Milan, at HangarBicocca, a concert in direct dialogue with Jean Tinguely’s sound machines

by Redazione , published on 17/01/2025
Categories: Events / Disclaimer

Electroacoustic circus in the imagination of Jean Tinguely: in the exhibition spaces of the Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan, a concert in direct dialogue with the Swiss artist’s sound machines.

A concert in direct dialogue with the sound machines of Jean Tinguely in the exhibition spaces of the Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan, where the largest Italian retrospective dedicated to the artist after his death is presented until February 2, 2025. The event entitled Electroacoustic circus in the imagination of Jean Tinguely (Electroacoustic circus in the imagination of Jean Tinguely), organized by Milano Musica in collaboration with Ircam-Centre Pompidou and the Conservatorio G. Verdi in Milan, is part of the Public program of the exhibition; it will take place on Thursday January 30 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. and aims to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Jean Tinguely. In the Swiss artist’s research, the relationship between sound and vision has been a central element since the 1950s, and the concert on the program is inspired by this theme. Fascinated by experiences of “concrete” Music – integrating sounds and noises that are mechanical or taken from reality – Tinguely designs his sculptures as “machines for mixing sounds”. This is how we can see Méta-Maxi (1986), a work in which the artist combines musical instruments and mechanisms to produce deliberately discordant sounds.

This musical tribute is inspired by one of his most emblematic works: the Stravinsky Fountain (1982-83), created in collaboration with Niki de Saint Phalle. Located on the square of the same name in Paris, between the Center Pompidou and the Saint-Merry church, the fountain is on the roof of the building housing Ircam (Institute for Acoustic/Music Research and Coordination), one of the largest public research centers dedicated to both musical expression and scientific research. The artist shared a deep friendship with Pierre Boulez, founder and first director of IRCAM.

The concert program opens with one of the first works created by Boulez at IRCAM, Dialogue de l’ombre double (1985), a work combining the sound of a live clarinet with that of a recorded clarinet . Follows an “imaginary crossing” performed by Yann Brecy and Luca Bagnoli with sounds recorded by Cyclop, a monumental sculpture 22 meters high created by Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle in the forest of Milly-la-Forêt in 1969. This work complex, the result of the collective work of several artists over nearly fifteen years, integrates moving metal machines, sound mechanisms and even a theater.

The concert continues with Three pieces for clarinet by Igor Stravinsky, composed in 1918 during the publication of The Soldier’s Tale, and ends with Bonfire, a piece for wind orchestra composed in 2023 by Mikel Urquiza. This last piece, performed for the first time in Italy, commissioned by the IRCAM-Centre Pompidou, with the support of AXA on the occasion of the restoration of the Stravinsky Fountain, symbolically closes the program, celebrating the artistic heritage and sound of Tinguely.

Electroacoustic circus in the imagination of Jean Tinguely
organized by Milano Musica in collaboration with Ircam – Center Pompidou and the Conservatorio G. Verdi di Milano
with :
Jérôme Comte, clarinet, soloist of the Ensemble Intercontemporain
Luca Bagnoli, Ircam sound engineering
Yann Brecy, electronics Ircam
Wind Orchestra of the G. Verdi Conservatory of Milan
Sandro Satanassi, conductor

Photo : Jean Tinguely, Meta-Maxi (1986; metal structure on wheels, wooden and metal wheels, musical instruments, rubber belts, plastic and plush toys, electric motors, 340 x 1260 x 430 cm; MercedesBenz Art Collection). © Jean Tinguely by SIAE, 2024. Photo by Agostino Osio

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