Sturnus vulgaris cohibitus by Justina Repečkaitė

Sturnus vulgaris cohibitus (2020) for piano & transducers inside the piano.
Performed by Marco Riccelli (der/gelbe/klang). Recorded by Asparuh Tashev at Villa Waldberta 17.06.2022.
The impact of the lockdown on nature was pronounced, as people were confined at home, animals began to feel freer in cities, pollution and noise levels decreased and birdsong became more audible. Confined at home, I began to watch starling flocks in my garden and listen to their (by my first-impression) non melodic songs. I wanted to capture their voices, turning them into a virtual instrument.
Composition Sturnus vulgaris cohibitus reflects on the idea of confinement. Piano part has a developed rhythmical language and is treated as a percussion instrument with prepared strings inside the big resonating box. Tiny speakers inside the piano play the brief starling calls which have a timbre function, creating a reverb and later a delay of a played instrument. Expanding its register the piece progresses keeping the dependency between piano and tape while symbolising a bird trapped between the strings, only making sound when struck by piano hammers but still hoping to break free.
Virtual instrument patch created by Kristijonas Naslenas.