All done with magnets? Rare musical instrument, one of only 10 in the world, features in Queen's University Belfast festival
A rare musical instrument, one of only 10 in the world, features in a festival of experimental sounds in Belfast that kicks off tomorrow.
Run by Queen’s University, the Sonorities festival features a wide variety of unusual music, from the blues-derived “American primitive” guitarist Bill Orcutt, to piano works by 20th century classical composer Morton Feldman, to the dark techno-rooted sounds of Rrose.
And Rrose, aka Seth Horvitz, will be using a Magnetic Resonator Piano, an instrument that builds electronics and electro-magnets into a grand piano to radically alter what it’s capable of doing.
One of only 10 such instruments to exist, it uses a huge number of magnets to vibrate the piano’s strings, bypassing the percussive hammers that usually create its sound. The result is effects such as extending notes into long drones or having a single note “come back”, returning it to full volume after it has already faded away – something its inventors call “crescendo from silence”.
Now in its 45th year, the Sonorities festival showcases experimental musicians, composers and sound artists across a range of musical genres, from jazz to traditional music.
This year’s programme includes gigs, audio installations, exhibitions and a mobile sound lab in various venues around Belfast that’s described as a “cinema for the ear”.
Also featured are “sound walks”, immersive journeys streamed through the app ‘Echoes’ that explore specific areas of the city such as a typical summer in Lagan Meadows and migratory birds in Botanic Gardens, featuring contributions from creatives such as artist Una Lee and playwright Emily DeDakis.
In total more than 100 acts will perform in 40 events over the course of the festival, including a show featuring both Belfast-based folktronica artist Rois and acclaimed Scottish piper Bridghe Chaimbeul.
The festival’s director, Queen’s University professor Paul Stapleton, said: “Sonorities has been making a joyful commotion in Belfast since 1981, featuring a large range of local and international acts making risky music at the edges of many different genres. I’m particularly delighted by the great diversity of artists in this year’s festival programme, representing a radically open view of the future that the arts can help bring about.’’
Most of the events are free, with further details to be found at sonorities.net