Fragments of Voice, Echoes of Memory
Sargasso proudly announces the release of Hanami, a compelling portrait of Daniele Venturi’s vocal, chamber, and electroacoustic universe, bringing together works composed between 2010 and 2026. Across eight works for voice, electronics, and intimate instrumental forces, Hanami explores the human voice as a site of transformation: fragmented, multiplied, and reimagined through a refined interplay of poetry, microtonality, and timbral experimentation.
Drawing on texts ranging from Japanese haiku by Matsuo Bashō and Kobayashi Issa to Federico García Lorca, anonymous poetry, and old French proverbs, Venturi treats language not as narrative but as sonic matter. Words become impulses for vocal gestures, phonetic textures, and intricate electronic architectures. In works such as Para la madre and Eco III, prerecorded vocal sounds are layered and transformed into dense electronic choirs and imaginary instrumental bodies, extending the expressive and spatial possibilities of the human voice.
Venturi’s musical language combines rigorous structural control with intense poetic sensitivity. Microtonal inflections, references to Middle Eastern modal traditions, and echoes of twentieth-century avant-garde practices coexist in soundscapes of striking lyricism andpsychological depth. The bass flute, guitar, and marimba are treated as extensions of the voice, shaped through delicate dynamic detail and highly nuanced timbral writing.
Performed by an international group of distinguished musicians and recorded in Italy, Greece, and France, Hanami is both an intimate listening experience and a bold exploration of contemporary vocal expression. The album reflects sixteen years of artistic research in which electronics are not decorative additions, but essential compositional forces that reshape the boundaries between acoustic and synthetic sound worlds.
TRACK LIST:
1. Para la madre [7:47]
for soprano and electronics;
anonymous poems – Giulia Zaniboni, soprano
2. Oru [2:51]
for mezzo-soprano and bass flute;
poem by Issa Kobayashi – Virginia Guidi, mezzo-soprano; Monica Moroni, bass flute
3. Eco II [1:18]
for mezzo-soprano;
poem by Federico García Lorca – Angelica Cathariou, mezzo-soprano
4. For Rob [4:32]
for countertenor and guitar;
poem by Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer – Alessandro Carmignani, countertenor; Vincenzo Saldarelli, guitar
5. Hanami [3:39]
for mezzo-soprano;
poem by Issa Kobayashi – Virginia Guidi, mezzo-soprano
6. Eco III [8:13]
for electronic choir;
poem by Federico García Lorca – Angelica Cathariou, mezzo-soprano
7. Ara [10:23]
for soprano;
poem by Matsuo Bashō – Elisa Prosperi, soprano
8. Nonsense 21 [5:27]
for soprano, marimba and electronics;
on sixteen old French popular proverbs – Marion Tassou, soprano; Laurent Mariusse, marimba
CREDITS:
Music composed by Daniele Venturi
Texts by anonymous authors, Kobayashi Issa, Federico García Lorca, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, and Matsuo Bashō.
Recordings made in Italy, Greece, and France between 2025 and 2026.
Audio editing and electronic production by Daniele Venturi.