Alva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto
Summvs (2LP)
Released for the first time in 2011, 'Summvs' is the fifth and final installment of Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto's V.I.R.U.S. series. The title 'Summvs' refers to the Latin word "summa" (eng. sum) and "versus" (eng. towards); it serves as a metaphor for the work being oriented towards a collaborative result. The album features "Microon" compositions containing recordings of a 16th tone interval tuning piano - Piano Metamorfoseador Carrillo en Dieciseisavos de Tono. The album also features two covers of the track "By This River," composed by Brian Eno, Dieter Moebius, and Hans-Joachim Roedelius in 1977.
In the album's twelve compositions, Sakamoto's haunting piano arrangements coalesce with Nicolai's digital rhythms, creating a sonic aura as magnetic as it is meditative. Remastered in 2021 in collaboration with Calyx Studio, the album's recordings are accompanied by two new compositions titled 'Monomom' (released digitally in December 2021) and 'Kizuna.' Like 'Monomom,' 'Kizuna' is the studio version of the homonymous composition recorded during Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto's 2019 Australian tour and included in the album' Two Live at Sydney Opera House" (2019, Noton).
The work 'Kizuna' means 'human bond' in Japanese and refers to the title of an animation piece by the Italian contemporary artist Valerio Berruti released in Japan in January 2011.
Monomom and Kizuna were recorded during the Two tour. Kizuna was originally composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto for the benefit collection "For Nihon" for the Japan earthquake relief fund. Piano recorded by Yoshifumi Iio, Fernando Aponte and Conrad Hensel. Recorded at Onkio Haus (Tokyo, Japan), Victor Studio (Tokyo, Japan) and Hansa Studios (Berlin, Germany). The tracks 01, 04 and 09 contain recordings of one of the 15 pianos using a 16th tone interval tuning built by Sauter, Spaichingen / Donaueschingen, Germany. The original 'piano metamorfoseador en dieciseisavos de tono' was designed by Julián Carillo Trujillo. Thanks to the music department of Berne University of the Arts for making this instrument available.
