for cello and 8-channel fixed media
Al Niente III marks the culmination of the piece reimagined from two earlier versions. Started from a 6-minute academic investigation with cellist Diederik Smulders (Al Niente I) in 2023, it was developed into a larger work with Sigrid Sand Angelsen on the cello (Al Niente III).
There exist several versions of the piece:
Al Niente I (for Diederik Smulders, 2023) -- 6’
Al Niente II (for Sigrid Sand Angelsen, 2023) -- 12’
Al Niente III (for Sigrid Sand Angelsen, 2023-2024) -- 17’ -- final piece
Stemming from the research into sonic fiction, aural drama, and the aesthetics of fragmentation, the work investigates the idea of trace and perceptual instability and presents a perpetual shift in listening experience—from the peripheral to the proximate, from softness to expansivity, and between continuity and interrupted flow.
The title expresses these core interests:
Niente -- a traditional musical term indicating a gradual fading into silence—becomes a metaphor for the delicate dynamics between acoustic and electronic sound. Happening on the verge of perception and provoking certain intensity of listening - stretching into the space -- the space of the acoustical body, physical space, and the virtual space evoked by the loudspeakers - Al Niente draws the word of these dynamic changes. Sound that appears out of nowhere and disperses softly in the distance and continues to resonate through the delicacy of materialities of acoustic and electronic sound gestures.
A song from a past time -- refers to the passage of time, the history of sound, and its lingering presence in memory. The piece navigates an ambiguous space between form and dispersal, between the cohesive, tactile integrity of the cello and the pulverizing gestures of the electronic material. Each sound emerges, dissipates, and reconfigures, continuously shaping and reshaping the listener’s experience.
refers to the passage of time, the history of sound, and our memory of it. The piece forges an ambiguous shuttle between form and dispersal, between the cohesive, almost physical integrity of the cello, and a fracturing or pulverising gesture of the electronic material. Each gesture emerges, dissipates, and reconfigures, continuously shaping and reshaping the segments of the work.
More information on the compositional thought and process can be found in the thesis ‘Within The Invisible Shifting of Sources and Their Material Qualities.. on Sonic Fiction, Aural Drama, and Ruin’ (Bachelor’s thesis, Institute of Sonology in The Hague, 2024).
Sectiont I
Section II - III
Setion IV
Section V
There is no processing applied to the acoustic cello, however, amplification may be required depending on the acoustics of the performance space. While the score suggests an aural world, each performance remains inherently unique. The size of the space, its reverberation, and the cello’s position all play a fundamental role in shaping the perceptual dimensions of the piece, as well as the listener’s position.
Originally composed for a large space with relatively dry acoustics, the work is designed with a few meters of distance between the speakers. This spatial configuration allows for a more precise articulation of dynamics and spatial imaging, ensuring a nuanced interplay between the electronic material and the acoustic instrument.
for cello (Sigrid Sand Angelsen) and 2-channel fixed media 10’
Concert, Studio LOOS, The Hague, Netherlands
for cello (Sigrid Sand Angelsen) and 8-channel fixed media 17’, Amare Studio, The Hague, Netherlands
for cello (Sigrid Sand Angelsen) and 8-channel fixed media 12’5, New Music Lab, The Hague, Netherlands
for cello (Sigrid Sand Angelsen) and 8-channel fixed media 12’5
Sonology Discussion Concert, Koninklijk Conservatorium Concert Hall, The Hague, Netherlands
for cello (Diederik Smulders) and 12-channel fixed media 6’
New Music Lab, The Hague, Netherlands