Whispering Skin premiere by Eklekto
Photo: volpe-photography.
Justina Repečkaitė was commissioned by the Geneva Percussion Center Eklekto to write Whispering Skin for 4 percussion players and transducers. The piece premiered alongside music by Adrien Trybucki at the "Concert Création" at Les 6 Toits in Geneva on October 11, 2024, as part of a weekend dedicated to celebrating Eklekto's 50th anniversary.
Program Note
In Whispering Skin, the allusions to the natural world are embedded in various percussion instruments. The primal origins of percussion, born from animal skins, inspire the idea of giving 'voice' to the skin. I aim to merge theoretical vibrational models with more organic sounds, referencing both animals and the human voice. Electronics in this piece derive from the vibrational modes of each instrument, as well as organic sounds—such as recorded voices and synthetic imitations of human and animal sounds—filtered through percussion harmonies. I find skin percussion particularly compelling due to its intrinsic connection to the animal world. The resonant possibilities, especially when prepared with added objects, seem boundless. In this piece, prepared percussion instruments (skins coupled with metal) resonate with their inner harmonies, forming four resonating "islands" that surround the audience. Each island is associated with the fundamental pitch of its primary instrument, creating a sonic spectrum across the percussion quartet:
1. Snare Drum (+ Lion’s Roar) Fis3 (182 Hz)
2. Ocean Drum (+ Tambourine Basque, Gong, Sizzle Cymbal) Cis3 (142 Hz)
3. Big Timpano (+ Metal Pieces, Sizzle Cymbal) Gis1 (46.25 Hz)
4. Bass Drum (+ Thundersheet) Es1 (39 Hz)
Musicians: Sarah Amar, Nikolay Ivanov, Aurèle Gerin, and Dorian Fretto. Photos: volpe-photography.
Whispering Skin continues my long-standing exploration of the sonic potential inherent in percussion instruments' inner harmonies, brought to life through electronics and reintroduced into the drums via transducers placed on the instrument skins. Together with Pulsating Skin (2021), Whispering Skin forms a diptych of sonic scores where musicians, guided by the electronic part and instructions, play freely without the need for traditional score reading. Premiered at the Darmstadt Summer Course 2021, Pulsating Skin for 4 snare drums and electronics focuses on the superposition of vibrational modes, generating beatings that blend urban and natural soundscapes. This approach, deeply influenced by my research on vibrational modes during my studies at Cursus IRCAM and further explored in Transduced (2020), draws heavily on physical models and their application to percussion.
Pre-concert talk between composers Justina Repeckaite, Adrien Trybucki and the one of the artistic directors of Eklekto Corentin Marillier. Rehearsing with musicians. Photos: volpe-photography.
