Tag Archives: Peter Gregson

Tod Machover on NPR’s Morning Edition

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Peter Gregson performs Spheres and Splinters at world premiere in Aldeburgh, UK. Images © Bruce Atherton/Jana Chiellino 2010

Tod Machover was interviewed today on NPR’s Morning Edition. Tod speaks with host Bob Oakes about Music|Machines, an all-day event that will be held tomorrow (February 5, 2011) at the M.I.T. Media Laboratory. The event features lectures and discussions by such electronic music pioneers and thinkers as Max Mathews, Barry Vercoe, Marvin Minsky, Joe Paradiso, Eran Egozy (of Harmonix/RockBand) and others. At the evening concert, audiences will have a chance to hear the U.S. premiere of Tod’s Spheres and Splinters, performed by Peter Gregson. The concert also features works by Barry Vercoe, Richard Boulanger, Robert Rowe, Keeril Makan, Peter Whincop, Evan Ziporyn and Mary Farbood. In the Morning Edition interview, you’ll hear some examples of early electronic music at M.I.T. and learn why these were important milestones in the evolution of music and technology.

Music|Machines is free and open to the public. It is one of the kick-off events for the FAST Festival, showcasing the creative fusion of arts, science and technology at M.I.T. Directed by Tod Machover, the festival is part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s 150th anniversary celebration.

Spheres and Splinters – new work by Tod Machover

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Spheres and Splinters (2010) by Tod Machover
Commissioned by Faster Than Sound for Aldeburgh Music

Premiered 2010 November 12 (Britten Studio, Snape, U.K.); November 13 (Kings Place, London, U.K.)

Peter Gregson, Hypercello
UnitedVisualArtists, interactive visuals
Ben Bloomberg, ambisonic and audio technology
Peter Torpey (MIT Media Lab), interactive music software

Images © Bruce Atherton/Jana Chiellino 2010

Spheres and Splinters is a new work by Tod Machover, created in collaboration with cellist Peter Gregson, MIT audio expert Ben Bloomberg, and UnitedVisualArtists. Commissioned by Faster Than Sound, the piece developed over the past two months at the MIT Media Lab and at UVA’s London studio and was completed over the past 10 days in residence at Aldeburgh Music. The piece seeks to develop a complex sonic journey derived completely from the acoustic sound of the cello and the physical gestures of cello playing, analyzed and interpreted live-in-concert using software developed especially for this project and a new “hyperbow” being used here for the first time. A 3D ambisonic sound system allows each cello phrase to be spun out into the performance space, twisting and twinkling under the performer’s control. This volumetric sound sculpting is mirrored by UVA’s visual installation, which uses a series of thin LED light towers arranged in concentric circles around the cellist, a kind of visual “forest” that gives extra context and resonance to the music being played.  Spheres and Splinters is made up of five sections performed without a break. The piece starts with low resonating open strings from which hidden harmonics are released, turning the cello’s resonance “inside out” and engulfing listeners in “spheres” of sound, as if one were to enter the body of the cello itself. Such delicate sonorities develop further in Section 2, where each subtle change of cello timbre and articulation conjures a morphing harmonic “aura” from the electronics. Parity between acoustics and electronics is reached in Section 3, as a sinuous, song-without-words draws listeners into the emotional core of the work. Stillness is reached at the end of this melody, from which point the process is reversed. In Section 4, short, isolated cello phrases each “splinter” into fragments, as surprising potential emerges from the smallest elements. These micro-explosions gradually layer and connect in Section 5, forming a tapestry above which a final melody rises, gathering and unifying in its wake all the diverse elements of the work as the music rises to an ecstatic conclusion. In a brief coda, the intricate sonorities previously unleashed are carefully gathered back within simple cello resonances; the piece ends almost as it started. Throughout this sonic development, the interactive lighting highlights the continuity of the drama, while intensifying the perception and enjoyment of each compositional detail. The visuals strike a balance between reflecting the cello performance and establishing autonomy, creating a rich counterpoint between sound and image and a dynamic interplay between “spheres” and “splinters.”

Photographs courtesy of Jana Chiellino

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Also see Ben Bloomberg’s post about Spheres and Splinters

Photos from Aldeburgh

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Tod Machover on his recent New Music New Media residency in Aldeburgh, England:

“Testing UVA’s LED light towers during rehearsal for my new “Spheres and Splinters” at Kings Place, London. During the show, the towers were never bright green…..but this does give a sense of their potential. Only video – or being there:) – can show how subtle and beautiful they are, and how well integrated with sound and gesture.” (In photo, cellist Peter Gregson)

Photo by Tod Machover

“A single LED tower glows behind “hypecellist” Peter Gregson, as he plays a very soft, delicate note which is “shadowed” by the interactive electronics.”

“UVA software system for visualizing light array around cello and controlling it during concert.”

“Me, Joana Seguro and Ash Nehru (UVA) after our successful “Spheres and Splinters” concert at Kings Place, London on Saturday night.”

And check out Ben Bloomberg’s great blog post about Spheres and Splinters. He goes into great technical details about how the piece was put together.

King’s Place Podcast – Tod Machover interview

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Oh cool! Here’s an interview with Tod Machover for the King’s Place podcast series. Tod spoke with the interviewer via phone from his MIT Media Lab office. Tod describes the idea behind the new work he will be presenting at the upcoming November 13 concert at King’s Place London. He will be premiering “Spheres and Splinters”, a work he is developing in collaboration with cellist Peter Gregson during this week’s workshop in Aldeburgh.