Audio Control Turn on Yuval's sonic flow

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Audio Control Turn on Yuval's sonic flow
Audio Control

Icon-Sonic Meta-Structure for an improvisers orchestra, video, tapes, crowd activation and performance action

Concept / Visuals / Tapes / Performance Direction & Conductor: Yuval Avital
Ensemble: The Styrian Improvisers Orchestra (STIO)
Duration: ca. 90–120’
World Premiere — Grazer Impro Fest, Schaumbad, Graz (AT), 30 Aug 2025

Lullabies for an Exhausted Humanity – Prelude is a durational icon-sonic composition that merges concert, installation, and participatory ritual. The public lies at the centre beside the conductor; STIO forms a circular perimeter along the walls; a quadraphonic/octophonic system diffuses a two-hour multichannel tape cycle while five long-form video works—one for each movement—unfold across ceiling and walls as an enveloping counterpoint. The tapes and videos are parallel compositions, elaborating raw footage, earlier acclaimed video works, and the artist’s paintings, interlaced with live electronics performed within the orchestra.

The score choreographs both orchestral behaviour and public interaction, guiding five movements—Threshold, The Dying of the Light, Night Rhizomes, Nocturnal Whisper, Nested Dream—from whispered lullaby fragments and extended techniques toward a collective, meditative “sleeping” moment in which performers and public gradually blend.

“In a time of ‘profound uncertainty and disconnection … fragmented by conflict … manipulated information and divisive narratives,’ this lullaby convenes co-presence, where rest—sleep, unwinding, comfort—precedes the path ahead, newborns again, attuned to the timeless whisper of care”

Yuval Avital

The Styrian Improvisers Orchestra (STIO): Claudia Cervenca, Se Lien Chuang, Annette Giesriegl, Yvonne Hofmeister, Oskar Mörth, Kerstin Türtscher (vocals); Dena DeRose (melodica); Fredi Lang, Jean Christophe Mastnak (trumpet/flugelhorn); Roman Trubchaninov (saxophone); Felix Martl (bass clarinet); Hana Kunčič, Alvaro Vallejo Larre (violins); Corinna Eikmeier, Anna Grenzner (cellos); Dominik Kreuzer, Margarete Maierhofer Lischka, Reinhard Ziegerhofer (upright bass); Robert Lepenik, Harald Hofmeister, Michi Laab, Andreas Weixler (e-guitars); Ana Ostojić (e-piano); Nick Acorne, Leon Erdödy, Josef Klammer (electronics); Keyvan Paydar (objects); Franz Schmuck (percussion); Patrick Wurzwallner (drums).

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Massive Sonic Works:

/ˈmæsɪv ˈsɒnɪk wɜːrks/

Large-scale performances using collective participation to create powerful sound masses.

Yuval Avital’s “Massive Sonic Works” or “Opera di Massa Sonora” involves the creation of large-scale performances that utilize collective participation to craft a unique sound experience. These works focus on forming powerful sound masses through the collaboration of numerous performers, exploring new possibilities through sound rituals. The compositions often include graphic visual elements, written music, and easy-to-read instructions to allow interpretation by individuals without prior musical experience. This approach, sometimes involving hundreds of participants, aims to create what can be described as “crowd music.”

Some key works in Avital’s repertoire include:

– GARON (2012): An opera for 45 bass tubas do, percussions, and a crowd of performers.

– KARAGATAN (2013): A composition for 100 gongs and bamboo in the Philippines.

– REKA (2014): Commissioned by the Warsaw Autumn Festival and co-produced by the MiTo festival in Milan, involving traditional singers from unique cultures such as Tibetan, Zulu, Sardinian, Mongolian, and Samarkand traditions.

One of Avital’s significant compositions is MISE EN ABÎME, a milestone work that marks the beginning of his “Massive Sonic Works” series. Premiered in 2011, this composition involves a large ensemble of 100-200 non-musician vocalists, accordions, bass tubas, soprano, bass clarinet, percussions, didgeridoo, and conductors directing the performance in an immersive setup.

Another notable work is URLA, an immersive sonic experience with over 300 performers, showcasing diverse musical traditions in Matera, Italy. This piece combines traditional elements with modern instrumentation, theatrical actions, and innovative technological approaches, reflecting Yuval Avital’s interdisciplinary and transcultural artistic vision.

Yuval Avital’s creations blend complexity, cultural diversity, and technological innovation to create immersive and participatory sonic experiences that push the boundaries of traditional music composition and performance.