29 August, 2009

Artist interview - Giorgio Battistelli, Director of Experimentum Mundi


Image: Giorgio Battistelli. Photo: Roberto Masottix

Giorgio Battistelli is the director of Experimentum Mundi, playing from 2-5 September at the Traverse Theatre. Tickets are still available from eif.co.uk/mundi.

Can you tell us about your direction as a composer?
Each composer has his or her own history and composition style. When I’m working on a Libretto I am always aiming for it to have the force to touch the collective imagination.

What inspired you to create Experimentum Mundi?
The first inspiration was composition style. When artisans are working they create an asymmetric rhythm, which I write into the score using the sounds and actions of their work. This accentuates the avant-garde style I have created. The second inspiration was the human dimension – by putting a community of artisans on stage, I hope to present the concept of saving them from modern negligence.

Experimentum Mundi has been performed in many countries. Do you find differences in the way audiences respond to your work in different countries and if so, what are these differences?
I don’t find there are many differences in audiences, from an aboriginal audience in Australia, to China and to Paris, the reaction is very similar. Though I think the cultural instruments will permit different understandings.

Have you attended the Edinburgh International Festival in the past?
It is my first at Edinburgh Festival, my first concert in Scotland. It is very exciting for me to have this opportunity and I am looking forward to it greatly.

Why do you think people should come to Experimentum Mundi at the Edinburgh International Festival?
I think that they will experience not a simulation of reality but a piece of the reality of the human culture that they themselves can relate to. The realities of life can sometimes touch us most deeply.

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