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By Keith Walsh<\/em><\/strong> The video below has Ferlet explaining his gear and setup. Speakers of languages other than French can switch on translated captions.<\/em><\/p>\n \n
French composer Edouard Ferlet has curated a very specific set of equipment that he requires for making his innovative piano music. The sounds on his Piano\u00efD\u00b2<\/em> album are based on novel approaches to technology. At the heart of Ferlet\u2019s studio is a Yamaha Disklavier<\/a>, an upright piano of superb quality programmed smartly with a variety of scales, arpeggios and rhythmic melodic figures. Using the computer-controlled Disklavier as a foundation frees up Ferlet to play a second piano, adding a direct human touch in often unusual ways. Because the Disklavier is playing an actual acoustic instrument, the harmonics are random and varied, adding a warmth not usually found in standard electronic music.
As Ferlet explained: \u201cI use the robotic phrase to make the poetic blossom, and go towards the unimaginable and the unplayable. I also use the instability of the robot caused by the weight of the mechanics, its latency, its changes in dynamics and speed, all the unexpected reactions of the Disklavier piano. The machine comes to life and surprises me. The music then becomes an organic dialog.\u201d<\/p>\n