Polyarts artist Francesco Tristano performs his Goldberg City Variations project in a concert alongside artists such as Thomas Enhco, Gaspar Claus and Arandel as part of the ‘Bach Marathon’ at Cite de la Musique Hall (Paris Philharmonie) on 31 March.
Goldberg City Variations is an ambitious, brilliant project using midi technology to build a digital city in real-time with a combination of piano and computer. Francesco describes the project in more detail:
“I play on a piano linked to MIDI technology (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) where each note of the 26,000+ notes of Bach Goldberg Variations is translated into digital data. This digital data works as a timeline for the construction of the city: with real time rendering. It is not a VJ playing alongside me playing the Goldberg — it is actually computer game software creating our 3D Goldberg city in real time.”
The idea of the ‘Cosmic City’ first appeared in ‘Music and Architecture’, a book by engineer Iannis Xenakis. In Francesco’s project, the Greek pioneer’s imagination of future urban redevelopment is fuelled by Bach’s notes and grows via a projection on the stage behind him.
Please see more project details, images and media, click here.
This concert follows the recent successful performances during Francesco’s residency with Orchestre National de Lille where he performed Ravel’s Piano Concerto alongside his free piano concerto Island Nation and the Goldberg City Variations project.
Francesco’s recent and upcoming highlights include: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Festival Hall, hr-Sinfonieorchester, Szczecin Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquesta Nacional de España, Berlin Funkhaus, Oranjewoud Festival, La Seine Musicale, Bordeaux Festival d’Esprit, Toulouse Les Jacobins as well as a tour of Japan with his Sony Classical project –Piano Circle Songs.
