ICMC/25/d4/1120 Concert n12/10 Fantasia on Battle Tactics
纸上"弹"兵 [Fantasia on Battle Tactics]
#Description
- #Short
- A graphic-score calligraphy piece that transforms traditional Chinese battle tactics into gestural electroacoustic music, using a Wacom tablet to control Kyma sound design in real-time.
- #Long
- based on the story behind the Chinese idiom 纸上谈兵 which literally means to discuss battle tactics on paper. In this story Kuo, the son of a famous general, claims to have mastered the art of war through theoretical study. However, when he is called upon by King Zhao to fight against the Qin army, his lack of applied experience eventually leads to catastrophic defeat. The Chinese title of this piece is a pun on the original idiom created by replacing the word 谈with its homonym 弹 which means to play an instrument.
- This piece realizes Kuo’s story both by following the arc of the story’s narrative and by using samples of the story’s original text as well as samples of Peking opera percussion instruments. On a deeper level, since Co/Wacom/Tablet is used as a form of paper in modern visual arts, its use in this piece closely mirrors the “paper” referred to in the text of the idiom. This piece comments on the idiom by realizing its performance through the interface of this modern sheet of paper.
- #Pic
- Bio/Long
- Award winning composer Li Tao 李陶 was born and raised in Beijing, China and currently based in the U.S. working on her second Doctoral degree in Data-Driven Music Performance & Composition at the University of Oregon. The philosophy, literature, and spirituality of the ancient East play a formative role in the aesthetic of Tao’s work. Her music consists of vivid soundscapes, colorful timbres, and interdisciplinary elements that often lead her audiences on a multi-dimensional journey full of imagination. As an Asian female musician, Tao is devoted to promoting gender equity and cultural diversity through her music as well as through collaboration with other artists. Tao’s music has been performed at concerts and music festivals throughout the world including China, Japan, Korea, Australia, Ireland, Belgium, Ukraine, Brazil, and the U.S.A. Her primary interests include acoustic and electroacoustic composition, performance practices, and analysis of compositional techniques, aesthetics, and intercultural dialogues. For more information, please go to taolimusic.com.
