SONATA for Cello, Piano, and Electronics
Daria Lutsenko — cello
Valeria Dolgushina — piano
Concept
In musicology, there are certain stereotypes associated with sonata form. The main theme must be energetic and masculine, while the secondary theme should be tender and feminine. This piece hyperbolizes these images by adding advertisement samples—a «masculine» and a «feminine» one, respectively—to two short, repeating motifs.
At a certain point, the conflict between the main and secondary narratives fades into the background, as both are equally challenged by electronic noise.
In this moment (as envisioned by the author), there occurs a retrospective reassessment of the roles of the main and secondary narratives, which turn out to be nothing more than textures of the same order—equally distinct from the invading noise.
This technique can be metaphorically compared to the sudden realization that the interlocutor all along was a mannequin.
Starting in the middle, the cello gradually transitions into the realm of noise—as if emerging from a simulation.
Toward the end, its original (melodic) theme sounds without the participation of a live musician.
Meanwhile, the live cello traces the listener’s path, conducting a retrospective re-evaluation of what came before.
(Emerging from the simulation and observing from the outside.)
The electronics module includes a pre-created soundscape made of samples and real-time cello sound processing.
The performances took place at the Museum of Sound, the Sergey Kuryokhin Center for Contemporary Art (St. Petersburg), and the Moscow State Conservatory.
