The Influence of Cinematic Elements in Pierre Jodlowski's Works Based on Colour

Abstract

Pierre Jodlowski's Works Based on Colour consist of three pieces: Série Noire (2005), Série Blanche (2007), and Série Rose (2012) pour piano et dispositif électroacoustique. According to the composer, "each colour provides an opportunity to investigate a particular link of music with imagery." The pieces serve as a musical representation of cinematic elements through the synchronization of music and sound effects. The musical language of the cycle draws influences from various sources including the music of expressionism, musique concrète, as well as standard soundtrack scoring. The intermingling of various melodies, harmonies, and rhythms creates a synthesis between the piano and the electroacoustic soundtrack (tape).In Pierre Jodlowski's Works Based on Colour, he seeks to form an interdisciplinary collaboration between music and visual multimedia. The composer's interest in cinematography and mental processes is evident through his selective mixing of audio effects, sounds (real sounds versus synthesized sounds), and piano. According to Jodlowski the visual aspects, or mise-en-scène, of cinema should surface in the minds of the listener after hearing each of the works. Jodlowski's method of mixing involves several techniques: the insertion of fragments of dialogue from various films, tinkering with inanimate objects, pre-recorded sounds of nature, and the distortion of sonic effects and instrumentation. Aside from the use of color as a symbol, Jodlowski's cycle contains extra-musical ideas that cover a wide range of cinematic themes, including atmospheric elements of film noir, the gradual shifts and changes in our mental processes, as well as love discourse and sex from erotic cinema and pornography. Jodlowski's Works Based on Colour stirs the listener's imagination through the clear delineation of contrasting sections, the dialogue-like interaction between the tape and the piano, and the inclusion of dialogue and sound effects from various films. A performer should have knowledge of cinematic elements, understand the purpose of cinematic concepts and their significance for a cinematic viewer, and recognize their function in Jodlowski's works before performing the Works Based on Colour.