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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