EMBODIED is a cycle of works(-in-progress) in which the empathetic resonances of subtle corporeal nuances in musical sound are offered as a composed communal concert experience. Plans so far include music for violinist, singer (soprano), tubist, percussionist, flutist, cellist, and bass clarinettist. Separately, solo, alone – but also together, in all the possible formations. The different combinations from duos and trios onwards (all the way to an ensemble piece?) offer unique forms where individualism is reflected intersectionally on the communal. Methodically, these works explore close, explorative composer-performer collaboration. As of writing (March 2021), the first two solo pieces (for violinist and singer), and their duo, exist, with the piece for tubist well underway.
EMBODIED: Violin Solo (2018)
Duration: 10′
Commissioned by Eriikka Maalismaa (with support by TEOSTO)
Fp. Eriikka Maalismaa, violin, Avanti!n Suvisoitto, Porvoo (Finland), 30 June 2018
(in case the player above is not working, click here to go hear the music for free over at SoundCloud.com, using your browser.)
Talking about the long artistic research process that led to the composition of EMBODIED: Violin Solo (2018), followed by Eriikka Maalismaa performing the piece live (at 16:30). From KuvA Research Days 2018.EMBODIED: Soprano Solo (2018)
Duration ca. 10′
Written for, and very much with, Meeri Pulakka
Fp. Meeri Pulakka, soprano, Young Artist of the Winter series (Uniarts/SibA), Helsinki (Finland), 15 January 2019
(in case the player above is not working, click here to go hear the music for free over at SoundCloud.com, using your browser.)
EMBODIED: Soprano + Violin (2019)
Duration 10′
Written for Meeri Pulakka and Eriikka Maalismaa
Fp. Meeri Pulakka, soprano, and Eriikka Maalismaa, violin, Institut finlandais, Paris (France), 28 May 2019
EMBODIED: Tuba Solo (2021)
Duration ca. 10′
Written for Janne Jakobsson
Fp. Janne Jakobsson, Munich (Germany), 10 October 2021
Tuba has, due to its low register, adjusted to 12-tone equal temperament with several valves and tuning slides. Without manual fine tuning with the slides, the different valve combinations reveal a vast but largely unused microtonal space of resonances that we studied, recorded and tabulated meticulously with tuba player Janne Jakobsson at the Basel Musikerwohnhaus as well as in Paris. Formed on the lips of the performer, the tuba’s sound in each instance adapts to the really fine resonance differences of valved tube lengths. With them, it seems possible to bridge the gap between timbre and pitch. From the perspective of its physicality, playing on a tuba is however closer to singing than virtuosic finger dexterity, which inspired the long line of the piece to reveal multidimensional life not only in the pitch domain but also in the colorful timbral variety and sensitivity in sound-production. While step-by-step descending to the lowest register of the instrument, we also notice the possibility of bridging the gap between pitch and pulsation. The empathetic way of listening to the physical reality induced by the works in the EMBODIED series experiences perhaps its strongest moments in this piece during the few surprisingly long tones that use the full capacity of the performer’s lungs.
Ⓒ 2021 Jarkko Hartikainen
Performance by tubist Janne Jakobsson on December 21, 2021
EMBODIED: Flute Solo (20??)
EMBODIED: ________ Solo (20??) [for percussionist]
EMBODIED: Bass Clarinet Solo (20??)
EMBODIED: Cello Solo (20??)
Jarkko Hartikainen 