Jobert Kourliandski - Aelita - Ensemble

Summary of this score

With "Aélita (1924)", Dmitri Kourliandski takes on an emblematic film of 1920s Russia, at the crossroads of constructivism, futurism, and social testimony. His intention is not to propose illustrative or strictly synchronized music to the image, but to recreate an acoustic atmosphere capable of dialoguing with the film at a distance, like a soundscape that slowly transforms under the effect of the action. The score draws on the imaginaries of the time, evoking the experimental and noise impulses associated with Mosolov, Polovinkin, Arseny Avraamov's "Symphony of Factory Sirens," and the research of Luigi Russolo.

The temporal construction relies on a pre-established structure, which the sound material fills with an almost physical logic, favoring processes of transition from one timbre to another. The claimed aesthetic is entirely mechanistic: repetitions, cycles, canons, and multiplications recall the idea of assembly line production, where the proliferation of forms counts as much as the form itself. From this perspective, the music does not seek to "stick" to the film but to displace it out of time, opening new perspectives for listening and perception.

Finally, the score assumes a contemporary view of the constructivist heritage: where the machine could embody order and organization, it now carries a more catastrophic anxiety. This tension runs through the writing, between fascination for mechanicity and awareness of its possible drifts. French translation: Editions Jobert.

Technical specifications

Musical Genre

Classical

Composer	Dmitri Kourliandski	Genre	contemporary score
Edition	Editions Jobert	Language	French
Instrumentation	piccolo, clarinet, bassoon, trombone, violin, cello, double bass, waterphone