ARCHIVE

Awarded the Karl Sczuka Prize in 2020, Antipodes is a three-act radio opera for voice, “dead electronics” (in contrast to live improvisation) and video, composed by French artist, composer, and scholar Frédéric Acquaviva based on a text written by poet Joël Hubaut. Partially composed during a residency at EMS in Stockholm, the opera moves through three acts, “Hell,” “Purgatory,” and “Paradise.” Beginning with what sounds like a slightly disjointed interview, the piece quickly becomes a swirling sonic stew of trilling vocalizations, electronics, and spoken words--often a single word repeated, sometimes even just a single sound or syllable. The composer recommends that the piece is listened to through high quality sound equipment to pick up some of the subtleties of the composition. Vocal performers include Joël Hubaut, Dorothy Iannone, and Loré Lixenberg. Sourced from and inspired by poetry and drawings, the piece explores the mutations and evolution of music as art, and in addition to being broadcast for radio, it has been released as an album digitally (though the purchase does include an empty LP sleeve), a video, and a work on canvas. - Introduced Wave Farm Radio Artist Fellow 2020/2021, Jess Speer.