Instrumental Interaction V
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Summary
Instrumental Interaction V is a composition for three Karlax, ensemble, and electronics by Benjamin Lavastre. The work, which is the fifth piece of a cycle, explores interaction strategies between digital and acoustic instruments, focusing on gesture, real-time control, and layered musical structures. Premiered in 2025, it highlights new approaches to integrating digital instruments into ensemble performance.
The Karlax is a digital musical instrument developed in the early 2010s by the company Dafact. Held with both hands and resembling a clarinet, it is equipped with several sensors, such as continuous keys, pistons, an axis, and an inertial measurement unit.
Objectives
- Encourage the integration of digital musical instruments into ensemble practice alongside acoustic instruments
- Explore compositional strategies for interaction between digital and acoustic instruments
- Develop idiomatic writing techniques for the Karlax
Timeline
February 17–21, 2025
Status: Complete (premiered February 21, 2025)
Approach
- Bring together experts in digital instrument performance and acoustic instrumentalists
- Develop compositional strategies within notated and conducted ensemble contexts
- Experiment with innovative musical forms, playing techniques, and spatialization approaches
- Use gestural morphologies (bouncing, undulating, rotating, etc.) as a basis for musical structure, represented by the performers’ movements and evoked through the music.
- Explore interaction strategies such as “as one instrument,” “catch and expand,” and “catch and throw”, etc.
Outcomes & Impact
- Creation and premiere of a new work for 3 Karlax, ensemble, and electronics in the Multimedia Room (MMR) at McGill University as part of the MNM (Montréal Nouvelles Musiques) festival organized by the SMCQ.
- Advancement of knowledge on interaction strategies between digital and acoustic instruments.
- Production of a documentary addressing artistic and technical challenges, featuring various protagonists, as well as an interview with Prof. Marcelo M. Wanderley.
People Involved
- Benjamin Lavastre* – Composition, Editing
- Philippe Leroux* – PhD Supervisor
- Marcelo M. Wanderley* – PhD Co-Supervisor
- Tom Mays – Karlax
- D. Andrew Stewart* – Karlax
- Huizi Wang* – Karlax
- Quentin Lauvray* – Technical assistant and color editing
- Vincent Cusson* – Technical assistant
- Richard McKenzie – Technical Director, DCS
- Yves Méthot*– CIRMMT Electronics Coordinator
- Sylvain Pohu* – CIRMMT Production Manager for the concert
- Julien Boissinot* – CIRMMT Systems/Technical Manager for the concert
- Preston Beebe – Filming
- Ensemble Éclat:
- Charles-Éric Fontaine, Conductor
- Alex Huyghebaert, Flute
- Charlotte Layec, Clarinet
- Charles Chivato Rambaldo, Percussion
- Paul Çelebi, Piano
- Jeanne Côté, Violin
- David Montreuil, Viola
- Audréane Filion, Cello
*CIRMMT regular, collaborator, student and staff members
Partners
- Ensemble Éclat
- Input Devices and Music Interaction Lab (IDMIL)
- CIRMMT
- Montréal Nouvelles Musiques (MNM), Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ)
- Digital Composition Studio (DCS), Schulich School of Music
Granting Agencies / Funding Sponsors
Resources
Video Recordings
- Les interactions instrumentales - Documentary on Instrumental Interaction V by B. Lavastre
- Recording of the Instrumental Interaction V
Publications
- Mays, T., & Faber, F. (2014). A Notation System for the Karlax Controller. Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression, 553–556.
- Lavastre, B. (2025). Interaction Strategies in Composition for Karlax and Acoustic Instruments. Doctoral Thesis, McGill University, Montreal.
- Lavastre, B., & Wanderley, M. M. (2023). Interaction Strategies in Composition for Karlax and Acoustic Instruments. In M. Aramaki, K. Hirata, T. Kitahara, R. Kronland-Martinet, & S. Ystad (Eds), Music in the AI Era (pp. 163–179). Springer International Publishing.
- Wessel, D. & Wright, M. (2002). Problems and Prospects for Intimate Musical Control of Computers. Computer Music Journal, 26:3, pp 11-22, Fall 2002.
Keywords
Digital musical instruments; Karlax; Gesture; Interaction; Ensemble performance