During Conflux Festival 2025, we presented Piano / Forte as a performance, along with multi-instrumentalists Jimi Hellinga, Myra Ida van der Veen, Wouter Mol and their vocal ensemble. Inside the unique space of the Brutus’ furnace we re-imagined Piano / Forte as a collective ritual. Accompanied by the sounds of the hurdy-gurdy and electronics by Hellinga and the heavenly voices of the ensemble led by Mol and van der Veen, the performance resulted in a resonating body of sounds.
Deep thanks to all singers who lent their voices on this day: Eva Luna, Tara, Arie, Elizabete, Marilena, Aurélie, Myra, Wouter; and to everybody involved at Conflux Festival, who gave the freedom and trust to us.
Piano / Forte is a sound sculpture that explores the acoustic wealth of a piano harp. In this work, two pianos stripped of the keys and supporting parts, swing in the air like large pendulums. The oscillating motion of the swinging pianos causes the strings to resonate, revealing the sonic body of the piano.
Inside the pianos, an accelerometer was installed to measure the variations in 3-axis positions, and translate the motion into sound frequencies via a custom made software. These frequencies are sent back into the pianos via electromagnets (transducers) attached to the harps. Instead of being hammered by keys, the sound is generated by vibrating directly on the piano’s body, adding to the multitude of resonances and reverberations.
Piano / Forte is a work by Mike Rijnierse and Rob Bothof