Musique électroacoustique latino-américaine

Mauricio Kagel (Argentine)


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Mauricio Kagel (born in Buenos Aires, 1931), an internationally recognized composer, was experimenting with electroacoustic medias in Argentina during the early 50s. According to the Hugh Davies' catalog (Répertoire international des musiques électroacoustiques / International electronic music catalog, from 1968), Kagel composed 8 electroacoustic studios between 1950 and 1953 (working at first directly on disc), and then during 1953-1954 he realized "Música para la Torre" (also known as "Musique de Tour"), a sonorisation around 108' long for an industrial exhibition in Mendoza (one of the Argentina's provinces) including an essay in musique concrète (No. 1 para orquesta; No. 2 estudio para batería; No. 3 ostinato para conjunto de cámara; No. 4 ensayo de música concreta).

Kagel was trying to set an electronic music studio in Argentina during the 50s, but this was not possible for him then. He started to work at the Colon Theatre (Teatro Colón) in Buenos Aires. At that time he was also writing articles on film and photograph for a journal.

Kagel directed many films, and he was among the founders of the Argentina Film Library (Cinemateca Argentina) during the early 50s. He speaks about film as a kind of modern opera.

During 1957 Kagel moved to Germany where he lives since then.

Among his many musical works, Mauricio Kagel composed: "Transición I" for electronic sounds in 1958; "Transición II" for piano, percussion and 2 tape recorders in 1958-1959; "Antithese", in two versions: music for electronic and public sounds, and play for one actor with electronic and public sounds, both in 1962; "Phonophonie" for 1 baritone solo, 1 off-stage voice, and 2 tapes (3-6 perc, 3 speakers or singers [2 male and 1 female voice or vice versa] needed for production of the tape) in 1963; "Tremens", scenic montage of a test for two actors, electrical instruments, percussion, tapes and slides projections, "Variaktionen über Tremens" for 2 actors, tape and slide projections (or film projections ad lib.), and "Musik aus Tremens" for electric guitar, electric bass guitar, electric double bass, Hammond organ, 1 percussionist and tape, all three pieces in 1963-1965; "Camera Oscura", chromatic play for light sources and actors (part of "Journal de Thèâtre") for 3 actors, 3 loudspeaker groups (behind the stage, at the side of the stage, behind the auditorium), 2 or 3 tape players, 3 spotlights, 3 silent colour films, in 1965; "Kommentar + Extempore" (also part of "Journal de Thèâtre") for 1 female and 1 or 2 male actors, and 1-3 tapes, in 1966-1967; "Unter Strom" (Live Current) for three performers (Spanish guitar, electric guitar, electric bass guitar), miscelaneous experimental sound generators and props as well as microphones, loudspeakers and amplifiers, in 1969; "Acustica" for experimental sound generator and loudspeaker, 2-5 performers with wind, plucked, and percussion instruments (there is also a version without taped sounds), in 1968-1970; "Exotica" (for non-European instruments), 6 players with a minimum of 60 assorted plucked, string and wind instruments, plus tape, in 1971-1972; "Kantrimiusik", pastorale for voices, instruments and 4 tapes (of country sounds), in 1973-1975; "Présentation" for speaker, piano and tape, in 1977; "Umzug" (Removal), dumb show for stagehands, 8 performers and tapes, also in 1977; "Die Erschöpfung der Welt" (The Exhaustion of the World), scenic illusion in one act (11 scenes) for voices, instruments and tapes, in 1976-1978; "Die Rhythmusmaschinen" (The Rhythm Machines) for 5 rhythm-generators/tapes and 2 percussionists, in 1977-1978; "Blue's Blue" a musico-ethnological reconstruction for four players (clarinet and/or sax(es); glass trumpet [a trumpet sound produced by singing into a drinking glass; guitar; violin/double bass) and tape, in 1978-1979; "Der Tribun", radio play for a political orator, marching sounds and loudspeakers, in 1979; "Aus Deutschland" (from Germany), lieder opera in 27 scenes for voices, orchestra and tapes, in 1977-1980; "Szenario" (Scenario) for strings (min.12.10.10.8.6) and tape, in 1981-1982; "Mio Caro Luciano", tape collage, in 1985; "Atem" for solo wind player (1 player with any 3 instruments) and tape, in 1969-1990; "…nach einer Lektüre von Orwell" (…after reading Orwell), radio play in meta-Germanic, with two optional modes of performance, one for 22 (33 or 44) silent performers and tape, and the other for scenic environment without performers: 2 video tapes, 11 television monitors, 22 (33 or 44) chairs (each illuminated with a spotlight) and tape, in 1993-1994.

(text updated: October, 2003)

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