is a continuation of my work on sound multiplication, and the replacement of the orchestra by small electronic devices refers to both the industrial and the digital revolution. The former opened the era of mass production of instruments, which contributed to the expansion of European orchestras and the equalisation of their sound quality. The digital revolution, with the invention of the walkman in 1972, allowed for mass storage of sound and its playback anywhere, anytime. 

Each of the 51 loudspeakers used in this Concerto has a memory card containing the soundtrack. The loudspeakers are arranged by the conductor into structures from which individual themes of the Concerto gradually emerge, as if the orchestra of loudspeakers were creating a kind of sound garden. The conductor does not play the role of a patriarchal maestro but rather that of a gardener who triggers the individual seeds of sound and offers the audience short sound massages, a gesture of care. The piano and orchestra parts are based on two superimposed “sonata allegros,” within which groups of speakers correspond to introduction, first theme, link, second theme, epilogue, coda, and cadenza. The Concerto was commissioned by Japanese pianist Rei Nakamura, and the piano part reflects my approach to the quest for the identity of sound directly within the instrument, purging each element of cliché, the weight of pianistic genre or convention. Although the piece contains references to the music of Chopin, Lachenmann, Scelsi, and Scriabin, the piano part is rather reduced, interacting with the orchestra rather than competing with it, creating an immersive soundscape. This is the first piece in my (post-academic) life that I have written without the pressure of a deadline or a commissioning institution, resulting in an extremely comfortable process; it took me almost three years. I spent a long time searching for the perfect opening to this Concerto, and when I found it, I wrote it down, only to realise the next day that I was already hearing the beginning of the piece differently: even quieter and slower. However, I did not remove the existing beginning; I just moved it, so you could say that this Concerto is a series of searches for the perfect beginning; something that can begin many times and may never end. 

The composition of this work was made possible by a Musikfonds grant and an INITIAL grant from the Akademie der Künste in Berlin. 

Wojtek Blecharz