for 15 strings and motors: dombras (piccolo, alto, bass) and balalaikas (alto, bass, and double bass
Event Horizon
2019
Event Horizon is a standalone piece with a text score written for the Zykina Russian Folk Ensemble “Rossiya” (also known as “Ensemble Rossiya”) and performed at the Cosmonautics Museum in Moscow, as part of the “Open Space” laboratory curated by Dmitry Kourliandski.
The instrument itself defines the musical form. All players perform one shared gesture: a slow, continuous movement of a small rotating motor — a face massager — along the length of a single string, from nut to bridge. The motion is the same for everyone, but scaled to each instrument’s size: the longer the string, the faster the disk must move. The motors act like circular bows, making the string vibrate gently, almost imperceptibly, occasionally revealing hidden overtones and imperfections. As the motors reach the far side of the instrument, near the bridge, the entire body begins to resonate. The sound expands into a low, physical drone.
The instrument itself defines the musical form. All players perform one shared gesture: a slow, continuous movement of a small rotating motor — a face massager — along the length of a single string, from nut to bridge. The motion is the same for everyone, but scaled to each instrument’s size: the longer the string, the faster the disk must move. The motors act like circular bows, making the string vibrate gently, almost imperceptibly, occasionally revealing hidden overtones and imperfections. As the motors reach the far side of the instrument, near the bridge, the entire body begins to resonate. The sound expands into a low, physical drone.
description
/concept
At first, the idea was simply to trace the inner sounds of the string — but during the writing process, the concept shifted. Most of the way in the first part of the piece the string is muted, and only small sections are allowed to resonate. The motors still travel the full distance, but the audience hears only fragments — brief unmuted segments. The rest remains hidden.
This split between movement and sound creates a dual perspective: the performer continues the gesture even when it makes no sound, while we hear only parts of what was actually played. It becomes something like Magritte’s The Blank Signature — a figure visible only in pieces.
This split between movement and sound creates a dual perspective: the performer continues the gesture even when it makes no sound, while we hear only parts of what was actually played. It becomes something like Magritte’s The Blank Signature — a figure visible only in pieces.
The whole thing just felt close to being traveling through an invisible line after which the perspective of the listener and the player are not the same anymore - from outside it's a constant slow fall, and from the inside it is a completed journey.
Though the score may appear open, the composition is fixed. The text includes precise instructions. The graphic elements serve more as a scheme — a hint of the piece’s shape and atmosphere, rather than its mechanics. The players are grouped, with staggered entrances, and they orient themselves only by listening.
Instruction for listening:
I don’t want to sound too pretentious about it, but for this piece it really is incredibly important: The piece cannot be heard in parts or fragments. It only works if listened to fully, from beginning to end.
Though the score may appear open, the composition is fixed. The text includes precise instructions. The graphic elements serve more as a scheme — a hint of the piece’s shape and atmosphere, rather than its mechanics. The players are grouped, with staggered entrances, and they orient themselves only by listening.
Instruction for listening:
I don’t want to sound too pretentious about it, but for this piece it really is incredibly important: The piece cannot be heard in parts or fragments. It only works if listened to fully, from beginning to end.
The whole thing just felt close to being traveling through an invisible line after which the perspective of the listener and the player are not the same anymore - from outside it's a constant slow fall, and from the inside it is a completed journey.
Though the score may appear open, the composition is fixed. The text includes precise instructions. The graphic elements serve more as a scheme — a hint of the piece’s shape and atmosphere, rather than its mechanics. The players are grouped, with staggered entrances, and they orient themselves only by listening.
Instruction for listening:
I don’t want to sound too pretentious about it, but for this piece it really is incredibly important: The piece cannot be heard in parts or fragments. It only works if listened to fully, from beginning to end.
Though the score may appear open, the composition is fixed. The text includes precise instructions. The graphic elements serve more as a scheme — a hint of the piece’s shape and atmosphere, rather than its mechanics. The players are grouped, with staggered entrances, and they orient themselves only by listening.
Instruction for listening:
I don’t want to sound too pretentious about it, but for this piece it really is incredibly important: The piece cannot be heard in parts or fragments. It only works if listened to fully, from beginning to end.
listen
/player
Russia
Score
/preview
