Mutea (2022-2023)

For Euphonium

Commission: Marina Boselli

Première: Signal to noise 4.0. Pergine (ITA)

Performer: Marina Boselli (euphonium)

Recording: Maria Boselli - Kinetic Valves - Stradivarius dischi 

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Program notes:

“Mutea” is part of a cycle of pieces dedicated to the nine Muses of Greek mythology, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, conceived for solo instrument or solo instrument and electronics.

The piece, for euphonium, stands out for being dedicated to the only Muse not present in Greek mythology: Tacita, the muse of silence. Through three separated sections, this work follows in a “disordered” sense the three phases of the muse’s journey, from her initial nature as a talkative nymph, to the punishment inflicted upon her by Jupiter that renders her mute, to her divine ascent as the goddess of silence. 

Silence, indeed, plays a central role throughout the piece, serving as a fundamental element, manifesting itself in multiple forms. It is treated as sonic material, a tangible entity that permeates the sound environment, allowing for resonance and acoustic void to fill the space.

To emphasize the concept of “sonic void,” a specially designed SCARAB* mute has been crafted and utilised for the piece. With this mute, air vibrations, valves usage, and percussive interventions on the instrument stimulate the resonator, giving rise to rich, mechanical and diverse sounds, that are already part of the nature of the instrument itself.

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* The mute required for the performance of Mutea I is a SCARAB device, designed and crafted by Francesco Manenti.

   It is a prepared mute that features a snare drum wire stretched above a skin, which can be engaged at two different levels of           tension.