Scelsi’ Strings: Establishing a Performance Practice of Giacinto Scelsi’s Works for Violin and for Viola

Direct contact with Giacinto Scelsi has been the only acknowledged approach to the interpretation of his music, hence forming a circle of elite-performers, recipients of an understanding “beyond the written score”. However, in order to preserve the accuracy and faithfulness of performance, it is essential today to investigate the complex creative process of Scelsi, looking for interpretative suggestions residing within his artefacts. The subject of analysis will be Scelsi's opus for strings. I will focus on the materials of Scelsi's original improvisations (recorded tapes and specific musical instruments used), the role and artistic liberties of the transcribers over the written score and the process of instrumental assignment of a keyboard generated performance. The pars construens aims to find understanding behind Scelsi's improvised musical language, their formulations and functions, proposing effective technical adaptations on string instruments. My goal will be to present a coherent way to perform the works of Scelsi, eliminating the problematics of oral transmission while remaining faithful to his language and sounds.

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