The vocal crowd is an essential part of REKA.
The an unusually large organic is composed of hundreds of residents of places where REKA is performed, and is be created through an OPEN CALL to participate in the work. To be a member of the CROWD prior musical knowledge or experience is not required as the score is composed of graphic and textual elements which are immediate, simple to learn and very beautiful when done with a mass of voices.
WANT TO BE A PART OF THE NEXT REKA?
IT'S OCTOBER 1ST 2016 IN REGGIO EMILIA (ITALY)
WORKSHOP & REHEARSALS AT TEATRO VALLI DI REGGIO EMILIA
14 September 2016, 7 pm - meeting and workshop
28-30 September 2016 - rehearsals in the theatre
1 October 2016, 8.30 pm - we go onstage!
THE VIDEO TUTORIALS OF REKA WERE MADE FOR VERSION.1, TUTORIALS OF VERSION N.2 (REKA RE) WILL BE ONLINE SOON. HOWEVER, YOU CAN START LOOKING THESE VIDEOS, SINCE MANY ELEMENTS ARE SIMILAR. ENJOY :)
BASIC GUIDELINES OF VOCAL CROWD MUSIC:
UNITY AND DIVERSITY
01. There is no need to know to read music, or even to have a previous musical experience to be a part of the crowd.
02. There is no need to be “in tune”, since absolute pitch would not be used at all.
03. All the components of the crowd part should be easy and could be taught in few minutes.
04. All components should be composed of a simple textual explanation and/or a graphical indication.
05. Conductor should use extremely simple gestures to communicate with the CROWD.
06. There should not be a "right" or "wrong" way to perform an element; each interpretation of an element is a result of a dialogue between conductor and crowd.
07. COMMUNICATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN INTERPRETATION.
08. the crowd is one, but sometimes might be divided into sub groups:
A) Division between men and women;
B) Division into segments of the crowd, depending on your position - left, center, right.
09. THERE IS NO MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS (only due to space limitations of the performing venue).
10. EVERYONE WHO WISHES TO BE APART OF THE CROWD CAN BE INCLUDED with the condition that he or she will respect the process of study, rehearsals and performance, and will use his or her voice to enrich the crowd - NOT to go against it.
The principals of the percussions crowd part:
UNITY AND DIVERSITY
SOUND AND BEAT
ACTION AND REACTION
VOICE AND INSTRUMENT
These are the sum-up of the role of the percussions crowd within REKA V2. Three couple of words which I would like to explain better:
UNITY AND DIVERSITY: Each element of the percussions part regard ALL percussions player and in a short time of rehearsals one of the most challenging tasks will be to create a united sound. By this I mean a collective interpretation which is a result of the different percussions, the different percussionists and their background but also the challenge of listening and feeling the others in order to express each one’s diversity, but also to strive to unity at the same time.
SOUND AND BEAT: Are more likely the most fundamental functions of the percussions. With a given beat you would be asked to form percussive patterns (or grooves, or rhythms), starting with just holding the beat till frenetic playing of precise parts that will be taught during rehearsals. But many parts will be based on sound, unmeasured sections or tremolo sections in which the key will be to create a sonic background(=REKA in hebrew) to others and as an artistic element by itself.
ACTION AND REACTION: Each element represent an action which should bring the most rich, unexpected and beautiful result. However, there are few reactions which will be asked during the score, especially reactions to the two percussions soloists on the stage: throughout your part you will find elements such as “echo percussions soloists”, “reflect percussions soloists” in which you are asked to listen and react musically at the same time.
VOICE AND INSTRUMENT: Most part of the score you will perform with your instrument/s. However, in some parts you would be asked to perform with your voice - especially rhythmic elements (a bit like tabla language or some Indonesian rituals).
REKA IS BACK IN A NEW VERSION - REKA RE
NEW VOICES, UPDATED SCORE + A CROWD OF 100 VOICES & 40 PERCUSSIONISTS
PREMIERE AT FESTIVAL APERTO, TEATRO VALLI, REGGIO EMILIA, ITALY 1 OCTOBER 2016
Read more here : LINK
REKA IS BACK IN A NEW VERSION - REKA RE
NEW VOICES, UPDATED SCORE + A CROWD OF 100 VOICES & 40 PERCUSSIONISTS
PREMIERE AT TEATRO VALLI REGGIO EMILIA ITALY 1 OCTOBER 2016
Read more here : LINK
The new version of REKA is coming out very soon - and it's going to be EXTREME!!! - learn more here -
KANAF for Bass Clarinet of the Royal College of Music
Written by Yuval AvitalApril 19 my work KANAF for bass clarinet, video, tape & live electronics will be presented to the classes of composition and clarinet of the Royal College of Music of London by soloist Paolo De Gaspari.
Happy!
16/09/2014 MiTo Festival Milan, 24/09/2014 Warsaw Autumn Festival - World premiere for REKA
Written by Yuval AvitalREKA by YUVAL AVITAL
MASSIVE SONIC WORK FOR SIX TRADITIONAL SINGERS, TWO PERCUSSIONS AND A CROWD OF HUNDREDS OF VOICES
Yuval Avital presents REKA, commissioned by Warsaw Autumn Festival and co-produced by MITO-SettembreMusica, a large sound experiment that intends to involve the local public inviting them to participate in the creation of a fresco made up of hundreds of voices, coordinated on scene by two conductors, two percussionists and six extraordinary singers who represent a selection of the most unusual ancient vocal traditions in the world.
Following his previous three massive sonic creations (KARAGATAN for 100 gongs & bamboo [Philippines 2013]; GARON for 45 tubas, 6 percussions, choir, live electronics & 3 conductors [Anish Kapoor’s Dirty Corner closing event, Milan 2012]; Mise en Abîme for 34 accordions, soloists & crowd of 100 voices [RAI, Milan 2011]), REKA is a rare sonic experience including numerous performers : Six extraordinary traditional singers from rare and ancient vocal traditions, two contemporary classic percussion soloists playing gongs, plates and metals, a huge vocal “Crowd” - an anti-choir formed by a heterogeneous group of participants with no need of previous musical knowledge - that will be composed of the residents of the city in which performances will take place, guided by coded gestures of the conductor and a “user friendly” graphic & verbal score. The main component of this work is the VOICE - the most essential and ancient sonic tool of all.
In REKA the voice extends from techniques and aesthetics of millenary traditions, to shouts and whispers, from precise musical languages to complex sonic textures; uniting and overlapping parallel events until reaching an extreme weaved texture, a trembling background from which sonic messages are born in order to vanish again.
The vocal soloists of REKA are :
OMAR BANDINU (SARDINIA / ITALY) Canto bassu (guttural singing) of the Tenores tradition.
ENKHJARGAL ANDARVAANCHIG (MONGOLIA / GERMANY) Guttural and overtone singing of the nomadic Mongolian tradition.
SOFIA KKAIKOV (TAJIKISTAN / ISRAEL) Bukara Jewish tradition, Mugam epic singing.
YUSSUF JOE LEGWABE (SOUTH AFRICA / UK) Zulu tradition, guttural singing and click language.
SAINKHO NAMTCHYLAK (SIBERIA / AUSTRIA) Tuvan shamanic and popolar traditions - biphonic and throat singing.
LAMA SAMTEN YESHE RINPOCHE (TIBET / FRANCE) Tibetan Bön tradition.
Review of REKA in RSI2 (Radio Svizzera) 19 september 2014 Carla Moreni
Written by Yuval Avital
REKA was chosen as one of the top 5 events of MITO SettembreMusica 2014 edition ! (journalist Carla Moreni)
REKA premiere at Warsaw Autumn Festival 2014
Written by Yuval Avital