TransVariations

About TransVariations

Music beyond the limits of time and technology

TransVariations is an EEA Grants Funded Project addressing the use of innovative technological approaches to problematize the relationship between artistic creation and interpretation in the context of Western-Art Music.
Through an applied outlook, the initiative explored the possibilities of modern timbral shaping in the context of Western-Art piano repertoire using feedback and adaptive processing methods as modes of experimentation.

Music beyond the limits of time and technology

Used techniques included the analysis of sound features departing from real-time playing and the use of extracted expressive control signals to adjust electronic processing.
Expressive features extracted included amplitude, rhythmic patterns, timbral sharpness, spectral density. Additionally, processing included reverberation, convolution techniques, granular processing, spectral shaping, freezing and time modification.

Music beyond the limits of time and technology

TransVariations presents two innovative approaches. The first is related to a change of paradigm regarding the artistic approach, advocating the updating of ideas and resources in function of a reconfiguration of the past.
The second is related to the practical creation of technological resources to be tested through the extraction and processing of expressive control signals and applied within the scope of the (re)creation of non-contemporary musical works.

Music beyond the limits of time and technology

Following the project’s guidelines, new artistic products will be created advocating a rupture with the contemporary paradigm of representation in the European Western-Art Music.
Thus, a new idea of authenticity emerges based on a perception of the past through innovative contemporary means: a new reality is reconstructed according to current mechanisms of understanding where, in practice, the original exists within a specific context and temporal space as part of the present.

Music beyond the limits of time and technology

The collaboration involves three of the most important institutions in the areas of musical technology and performance research in Portugal and Norway: The University of Aveiro (UA), the Porto Polytechnic Institute (IPP) and the Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet (NTNU).

Objectives

The main objective of the TransVariations project is to problematize the relationship between interpretation and artistic creation in the context of Western-Art Music through the development and use of innovative technological resources.

Specific Objectives

1. (Re)Creating the past

To promote the (re)creation of past artistic works and the production of new artistic outputs through the use of contemporary languages based on experimentation with technological interfaces.

2. Testing new technologies

To provide the testing and improvement of new technologies related to artistic creation according to their applicability, pertinence and functionality in the interaction between technological interfaces and musical creation.

3. Reshaping Musical Expressivity

To reshape the idea of expressivity in music through the interaction between human performative actions and instrumental feedback – as a non-controlled independent entity

4. Disseminating resources

To disseminate new resources, technological tools and practical related strategies for artistic interpretation and creation in music.

TransVariations
Team

Meet the team behind TransVariations and discover the expertise driving this project. Click to learn more about them.

Alfonso Benetti

Alfonso Benetti is a pianist and assistant researcher at the University of Aveiro/INET-md (Institute of Ethnomusicology – Centre for Studies in Music and Dance), in Portugal.

Øyvind Brandtsegg

Øyvind Brandtsegg is a composer, performer and programmer. Professor of Music technology at the Department of Music, Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Trond Engum

Trond Engum is a professor in the Department of Music at the Faculty of Humanities, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

Francisco Monteiro

Francisco Monteiro is a pianist, composer, and senior researcher at INET-MD specializing in 20th-century and Portuguese music and a professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Porto, in Portugal.

Designer: Rafaela Norogrando

Project Teasers

Learn more about the TransVariations project, by watching the teasers.

Gallery of Pictures

Alfonso Benetti at the piano. Photo by Andreia Parente.

Maria Beatriz Oliveira - guest guitarist in the project’s closing performance. Photo by Andreia Parente.

TransVariations International Colloquium. Photo by Andreia Parente.

Alfonso Benetti in the closing performance of the project. Photo by Andreia Parente.

Project team after the first performance in Trondheim.

Trond Engum in the closing performance of the project. Photo by Andreia Parente.

Øyvind Brandtsegg & Alfonso Benetti working in the recording studio at the NTNU.

TransVariations Seminar involving professors and students at the Polytechnic Institute of Porto

Trond Engum working in Aveiro. Photo by Andreia Parente.

Francisco Monteiro in the closing performance of the project. Photo by Andreia Parente.

Alfonso and Francisco in a conference at the IPP

Øyvind Brandtsegg working in Aveiro. Photo by Andreia Parente.

Øyvind Brandtsegg in the closing performance of the project. Photo by Andreia Parente.

Øyvind Brandtsegg & Trond Engum working in Trondheim.

Alfonso Benetti & Øyvind Brandtsegg in the closing performance of the project. Photo by Andreia Parente.

DISCOVERING TRANSVARIATIONS' SOUNDSCAPES

Here, you can discover more about the creative process behind the project. Use the piano keys to play and listen to unique audio samples that shaped the artistic outputs. Each key reveals a different sound, offering an interactive glimpse into the music's journey.

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TransVariations
International Colloquium

Music beyond the limits of time and technology

In the context of the TransVariations project, the Institute of Ethnomusicology - Center for Studies in Music and Dance (INET-md) and the University of Aveiro (Portugal) hosted the 1st International Colloquium TransVariations - Music Beyond the Limits of Time and Technology from September 25 (ceremony and opening performance) to September 26 (presentation of selected submissions), 2024.

Program of the Coloquium

The 1st International Colloquium TransVariations offered a unique combination of academic discussions and live performances, exploring the subject "Music Beyond the Limits of Time and Technology".

To delve deeper into the program details, click on the image for more information.

Book of Abstracts of the 1st International Colloquium

This volume presents the collection of abstracts of the TransVariations Colloquium, offering a comprehensive overview of diverse research perspectives.

Access the full collection by clicking on the image.

Link of Book of Abstracts of the 1st International Colloquium

Book of Proceedings of the 1st International Colloquium

This volume contains the proceedings of the TransVariations Colloquium, bringing together a comprehensive selection of research presented at the event.

To access the full proceedings, please click on the image provided.

Link of Book of Proceedings of the 1st International Colloquium

Audiovisual Outputs

Dive into the audiovisual outputs to hear each team member’s reflections on being part of this project. Click on the other images to watch their videos.

Project News

Discover the latest news and updates on the TransVariations project.

TransVariations Project uses technology to challenge classical music paradigms

The TransVariations project, led by INET-md, reinterprets classical music using innovative technology, recently recreating Beethoven's 32 Variations in C Minor. This initiative aims to challenge traditional musical interpretations and will feature a digital album and an international colloquium, promoting new artistic insights.

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International Colloquium "TransVariations" Explores Music Beyond the Limits of Time and Technology

The TransVariations project, hosted by INET-md and the University of Aveiro (Portugal), held the international colloquium TransVariations: Music Beyond the Limits of Time and Technology on September 25–26, 2024.

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TransVariations Project's Third Stage in Norway

Researchers Alfonso Benetti and Francisco Monteiro will travel to Norway for the third phase of the TransVariations project. From April 2-4, they will participate in an Artech Residency, focusing on technology and artistic creation.

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TransVariations project in artistic residency in Norway

The TransVariations project held an Artech Residency at NTNU in Trondheim, Norway, from April 2-5, 2024, focusing on testing technology and artistic creation. It concluded with a workshop performance, advancing the integration of music and technology.

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Researchers challenge the limits of art and technology in a new stage of the TransVariation project

In November 2023, the TransVariations project included a seminar and residency at the University of Aveiro. Funded by EEA Grants, the project reimagines past works with modern resources, with its next stage in Trondheim, Norway, in April 2024.

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TransVariations: In artistic residency in Aveiro

The TransVariations project’s second phase included an artistic residency at the University of Aveiro, led by Alfonso Benetti (INET-md) with researchers Francisco Monteiro, Trond Engum, and Øyvind Brandtsegg, the project, funded by EEA Grants Portugal, explores timeless music through cutting-edge collaboration.

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Beethoven Reimagined: TransVariations Project

Led by Alfonso Benetti, this project leverages modern technology to reimagine classical works. Exploring how Beethoven's compositions might sound in the 21st century, it bridges past and present through innovative artistic interpretation.

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Beethoven in the age of A.I.

“What would Beethoven have done, considering the sonic tools available today?”. This the toungue-in-cheek title “Beethoven in the age of A.I.”.

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"If Beethoven were alive in 2023, what would his compositions be like?"

The TransVariations project, led by researcher Alfonso Benetti, explores breaking time barriers by blending interpretation and artistic creation through innovative technologies.

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TransVariations Project: finding a new Beethoven

The "TransVariations" project, led by Alfonso Benetti, rethinks Western concert music by using innovative technologies to reinterpret historical works and create new artistic outputs.

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Get to know the new project TransVariations – Music Beyond the Limits of Time and Technology.

The TransVariations initiative, funded by the EEA Grants Portugal Bilateral Relations Fund, launches in early April in Trondheim (Norway). It aims to shift the artistic paradigm by advocating for updated ideas and innovative technologies to reconfigure past works, such as those of Beethoven.

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TransVariations

About TransVariations

Music beyond the limits of time and technology

Music beyond the limits of time and technology

Music beyond the limits of time and technology

Music beyond the limits of time and technology

Music beyond the limits of time and technology