Composer

:

Luigi Nono

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Electronic Music

Compose Date

:

1964

Average_duration

:

16:48

La fabbrica illuminata is a composition by Italian composer Luigi Nono, written in 1964. The piece was premiered on October 2, 1964, at the Venice Biennale. It is a work for soprano, choir, and magnetic tape, and is considered one of Nono's most important works. The composition is divided into three movements, each of which explores different aspects of the relationship between workers and the factory. The first movement, "Introduzione," sets the scene with a recording of factory sounds, including the clanging of machinery and the shouts of workers. The soprano then enters, singing a text by the Italian poet Edoardo Sanguineti that describes the factory as a place of oppression and exploitation. The second movement, "Coro I," features a choir singing a text by the German philosopher Walter Benjamin. The text describes the factory as a place of alienation, where workers are reduced to mere cogs in a machine. The choir's singing is accompanied by a recording of workers' voices, which gradually become more and more distorted and fragmented. The final movement, "Coro II," returns to the soprano, who sings a text by the Italian writer Cesare Pavese. The text describes the factory as a place of hope and possibility, where workers can come together to fight for their rights and dignity. The soprano's singing is accompanied by a recording of workers' songs and chants, which gradually become more and more joyful and triumphant. Overall, La fabbrica illuminata is a powerful and moving work that explores the complex relationship between workers and the factory. Nono's use of magnetic tape and recordings of factory sounds and workers' voices creates a sense of immersion and realism, while the texts by Sanguineti, Benjamin, and Pavese provide a rich and nuanced commentary on the social and political issues of the time.

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