Verbreitung – Verdichtung (Expansion – Densification), composed in 2018 for an ensemble of five instruments (flute, B♭ clarinet, violin, cello, and piano), is a prize-winning work from the 2018 Call for Scores of the NED Ensemble.
At the core of Verbreitung – Verdichtung lies the exploration of a new way of arbitrarily repositioning pitches, redefining intervallic spaces traditionally constrained by the theoretical grids of the tempered system. This investigation leads to the creation of a musical language that moves beyond tonality and temperament, with the aim of expressing the need to explore “the unknown and the unexplored”.
The genesis of the musical material is deeply connected to the use of technology: sonorities and chordal relationships are derived and processed through a complex system of algorithms developed in Max-MSP. This system allows the calculation of frequencies and the arbitrary subdivision of intervallic spaces, providing the composer with a “meta-instrument” through which new sonorities can be auditioned and evaluated aesthetically. This process reflects Ravizza’s approach, in which the interaction between “instinct and rules” becomes the key to forging new musical expressions, balancing computational rigor with aural sensitivity.
Form
In the first section, a single initial pitch (B natural) gradually expands into increasingly wide and dense bands of sound. This concept of sound bands that compress and expand represents a recurring stylistic feature in Ravizza’s work (as, for example, in Streifen).
In the second section, these same bands recompress and re-expand in new and unexpected ways, suggesting a continuous evolution and transformation of the sonic landscape.
The performance techniques employed are crucial to the realization of this aesthetic: the piece makes extensive use of glissandi and microtonality, limited to quarter tones. These elements contribute to creating a strong sense of motion and to expanding the range of perceptible frequencies beyond the limitations of the tempered system.
A particularly intriguing aspect of Verbreitung – Verdichtung concerns the piano: although it remains a tempered instrument, the use of non-conventional tunings in the other instruments leads the listener to perceive it at times as if it were “prepared” or detuned. This perceptual effect recalls the experience of Frammenti, in which piano preparation constituted a structural element.