CD – Crónica

Luca Forcucci is a Swiss-Italian sound artist, whose work takes the form of installations and performance, often mixing different elements to construct new relationships, compelling his listeners to engage with eccentric perspectives and sensory experiences containing infinite nuances. On Terra, the field recordings were captured in Los Angeles, Recife, and Beirut. They underwent an initial phase of editing, before being passed onto cellist Noémy Braun and drummer Lucas Gonseth, along with a score that acted as a guide during a three-day session in a theatre in the Jura mountains of Switzerland. In this meditative space, the compositions were developed and then premiered at a live concert. The result of this complex process was ‘(de)composed & mixed’ by Forcucci, a definition which does not allow us to fully grasp how much the concert recordings were further processed – although this is not too important within the context of evaluating the work. The combined effort feels very complete, with everything seemingly in its rightful place, while simultaneously in a dynamic relationship with everything else, so much so, that we are unable to perceive the impact the individual improvisations of the three musicians had on the compositions. Forcucci presents five unique tracks here. The first, ‘Obscura’, acts as an introduction to the album and is wonderful, featuring metallic drones modulated in unison with distant strains from a cello. Next, ‘Incognita’ indulges in spatialised drums, shrill sounds and virtual drips. With each subsequent listen you realise that what you hear is perhaps not always what you think it is. Even the title track, ‘Terra’, cultivates alienating effects into an enveloping, jolting, emotionally dense experience. ‘Cantus’ begins with chamber music before sliding into distant and ephemeral drones and dissonances, while ‘Firmus’ offers another abstract and moving experience.

 

Luca Forcucci – Terra