“I’m very interested in the relationship between music and new technologies. I try to see how the conception and perception of music are modified by multi-media devices. The theatricality inherent in their use is at the heart of my work. These devices become sound characters in their own right, play partners… I integrate them into my compositions as an element capable of guiding, accompanying and disorienting perception. I also try to question our new musical listening mechanisms, linked to the technological universe that is part of our daily lives. This universe has changed our relationship to music. Music’s link with its own means of distribution (streaming platforms, remote controls, videos…) has imposed a particular kind of listening: active, jerky, fast, fragmentary, repetitive, multiple, random. Our listening is moving away from preconceived forms, creating new ones, opposing the ritual of the concert and questioning its codes. I try to draw inspiration from this to seek out new poetic spaces, both in musical content, in its form of performance and in the relationship with the audience.”

Alexandros Markeas

Scénario

Audience entry Empty stage, distant sounds played in the auditorium, messages welcome spectators and explain how to use the show.

Game 1
Rhythm in the body Heartbeat, breathing and blinking are the sources of a rhythmic mechanism that unfolds energetically. The audience chooses the initial sounds and helps the conductor find his way.

Game 2
The emancipated metronome Mechanical movement as an uninterrupted obsession with sound. The audience decides on tempo variations and suggests its favorite rhythm.

Game 3
Tarantula – Tarentelle Based on an Italian tale about the dance of the tarantula spider, a movement develops, a kind of frantic, twirling dance. The audience comments on what the music evokes in them.

Game 4
The conductor’s lament The conductor is the only musician who makes no sound. The audience sings and improvises with him, giving shape to a series of gestures that shape sound in space.

Game 5
Irony of the genre The previous game ends in a chaotic sound that gradually dissipates. Snatches of sound persist, giving rise to a new, fragmented and mobile listening configuration. Vladimir Jankelevitch’s thoughts on the links between music and irony are illustrated by the music and commented on by the audience.

Game 6
Empowerment The music speeds up and sound invades the broadcasting space and surrounds the audience. The computer declares its autonomy and seeks to establish another relationship with the audience, inviting them to think and play with it.