Valis


This science fiction opera, composed by Tod Machover in 1987 for the 10th anniversary of the Pompidou Center in Paris, was the first time that Hyperinstruments were used. Based on a novel by Philip K. Dick, the story follows the life of Dick's alter-ego, Horselover Fat, who has a strange VALIS "pink light" experience, which might be a real spiritual revelation, but looks an awful lot like a technological experiment gone awry or maybe even a nervous breakdown. The entire "orchestra" for VALIS was made up of two instruments, hyperkeyboard and hyperpercussion. A CD recording of the work is available on the Bridge label (Bridge 9007).

[Valis picture]


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