Tuesday, April 29, 2008



Dates with Giuliano Perin Ensemble in Padova:

Venerdì 16 maggio Lazise club "I Paparazzi"
Sabato 17 maggio Abano Terme Teatro Kursaal
Domenica 18 maggio Padova Palazzo Zukermann
Lunedi 19 maggio Padova Poesia e Musica

Plus

Domenica 18 maggio:
L'installazione della scuola di Musica Elettronica, di Composizione, il corso di Tecnico di Sala di Registrazione per la Giornata dell'Ascolto 2008 lungo via Roma. Nuovo lavoro con Maura Capuzzo

Domenica 25 maggio
Il Torchio, Somma Vesuviana, Napoli
Multimedia work with choreographer Gabriella Riccio

Friday, April 25, 2008

Multimedia performance @ Folkwang Hochschule, July 11, Essen



Premiere of Multimedia performance created in collaboration with Claudius Lazzeroni, Dietrich Hanne, Thomas Neuhaus. More info coming soon ...

Uscir ad ascoltar le Stelle - May 18th, Padova


The Giornata dell'Ascolta (Listening Day) festival commissioned the site specific sound installation, "uscir ad ascoltar le stelle…,” for the entrance of the Santa Maria dei Servi Church in the medieval city of Padova, Italy. As listeners enter the church for Sunday mass, they will experience an audio triptych that echoes themes and structures linked to the ancient architecture, painting, literature, and sounds that are essential to Padova's cultural heritage. Sound will emanate from the top of the portico structure, an architectural hallmark of the city.

I created the sound in collaboration with composer Maura Capuzzo, using sounds of sacred music from around the world. The title,  "uscir ad ascoltar le stelle....,"  is derived from the final words of Dante's Inferno: "Then we came forth, to see again the stars." The title suggests the idea of listening to, and feeling, something immaterial that comes from another word, the world of  sacred feelings and attitude. In the case of our installation, the title asks our listeners to "listen to the sacred world of our collective civilization ..."

The piece is a departure from any work that I have done in the past. Our commissioners asked for ten hours of continuous, non-repeating sound. I tell my composition students that duration is the first consideration when planning a work. Setting out to create a ten hour sound installation changed the way that Maura and I approached everything, from sonic result to process to artistic dialog. In addition, the site itself suggested things that were new, such as devising a three speaker configuration to match the theme of the trinity.

"uscir ad ascoltar le stelle...."  is one of seven sound installations that will adorn a 400-meter stretch of Padova's main boulevard, via Roma. Together, these seven installations form a rondeau form (i.e., A1 - B1 - A2 - C - A3 - B2 - A4). Nicola Bernardini (Berklee '81), installation organizer and director of electronic music at Padova's Pollini Conservatory, titled this series of installations "Rondò da Passeggio" or "Rondeau to go." This is a pun on the classic rondo form and an ice-cream they do in Venice, the 'gianduiotto da passeggio'. It's an ice-cream that you pick up and stroll around with, you are not supposed to eat it on the premises (double whipped cream: top *and* bottom). Festival director Dr. Sergio Durante is encouraging all stores and restaurants to give their radio and CD playback a rest for the day and emphasize the unique sounds of the city and its musicians.

Berkee alumni Anthony Baldino and Spencer Putnam assisted in the realization of the audio.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Mil Manera para Decir Adios with The Simple Company


Mil Manera para Decir Adios for computer generated sound, guitar and dancers
November 2007, Padova, Teatro delle Maddalene with The Simple Company and Interensemble

Music: Neil Leonard (music copyright Neil Leonard 2007)
Choreography: Elena Borgatti
Dancers: Hoda el Deib, Tiziana Maiuro, Veronica Pasqualotto
Guitar: Marco Pavin

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Neil Leonard @ Auditorium di Roma



Echoes and Footsteps - live at the Auditorium di Roma. Music copyright Neil Leonard, 2007.

Neil Leonard performs Tre Fiati with The Simple Company


Tre Fiati for computer generated sound, soprano saxophone and dancers
November 2007, Padova, Teatro delle Maddalene with The Simple Company and Interensemble

Music: Neil Leonard (music copyright Neil Leonard 2007)
Choreography: Elena Borgatti
Soprano saxohone: Neil Leonard
Dancers: Claudia Baldan, Giulia Colombo

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Giuliano Perin Sextet guest Neil Leonard - video




April 2008
Imola Forum cafè, Bologna, Italia
Giuliano Perin Ensemble: Giuliano Perin (vibes), Neil Leonard (sax), Maurizio Scomparin (trumpet), Marcello Tonolo (piano), Luciano Milanese (bass), Massimo Chiarella (drums)

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Nothing Works as Planned - 4.5 star review

NOTHING WORKS AS PLANNED
[Interval Recordings - 2007 - 2Cd]
Genere: Experimental


Registrato in parte a New York e a Tel-Aviv, questo album rappresenta la fusione delle idee musicali di nove artisti, fissate in presa diretta e trasposte su supporto ottico, che trasformano in suono il 'loro' significato della frase 'Nothing Works As Planned' ovvero 'Nulla funziona come previsto' o forse sarebbe meglio dire 'Nulla di pianificato'. Il doppio CD è la documentazione della serie intitolata "Nothing Works As Planned", tenutasi a Tel-Aviv presso il Tel Aviv Museum of Art in occasione della Biennale di Musica Nuova, grazie alla Riverberazione naturale data dagli ampi spazi e dagli alti soffitti della struttura il suono finale risulta essere corposo quasi vivo, un vortice di suono sempre delicato che ricorda per 'movenze compositive' quei campanellini giapponesi dai quali il suono nasce casualmente sfruttando le vibrazioni indotte dal vento; così, quasi casualmente, lievi interferenze elettroniche vanno a giocare con archi e fiati mentre il 'suono' del pubblico conferisce al tutto una sensazione di presenza, quasi come se fossimo li ad ascoltare con le nostre orecchie, stesi su un tappeto catturati da qualche video installazione, il tutto corredato da un ottimo packaging con paesaggi fotografici dell'artista olandese Stefan Otto. Caldamente consigliato.

http://www.ultrasonica.it:80/site/modules/recensioni/index.php?op=r&rev_id=419&cat_id=1&sort_by