Composition and Soundinstallation by Rudolf Wakolbinger
Expansion of the Universe
Composition and Soundinstallation by Rudolf Wakolbinger
Composition
In his opus Expansion of the Universe Austrian composer
Rudolf Wakolbinger illustrates the history of the
universe acoustically
The relation between mathematics and music has
fascinated the composer since his studies in Vienna.
In particular, he focused on converting light frequencies
(colors) into pitch levels. For Expansion of
the Universe, Rudolf Wakolbinger used microwave
recordings collected by the US space agency NASA,
where different colors represent the electromagnetic
radiation corresponding to the formation of
planets and galaxies. Rudolf Wakolbinger converts
these colors into perceptible sounds, which serve
as the composition’s formal framework.
The piece takes 13.8 minutes which relates to the duration
of 13.8 billion years from the big bang until present.
The composition contains a total of 1.036 staves with
more than 1.5 million notes, making it one of the most
expansive works in music history. „Expansion of the
Universe“ is using a sound-sculpture made up of 216
speakers to illustrate the history of the universe
acoustically.
Rudolf Wakolbinger was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, in 1983. He started
composing early in his youth, drawing inspiration from a wide range of
musicians such as Frank Zappa, the Industrial band “Einstürzende Neubauten”
or Johann Sebastian Bach and Anton Webern.