Conquest of Space (CoS)

Fells, N. (2007) Conquest of Space (CoS). [Compositions]

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Abstract

Conquest of Space (CoS) is a work for violin and electronics developed collaboratively with Barbara Lüneburg as part of a joint residency at STEIM, Amsterdam. It is based on materials derived from a 7’ documentary single from 1961 celebrating Yuri Gagarin’s famous space flight, apparently released in Britain in association with the Soviet Ministry of Culture and Academy of Sciences. The record features Nikita Khrushchev and Gagarin speaking in Red Square following the flight, the radio communications between the Vostok and ground control, and the voice of a commentator. The work exploits the spatial character of some of these recordings and combines them with a style of violin playing that suited my MaxMSP processing, ’floating’ a hybrid violin and electronic melodic line over the filtered, edited and looped samples taken from the record. The aim was to make a piece that embodied something of the adventure and cold war nostalgia of the space flight era.

Item Type:Compositions
Additional Information:Performances: Barbara Lüneburg and Marko Ciciliani, Dartington College of Arts and Goldsmith's College London, 2007; Essl Museum, Klosterneuburg, Austria 2010.
Keywords:composition, violin, electroacoustic, STEIM, live electronics, MaxMSP, pitch tracking
Status:Published
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Fells, Professor Nick
Authors: Fells, N.
Subjects:M Music and Books on Music > M Music
College/School:College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Music
Copyright Holders:Nick Fells
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