Paolo Vignaroli, flute

Benoît Moreau, electronics

Prize-winner of the Nicati competition, Paolo Vignaroli is an active music performer of our time. Flautist of the ensemble Soundinitiative (Paris), he has performed as soloist in most important contemporary music festivals. A specialist of new techniques, he works closely with composers whose works he includes in his repertory.

Benoît Moreau’s work stretches through experimental and improvised music, performance and installation. A Graduate from the HEM (Haute Ecole de Musique) in Geneva he was commissioned by the Ensemble Contrechamps, the Nouvel Ensemble Contemporain, Vortex. He is the founder of the Association Rue du Nord (Lausanne), dedicated to improvised music.

Haunting Melody is a route through the key works of flute and electronic repertory which crosses different aesthetics and types of medium: analog tape, pre-recorded backing, in real time. The journey begins with the piece by Maderna, the first work of mixed music in the history of western music. For the electric-acoustic part, flute sounds, recorded and reworked on a magnetic tape are used.

A very different result is achieved by Reich in Vermont Counterpoint, a major work of repetitive music where the solo flautist joins a contrapuntal piece of 11 pre-recorded parts (of which three on the piccolo, three on the alto flute and five on the C flute).

Noa Noa de Saarhiao could not miss the calling: an emblematic piece following research at IRCAM in the 80s and 90s, which has already become a classic. The pre-recorded and transformed sounds of the flute are activated live at precise moments of the piece.

To complete this picture comes Le Schizophone, commissioned by the Foundation Nicati by Lausanne-composer Benoît Moreau and created in 2010 by Paolo Vignaroli at the Lucerne Festival. In this work, part of the way between installation and performance, two small speakers are attached to the belt of the flautist and activated by a small sensor stuck to the flute. Benoit Moreau will use the electronics live.