Decode-II is a composition for percussion(s) and live computer.
Bertrand Monneret - percussions
This piece is based on a very special game mode for the Percussionist: to play as fast as possible "suggestions" from musical figure. The notion of "fairness" is therefore not attached to an accuracy of notes to play, but the effectiveness of gestures to produce.
The score is divided into ten sections that follow one another without interruption, while around 7 minutes of music. Each section provides specific figures but the interpreter must follow heuristically. This term (heuristic) means "to follow as closely as possible with a given rule but with a margin of tolerance". Here the notion of rule is to follow as closely as possible the proposed figures.
This composition is also intended in response to numerous contemporary pieces for percussion instruments employ an enormity of instruments… In fact, often (one might say almost always) a compositions for percussion instruments uses instrumenst of wood, metal, keyboard,... Sometimes the installation of percussion instruments also proved to be very heavy and longer in duration than the duration of the piece itself. For this reason I decided to use only 5 wood blocks, 5 temple blocks, a slit-drum. So the room is very light to carry and mount (I'm inspired Bone Alphabet Ferneyhough has been one of my masters).
Decode-II is also a composition "provocative" because it uses only percussion instruments very little expressive in itself. It is wooden instrument with a minimum variation of timbre. So all the work lies not in expressive possibilities of change in timbre, but in the writing of musical figures and in the virtuosity of the performer.
This composition is also intended as a tribute to the music performers. Very often play a composition of contemporary music there is a real discrepancy between virtuosity displayed during the concert and many hours of study. However, Decode-II draws on the expertise already existing at the percussionists, and it requires an exceptionally comfortable work: to be oneself, but as soon as possible. The composition is spectacular in this. The execution speed of the interpreter is close to a sporting achievement. The difference is the speed than anything there is to an extremely fine precision of gesture.
Computer is the live sound is very synthetic electronic (almost hysterical and tedious ...) that have nothing to do with the woody timbre of percussion. This discrepancy between the electronic and percussion has a single property in common: speed, again. There is also a very small part of his treatise in real time: that is to say the sound of drums comes with a microphone that records audio in the computer. This turns the sound and immediate surrender. This chain (recording, processing and restitution) as fast as if we do not perceive of temporal distance, we call it "real time". In Decode-II, in certain very specific way, the computer amplifies the action of percussionist using multiple sequences both immediately before played by the performer.