird, Michael Jarrel and Juan Trigos among others. Since 1991 he has been working as composer, sound and recording engineer in his private studio in Mexico and London, composing for dance, video, radio and T.V., and he was the coordinator of the Computer Music Lab at the CIEM from 1994 until 1998. He has received awards from the Mexican National Fund for Culture and the Arts (FONCA), The CIEM, The Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada, ORS and The Sidney Perry Foundation in England and the LIEM Studios and The Ministry of Culture in Spain, the 1st Prize (Cycles, 1999), honorary mentions (Tolerance, 2000 and Twilight, 2001) at the Luigi Russolo Composition Prize and finalist at Bourges 2002 (Twilight). Some of his works are available on CD, and his CD "MANIFIESTO" (CIEM006), has received positive reviews and radio broadcast in Mexico and abroad. His music has been performed in over 20 countries around the world. SPACE WITHIN Rodrigo Sigal 4 Since 1998 takes active part in DAM (www.dam-music.com), a group of six composers that is working on different interdisciplinary projects including Altenative Sessions with The Maarten Altena Ensemble presented in Mexico, France and The Netherlands. He recently finished Blood Stream for the Spanish tubist Jesús Jara with concerts in Spain, Brazil and Argentina. His recent project, "Rimbarimba: Lejos del silencio" for marimba and electroacustic sounds, was commissioned by Robert Esler (New Haven, CT) with funds from a Rockefeller-FONCA grant. The piece has been performed in México, USA, The Netherlands, Argentina, Brazil and England. He also completed Liquid Fear for ten instruments,electronics and video for the Maarten Altena Ensemble. He now lives and works in Santiago de Chile. Future activities include new pieces for wind quintet and electronics, trio and electronics, music for film, flute and electronics and a piano and orchestra concerto with electroacoustic sounds. "Rodrigo Sigal is a Q-Tip. Empty everything you've ever heard out of your head, and replace it with Manifesto. It's THAT good. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING ALBUMS IN THE STORE. Forget "regular" music. "Manifesto" is brilliantly creative, sonically beautiful, and mind-opening. HIGHLY recommended!" - Derek Sivers @ CD Baby