The title Isolario: Book of Known Islands alludes to the catalogues of islands created by Venetian mapmakers such as Vincenzo Coronelli (17th century) and his predecessor Benedetto Bordone, whose 16th-century atlas portrayed all the known islands of his era, including some early representations of Japan and the Caribbean.

My aim is to create a sketchbook atlas in this spirit, a musical travelogue, composed of “isolated” movements of 2-3 minutes, each representing an island (on which, in theory, I’ve spent a little time).

Each movement has not only a unique musical character but also its particular set of electronics tools: real-time effects, field recordings, pitched resonators, physical modeling synthesis, stretched and returned pre-recorded phrases. Isolario is envisioned as an ongoing project of changing dimensions. Further movements will certainly be added, ultimately creating a large pool of miniatures which can be reordered or excerpted for varied performances.

Isolario: Book of Known Islands — Book II was commissioned by the Sergey Koussevitzky Foundation at the Library of Congress. It was premiered in Chicago on May 4, 2019 by the Spektral Quartet, with electronics by the composer and Max Bruckert from Grame (Lyon).