Trueman/ Sliwinski - Nostalgic Synchronic

Composer/inventor Dan Trueman is known for his intriguing juxtaposition of the organic and synthetic, drawing on the intimacy and emotive charge of human touch, while exploring electronically-generated colors and textures (Q2 Music). His latest project, Nostalgic Synchronic, is a set of eight keyboard etudes written for Adam Sliwinski of So Percussion. These are played on Trueman's newest invention: the bitKlavier, which he describes - referencing John Cage's namesake invention - as a prepared digital piano. What Cage did to his instrument - inserting screws, bolts, and pencils between the strings to transform the sound - Trueman has done to the MIDI piano, inserting virtual objects (i.e. algorithms) to alter it's operation. Notes Trueman, Just as the screw mucks with the vibrations of the resonating string in the prepared piano, these virtual 'screws' muck with the behavior of the virtual hammer and string, causing it to respond in unusual ways, in ways that are impossible with the acoustic piano. While the instrument is a technological and creative feat in itself, the etudes stand apart as a gorgeous collection of pieces that explore the depth and creative possibility of the bitKlavier.