The concept of this CD program can be summed up in the word "pre": inexPREssive, PRÉs... "Pre" as a word ("Pré", a French word which in English means: "meadow"), or a prefix (pre-something): before the expression, before being expressed (something aesthetically related that I'm working on), or "before the game" as in pré-lude (in a "pré" in which children play). In other words: the peculiar state in which something not yet exists in an accomplished, "adult" form. Childhood as a way of having a premonition of an adult life, with its negative aspects (losing of the magic of a non-rational relationship with words, no longer being innocent in grasping and knowing things, losing the wonder of beauty) and some positive ones (acquiring a logical, rational, pragmatic relationship with reality). That is why the CD program includes pieces for children to be played by adults (looking for an "impossible" way of getting back to infancy); a "Sonatine expressive" or a "Sonate inexpressive" (ambiguously suspended between adulthood and childhood) containing one of the "prés" (the first of the second book) as an accompaniment to a very simple, celestial violin melody. And... a Sonatine is also a child's sonata... And a meadow (a French "Pré) is the beginning of a forest, of a private or public garden, of a more or less consistent built-up area.
The CD program includes two re-elaborations of pieces: one by Mozart (Adagio für Glasharmonika), usually considered an easy piano piece for children (in which a silent violin - with a metal practice mute) plays only a few notes, higher or lower, exceeding the two-octave range of a toy piano (again infancy and apparent simplicity). The other is by Schumann, again written for children (adults trying to be children), and it is for four-hand piano (but one pianist has to play only a monodic line with one hand): a singing piano - this line is a beautiful vocal line, an "innere Stimme" (so magic, driving one crazy - typical in Schumann). It is made by electronics projected inside the piano with the exciters stuck on the soundboard. This piece contains some bars from the 17th "Pré" which is a homage to Luigi Nono, ideally linked to Schumann - two "adult" visionary artists. Again: stupor, premonition, prophetic vision, past (the infancy of PREsent) projected to the future (the declining "Abend" melody by Schumann turned into an ascending utopian line by Nono (composer of a violin piece with live electronics entitled "La lontananza nostalgica utopica futura").
Plenty of symmetries and cross-references in this program. Piano is not a piano, violin is not a violin. When a violin could sing, it is an inner melody made by a transformed piano, when there is a real violin, it is reduced to a toy instrument, the whistling sounds of a Glasharmonika becoming real harmonics produced by the piano and by the small violin...
The French poet and writer, Francis Ponge wrote a book called "La fabrique du Pré" ("the meadow factory"). I give a double interpretation to this title: constructing from zero, creating a story starting from the beginning of life (infancy or the infancy of the world); or working on the preliminaries of existence, trying to give consistency to this magic zone where childhood starts its long process of becoming adult (it takes a whole life), magic starts to separate from reality, infancy from adult life and the reverse, adult life feeling deprived and nostalgic of a purely emotional relationship with reality, children and adults becoming aware of the lack of an ecstatic relationship with the world, later replaced by an aesthetic one (in art), by faith (in religion), by love, or by drugs, meditation, extreme sports or any artificial method to go beyond this present, heavy, concrete world. I think this is the leading thread and the deep meaning of this CD program.
The CD title could be inspired by Francis Ponge's quotation: "La fabrique du pré", or in English: "The meadow factory". Or simply "Prato", or "Pré", or "PRE-" (as a prefix, from the Latin "prae-").
Prés - second book - for piano (2011 - 2013)
8. Précieux 1:09
9. Prétentieux 1:03
10. Pernicieux 1:32
11. Pré épuré 2:02
12. Pré carré 1:26
13. Pré paré 2:26
14. Luce ignota della sera (d'après Schumann) - for piano and live electronics (2015) 4:45
Prés - third book - for piano (2014 - 2015)
15. Prétérit 1:22
16. Pré d'après 1:59
17. Pressenti 2:03
18. Pré d'avant 2:10
19. Prédicatif 4:32
20. Pré de près 3:48
21. Adagio ghiacciato (d'après Mozart) for violin and prepared piano (2012) 4:11
A Production of Winter & Winter
Recording engineer: Matteo Costa
at Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Cesare Pollini", Padua, Italy
Prés (first, second and thrird book), March 26th, 2014 and February 2nd, 2015
Sonatinexpressive and Adagio ghiacciato (d'après Mozart), April 7th, 2014
Luce ignota della sera (d'après Schumann), May 30th, 2015
Piano tuner: Silvano Zanta
Editing engineer and post-production: Matteo Costa
at Ing. Matteo Costa Studio, Padua, Italy, May 18th and 27th, 2015 and January 22nd, 2016
Mastering engineer: Adrian von Ripka
at AVR Studio, Steinenbronn, Germany, June 2016
Illustration, layout and design: Günter Mattei
Photo of Stefano Gervasoni: Paola Loreto
Producer: Stefan Winter
Executive Producer: Mariko Takahashi and Stefan Winter
The recording work was possible with the kind help and support of Fondation Francis et Mica Salabert, MFA, Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Cesare Pollini”, SaMPL (Sound and Music Processing Lab, Padua, Italy).
Special thanks to Anne Polini.
Also available
Stefan Gervasoni
»Dir - in dir«
Winter & Winter 910 208-2
LE PRÉ
The album concept can be summed up in the word „pre“: inexPREssive, PRÉ... „Pre“ as word („pré“ means in English: meadow or grassland), or a PREfix (PRE-something): before the exPREssion, before being exPREssed, or „before the game“ as in PRÉ-lude (in a pré, a meadow, where children play). In other words: the peculiar state in which something not yet exists in an accomplished „adult“ form. Childhood as a way of having a premonition of an adult life, with its negative aspects (losing of the magic of a non-rational relationship with words, no longer being innocent in grasping and knowing things, losing of the ability to marvel at the wonders of beauty) and some positive ones (acquiring a logical, rational, pragmatic relationship with reality). That is why the program includes pieces for children played by adults (looking for an „impossible“ way of getting back to infancy). The „Sonatinexpressive“ (track 7) which could be also called a „Sonatine expressive“ or a „Sonate inexpressive“ (ambiguously suspended between adulthood and childhood) quotes a few elements of the composition „Précieux (Prés - second book)“ (track 8) as a piano accompaniment to a very simple, celestial violin melody.
The album includes two re-elaborations/adaptations: In „Adagio ghiacciato“ (Adagio for Glasharmonika) after Mozart – usually considered as an easy piano piece for children – plays a silent violin with a metal practice mute a few higher and lower notes and reaches the two-octave range of a toy piano (again infancy and apparent simplicity). The other adaptation after Schumann is also written for children (adults trying to be children). The piece is composed for four-hand piano. One pianist has to play only a monodic line with one hand: a singing piano. This line is a beautiful vocal line, an „inner voice“, magic and insane - typical for Schumann. The sounds are created with electronics and projected inside the piano. This piece contains some bars from „Pressenti (Prés - third book)“ (track 17) which is a homage to Luigi Nono, ideally linked to Schumann - two „adult“ visionary artists. Again: stupor, premonition, prophetic vision, past (the infancy of PREsent) projected to the future (the declining „Abend“ melody by Schumann turned into an ascending utopian line by Nono, composer of a violin piece with live electronics entitled „La lontananza nostalgica utopica futura“).
Plenty of symmetries and cross-references in this program. Piano is not a piano, violin is not a violin. When a violin could sing, it is an inner melody made by a transformed piano, when there is a real violin, it is reduced to a toy instrument, the whistling sounds of a Glasharmonika becoming real harmonics produced by the piano and by the small violin ...
The work is inspired by Francis Ponge’s book „La fabrique du Pré“ („The making of the Pré“) in which the French author opens the doors of his atelier and offers the readers the opportunity to witness the creation of his text „Le Pré“.
I give a double interpretation to this title: constructing from zero, creating a story starting from the beginning of life (infancy or the infancy of the world); or working on the preliminaries of existence, trying to give consistency to this magic zone where childhood starts its long process of becoming adult (it takes a whole life), magic starts to separate from reality, infancy from adult life and the reverse, adult life feeling deprived and nostalgic of a purely emotional relationship with reality, children and adults becoming aware of the lack of an ecstatic relationship with the world, later replaced by an aesthetic one (in art), by faith (in religion), by love, or by drugs, meditation, extreme sports or any artificial method to go beyond this present, heavy, concrete world. I think this is the leading thread and the deep meaning of this program. — Stefano Gervasoni
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