With the release of Musica Futuristica, LTM introduces their new sub-label Salon and presents a companion volume to Futurism & Dada Reviewed.This compilation includes all but one of the of Futurist tracks on theabove-mentioned CD and adds a variety of others from both major andminor players in the Futurist movement. As the result of a thoroughremastering of the archived originals, the quality of the recordings onMusica Futuristica is much better than on Futurism & Dada Reviewed.The disc opens with F.T. Marinetti reading the "Definition of Futurism"and calling for the use of sound and noise as weapons againsttraditionalism. For Marinetti and other Futurists, the roar of a carwas more beautiful than anything by Mozart or Beethoven. This desirefor noise can be found in "The Awakening of a City" by Luigi Russolo.In this composition, Russolo attempts to portray the dawning of a newcity, complete with its industrial sirens and abundant factorywhistles. Performance of the piece was initially banned in Italy forfear that it would "likely trigger a public disturbance." The droningnature of the work recalls the compositions of Pierre Henry and otherpractitioners of musique concrète, except for the fact that it predatesHenry by a few decades. The most interesting piece on the album isMarinetti's "Five Radio Sintesi," a series of five pieces thatincorporate found sound and make extensive use of silence. Dating from1933, the juxtaposition of disparate sound elements such as Americanfolk music, the sound of a stadium crowd, the hum of a car, and anoperatic vocal solo highlight the Futurists' desire to point out thebeauty to be find in the banal nature of quotidian existence. With theoutbreak of the Second World War, the Futurist movement faded as morepressing issues came to play in European society and the sonicexperiments of Marinetti, Russolo and others were not allowed to befurther explored. However, as Musica Futuristica demonstrates,the influence of these works can be seen across multiple genres, frommodern composition to avant-rock and electronica. - F.T. Marinetti - Definition of Futurism
- F.T. Marinetti - Five Radio Sintesi
- Luigi Russolo - The Awakening of a City
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