Pe'ery Hadas

Hadas Pe’ery (1986)

Nata in Israele, Hadas Pe’ery ha intrapreso il suo percorso musicale studiando violino e pianoforte e, successivamente, contrabbasso, fagotto e corno. La conoscenza di un numero così ampio di strumenti differenti è stata alla base della sua decisione di dedicarsi alla composizione. Nel 2004 è stata ammessa al Mannes College of Music di New York, dove ha potuto studiare composizione con Robert Cuckson e musicologia con Carl Schachter, diplomandosi nel 2007. In seguito si è trasferita a Parigi, dove si è perfezionata con Jean-Luc Hervé e Philippe Leroux, partecipando a masterclasses tenute da Jonathan Harvey e Johannes Schöllhorn. Attualmente frequenta un Master in composition assistée ordinateur all’Università Paris 8 dove sta sviluppando una ricerca sui trattamenti in tempo reale della voce. L’esperienza di studio a Parigi è stata di fondamentale importanza nello sviluppo della sua identità culturale ed artistica e, come lei stessa afferma per aver potuto “sperimentare, ricercare ed esplorare senza essere concentrata sul risultato finale”.
Nella sua musica strumentale, influenzata dall’esperienza acquisita attraverso la musica elettronica, riveste un particolare rilievo l’idea di sviluppo dei gesti musicali e delle loro articolazioni interne, che si declina in una riflessione sul concetto di continuità e distruzione del discorso musicale. A questo aspetto è strettamente correlata anche la riflessione sulle componenti retoriche (come dispositio o elocutio) in rapporto alle strutture compositive; in questo senso, secondo le sue stesse parole,  “la forma ed il discorso di una composizione derivano, poi, dalle caratteristiche intrinseche dei gesti utilizzati”.

PRESENTAZIONE OPERA
Firstly, I would like to state that I consider myself to be at the very beginning of my path, in a very formative state. My music has changed significantly in the past few years, and will hopefully continue to change. I therefore do not wish to speak definitively about my style, but rather to discuss certain elements present in my recent compositions, as well as those derived from my education and experience.
I would like to discuss three intertwined aspects of my music : gestuality, states of energy, and rupture.
My interest in gestures was engendered by my studies of electroacoustics, and especially of the unités sémiotiques temporelles. These are a series of semiotic descriptions of various movements or energy situations (such as étirement, freinage, chute), defined by the distribution of energy in time. I found the idea of creating musical representations of such situations – that are very clear and understandable on a physical and corporal level in daily life – particularly appealing. When playing an instrument, the corporal aspects of music are quite obvious; likewise, when listening to music, these elements can be easily felt. When composing, however, I find the corporal aspect inadequate, or not sufficiently palpable.
I therefore began to introduce musical gestures into my compositions about 2 years ago. By gesture, I mean to say, a musical object that can be identified by its dynamic profile, by the direction of its energy, by its "drawing" if you will, rather than by its harmonic content. Over time, I found that the use of the aforementioned gestures changed my formal thought. When a  gesture is meticulously drawn and carefully detailed, its own intrinsic qualities can dictate the form to some extent. Each gesture has a certain potential to evolve and vary which can be deduced from its internal structure. Therefore, by "listening" to a gesture's potential, I find it possible to create a form that is a natural outgrowth of the gesture itself. This process allowed me to conceive of an internal form derived from the musical material, rather than to conceive of an external form and impose it upon the material, as I had previously done.
I would also like to briefly discuss my thoughts on energy states and rupture, which are closely related to my work on gestuality. When composing, I perceive musical ideas firstly according to the state and direction of their energy. In each piece, I try to create a grammar derived from the natural – or unnatural – flow of energy in both gestures and phrases. In my recent compositions, I have often used rupture as a means of managing energy, of rendering less predictable the grammar that I created. For example, rupture may be used to avoid the climax or the ending of a gesture or phrase. The rupture may be expressed on many levels: it may be violent or subtle, physical or conceptual. Sometimes the rupture can be a mere deviation from what seemed to be the original direction. I believe I am drawn by directionality and rupture as they are a reflection my lifestyle: I tend to make very clear and logical plans, which are quickly interrupted by life's unexpected twists and turns.
All these elements of my music can be observed In the piece that you are going to hear, "Very Sad Ending" for cello and electronics. The piece is based on the idea of a protagonist, if you will, who is obstinately attempting to accomplish something, but to no avail. He tries again and again, each time investing a huge effort, slowly running out of energy, but never succeeds. Though this is a rather frustrating image, I also find it quite comical.
The use of electronics was conceived in such a way that the performer and electronics play equally important roles. At first, the electronics orchestrate or color the cello part, creating a "super-instrument" by extending the cello's capabilities. The electronics then slowly break away from the cello, creating conflict and interruptions, and bringing the piece to its end.