Time of music II: Systema Naturae

Mauro Lanza & Andrea Valle: Systema Naturae

The cycle Systema Naturae includes four pieces. Its main feature is the use of acoustic instruments together with computer controlled physical objects placed in a specific spatial organization.
Two references are at the base of the whole cycle. The first is the medieval, phantasmagoric tradition of bestiaria, herbaria and lapidaria intended as multi-faceted catalogues of miscellaneous beings (animals, stones, plants). A second reference is taxonomy, the systematic description of living organisms that dates back to Linnaeus’ Systema Naturae (hence the name of the cycle) as the rationalistic ordering of nature. As a consequence, each piece is organized following the model of the catalogue, as a collection of short pieces receiving an invented latin name.

Regnum animale (2013) – For string trio and electromechanical objects

Regnum vegetabile (2014) – For sextet and electromechanical objects

Regnum lapideum (2016) – For ensemble and electromechanical objects

Fossilia (2016/17) – For ten musicians and electromechanical objects

***

Part of the Ulysses project co-funded by Creative Europe.