Aims of the project

The aim of this paper is to show the evolution of some electroacoustic works in time due to the advancement of technology.

The work examined will be Solo of Karlheinz Stockhausen. We will analyse:

1. the characteristics of both the instrumental score and of the live technologies contained in it.
2. the evolution of the work from the initial form realised by the composer to the current achievements in the different performances that involve the use of recent technological applications that modify in part the original features.
3. Some examples of different versions for wind instrument, string instrument and voice.

In each performance, the piece is recomposed differently, both in the instrumental score and in the version with electroacoustic effects. Also it can be interpreted as an `open work'.

The electronic processing is conceived in the original version with analogic instruments and has undergone several transformations.

In the '90s, the first digital versions were realised and recently there have been new applications for the performance.

In some recent projects we have a proposal to turn the piece into a soundscape, setting it especially outdoors. The goal of our research is therefore an analysis of Solo to define its characteristics to highlight the evolution of the piece to a new function of soundscape made possible with the new technologies. At the same time we try to show the conception of the piece and the transformation of it through technological evolution. Many conclusions were reached through a `workshop' aimed at re-composing the piece for performance.