War of the Currents is a four-movement work inspired on the actual war of the same name that took place in the late 1880s, where George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison became adversaries due to Edison's promotion of direct current (DC) for electric power distribution against alternating current (AC), invented by Nikola Tesla. This work revolves around the idea of the encounter of two of the probably most attractive geniuses of all times: Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. The piece is structured in four movements. The first one provides a sonic interpretation of Tesla’s creation of AC, which was backed by Westinghouse Electric Company. The second presents the invention of Edison’s DC, developed by Edison Electric Light Company, later known as General Electric. The third movement refers to the practice of “Westing-housing”, brutal attempts by Edison’s side to question the safety of AC by electrocuting animals such and dogs and horses. Finally, the fourth movement refers to the fact that, in May 1892, Westinghouse Electric managed to underbid General Electric on a contract to build an AC station, by electrifying the World’s Columbian Exposition in the city of Chicago, where it was demonstrated that AC was a superior alternative to DC for power stations and electricity distribution.

The movements of the piece are:

I. Tesla
II. Edison
III.Westing-housing
IV. Chicago

War of the Currents

Rodrigo F. Cádiz is a composer, multimedia artist, and engineer whose research and music bridge the realms of sound, technology, and performance.