Programme:

Mateo Sepúlveda Rios: Le bruit des feuilles for ensemble and Disklavier – Hungarian première
György Ligeti: Piano Etude no. 14a for Disklavier
Conlon Nancarrow: Piano Study no. 21 for Disklavier
Klaus Huber: Sechs Miniaturen for clarinet, violin and violoncello – Hungarian première
Denis Schuler: L'autre rivage for Disklavier – Hungarian première
Sándor Veress: Sonata for oboe, clarinet and bassoon
Alfredo De Vecchis: Prelude, Aria, Kanon for Disklavier – Hungarian première
Alessio Elia: Traces from Nowhere for ensemble and Disklavier – Hungarian première

Many think music has become mechanical over the past half a century, while others are convinced new music has found inspiration in the music of machines. With the Human Machine project, Impronta Ensemble, a young ensemble founded in Mannheim, seeks to ensure mechanicalness can remain an option for human self-expression.

In other words, they reverse the process: instead of making human creations mechanical, they now attempt to humanize works intended to be mechanical. The “experiment” is centred around the Disklavier, a MIDI-controlled player piano.

Thanks to special software, the Disklavier becomes an autonomous member of the orchestra, “sensing” and “comprehending” the conductor’s signals, and showing human qualities, like the other players in the ensemble we may come to understand it, like it, feel close to it.