Memos for a New Millennium
Memos for a New Millennium was created by Oscar van Dillen for disklavier and pianist (MIDI file for performances is available through the composer)
In this composition a balance and cooperation between man and machine is the central theme.
Memos for a New Millennium was inspired by Italo Calvino's unfinished last work, "Six memos for the next millennium".
Calvino's titles run respectively:
- LIGHTNESS
- QUICKNESS
- EXACTITUDE
- VISIBILITY
- MULTIPLICITY
- CONSISTENCY (not written)
I took the liberty to supplement Calvino's intended lectures with a seventh memo of my own: Clarity.
The musically chosen logical order is different from in its literary predecessor:
- VISIBILITY
- QUICKNESS
- EXACTITUDE
- CONSISTENCY
- CLARITY
- LIGHTNESS
- MULTIPLICITY
The inherent mutual coherence however does not allow for seperate (musical) parts.
A live performance should if possible contain a live video-beamer projection on the back wall of the (whole) concert hall, the camera mounted to the ceiling taking an exactly vertical look at the klavier (player's hands) and the hammers (mechanique).
Note: next to the usual G- and F-clefs, octavating G- and F-clefs are used!
A MIDI-file for performance of this work is available through the composer. Oscar van Dillen, Rotterdam april 15, 2002
Special thanks to Juan Felipe Waller who gave me Calvino's book as a present in 2001.
- Memos for a New Millennium (score in pdf)
- first performed by Maarten van Veen in Lantaren/Venster, Rotterdam, 23 April 2002
See also
See also the score
