Chiara Giovando

Three Scores for Silent Film Stills, Chiara Giovando

2014, Overgaden, Copenhagen, November 14 - December 15

Three Scores For Silent Film Stills are scores from 2011, using photographs, gauche and directions. The piece draws both from the history of graphical notation scores and the tradition of live musical accompaniment for silent films. Here, the visual narrative space of the film is fixed, not arranged in time, or influenced by cuts or motion. Sound becomes the dominant driving force for interpretation. In this way the relationship of score to image is reversed.

1) Score for 3 distorted oscillators: Stair at the red center. Notice the peripheral blackness. Play it. Very black = very loud or very quiet. This should be determined by each player.

2) Score for a Silent film still: Accompany the silent film still. End when a narrative has been completed.

3) Score for 2 players and focus: One player plays the blurred texture. The other player responds, listening to the first player. The second player echoes the first player – similar to the rock's imprint on the skin. Play until done, then switch parts and repeat. Interrupt each other continually by playing the symbols:

^   =   Sharp and fast.
+   =   Low, very low.
~   =   A melodic moment.
*   =   Chaotic interruption.