Made for an 8-channel speaker system, this is a binaural render of the original. In "Flujos Inmóviles" I explore ideas of flow and immobility. Layers of sound slowly unfold to create different textures throughout the piece. These layers were made using different combinations of synthesizers, organic sounds, and algorithmic processing.

Flujos Inmóviles (Binaural Mix)

Algorithmic composition made with a custom slicer/sequencer made in Max/MSP using a piano sample.

(if someone were to touch me) I would dissolve into molecules

Piece for piano and live electronics. A midi controller was adapted to function as a live video editing tool to create montages in real time. The live montage acts as a score for the pianist. The piece poses the question, ‘can war machines be beautiful?’ reflecting on the contrast between the high-end technological design and the destructive purpose of these machines.

Performed by Peeravich Panlertkitsakul (piano) and Matias Vilaplana (live electronics)

War Machines Dance To Piano Music

Funeral for a Whale developed from my curiosity regarding the funeral practices of whales and other marine mammals, some of whom carry their deceased relative’s body for days as a manifestation of their mourning. Sometimes, whales and dolphins will even keep vigils around their deceased family members or companions. I found this at once so strange and uncanny, and yet also so immediately relatable as a communal expression of grief and loss. This piece imagines that space of grief and reflects on their ceremonies of remembrance. My goal when creating music is always to encourage reflection and imagination, not to be too overly prescriptive regarding what the music is really about. My hope is that Funeral for a Whale can reconcile my anxieties by offering some context for the piece as I was creating it, while still inviting listeners to weave together a story of their own.

Funeral For A Whale - (Stereo/Binaural Mix)

For fixed media, piano, vibraphone, electric guitar and saxophone. Recorded by Hypercube at Old Cabell Hall, Charlottesville, VA.

To Those Who Leave

"lluvia en la capital" is a reflection on the dual quality of natural weather events, on both its destructive and healing power. Inspired in a poem by Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral:

Esta agua medrosa y triste,
como un niño que padece,
antes de tocar la tierra
desfallece.

Quieto el árbol, quieto el viento,
¡y en el silencio estupendo,
este fino llanto amargo
cayendo!

El cielo es como un inmenso
corazón que se abre, amargo.
No llueve: es un sangrar lento
y largo.

Dentro del hogar, los hombres
no sienten esta amargura,
este envío de agua triste
de la altura.

Este largo y fatigante
descender de aguas vencidas,
hacia la Tierra yacente
y transida.

Llueve... y como un chacal trágico
la noche acecha en la sierra.
¿Qué va a surgir, en la sombra,
de la Tierra?

¿Dormiréis, mientras afuera
cae, sufriendo, esta agua inerte,
esta agua letal, hermana
de la Muerte?

lluvia en la capital

Sound design for theater/installation piece Medea, Universidad de Chile 2017

Matias Vilaplana Stark

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