2015 Solo with Electronics

Forbite fantascienze

For Contrabassoon and Live Electronics

Video

Live performance at Le Centquatre, Paris with Paul Riveaux (Ensemble Intercontemporain)

Concept

Commissioned by IRCAM's Académie ManiFeste 2015 and dedicated to Paul Riveaux, Forbite fantascienze—"Forbidden Science Fictions"—explores contrabassoon's timbral extremes through real-time electronic augmentation. Extended techniques were systematically explored, recorded, and analyzed during intensive residency collaboration.

The contrabassoon occupies liminal acoustic space: too low for melodic clarity, too present for pure bass function. The work embraces this ambiguity, treating the instrument as generator of sub-bass rumbles, visceral air noise, and spectral shadows.

Electronics function as both mirror and distortion lens. Microphone captures acoustic signal, processed through time-domain and frequency-domain transformations. The 8.1 spatial configuration distributes processed sounds across horizontal plane and subwoofer, creating immersive low-frequency environment extending into infrasonic territory. Formal structure derives from timbral transformation rather than pitch development.

Specifications

Premiere Le Centquatre, Paris — June 27, 2015
Duration 8 minutes
Instrumentation Contrabassoon + live electronics
Dedicated to Paul Riveaux
Playback Format 8.1 (8 channels + subwoofer)
Tools Max/MSP, Sibelius
Commission IRCAM Académie ManiFeste 2015

Documentation

Forbite fantascienze - Score excerpt

Score excerpt showing extended techniques and electronic cue markers

Forbite fantascienze - Max patch scripting

Max patch scripting detail managing cue timing and parameter interpolations

Credits

Composition & Electronics
Alessandro Anatrini
Dedicated to & Premiere Performance
Paul Riveaux (Ensemble Intercontemporain)
Commission
IRCAM Académie ManiFeste 2015
Venue
Le Centquatre, Paris