WORKS for Ron Rocco & The Origins of Enigma
Meeting American Artist Ron Rocco in 2014 in Zhuhai - China where they both lived… was a turning point for it brought forth new Horizons to explore for the composer. Ron has been a great supporter of David’s music ever since…
As I walked through the porch of Cheng Chuang Gallery I stood in the Entry and had another of my “music spells”… “The Temple Enigma” was created. I turned to Ron and told him I had music for the place and a few months later I presented it. A Mystical Journey
through dimensions involving New York in the 20th Century and Medieval China
Horizon
I see Ron’s piece as multidimensional, some sort of temporal hub for the viewer to contemplate and induce the question where do I/We stand? In my work I kept a focus on not turning the exhibition into a concert hall but rather to create an atmosphere that will help the visitors to reach a certain state of awareness…
Scorched Earth
“This work by David Barraco entitled Horizon came about after discussing one of my installation Artworks commissioned by the Brooklyn Museum of Art.David’s score captures the intent and feelings of this work…the caesura, or breaks in the music capture the fact that in my installation the viewer completes a quest to find the horizon…The music is at times somber and occurs in movements of great strength and awakening clarity…it also captures the conceptual duality present in this installation…His conclusion, with the sound of human voices, brings us back to the world we created, but now with reflection…
RR, Zhuhai, 2017
Scorched Earth Video Sample
Scorched Earth - 2018 - was my 3rd collaboration with Ron and was conceived for his installation project “Desolation”, a globe burnt to a cinder - onyx, revolving in a pitch dark oil pool (specs…) along with the projection of images reflecting the state of our planet was a concept I right away had a theme for…
The piece is a mid-paced implacable march for which I wanted the Orchestra and Choir to render a haunting, drone like tune…It is declined in 4 parts meant to be played back to back in a loop
DoomsdayClock Striking - Haunted (The Cry of Mankind pt1) - Raging Fires Inferno - Marching Towards Extinction (The Cry of Mankind Pt2)
The Empire in BELGIUM
About Mars…
The Empire of Mars is a 4 movements I composed between 2008 and 2012. It has the makings of a Space Opera:
4 Million years ago, two factions of the Empire, one warmongering, the other inquisitive and spiritual, debate and struggle to decide the fate of Mars… The work is punctuated by series of Dialogues between these factions. Among my compositions it is by far the music that emphasises the most on the concepts of how Language/ Code affects Creation, a central topic in this Oeuvra…
A few weeks after discovering some of my Symphonic works; Jerome Bockiau - Prof of Communication and project supervisor at the High Institute of Communication of Liege Province, reacts online during the presentation phase of the project:
“Today I weight my words in telling the music we have before us is completely exhilarating ! A music filled with emotions and contrasts, extremely visual as many others have pointed out, visual if not totally Cinematic…”
The Project
Launched in September 2021 at the Institute of Communication of Liege, this project had for aim to promote the music of an emerging composer in an institutional frame in Belgium. The process lasted several months and many potential partners were found but eventually it’s the University of Engineering Orchestra (O.E.I.L) that brought it to a successful completion, with the unprecedented event to have an Orchestra play an excerpt of my music on stage… Overall I have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and dedication all the participants demonstrated during the project, and of course by the outcome which itself presented a few challenges, the two main being a narrow time frame for rehearsals and also due to distance and scheduling I couldn’t be present to assist and give directions
On Stage on Earth
In the 1st part of “Colonization…” the Martian Fleet departs from Jupiter, sets a course to Earth and “The Small Tribulation” begins. The question in debate is on wether this mission to Earth is vital to the Empire or not …
Video Excerpts from the Liege Concert - May 11th 2022
Videos Credit : Julien Bockiau
What made this event a landmark achievement is also that for many years I was told and even foretold my music would never be played by an Orchestra of any kind and that I had to resign myself to have it adapted and maybe played by a quartet or quintet for starters. The Oeil Orchestra under the direction of Tilan Dossogne disproved once and for all these statements by showing that it was essentially a matter of will and interest. In this video interview he explains how the transcription was done. Hearing the results obtained by an amateur Orchestra can give a notion to anyone of what it would be if my work was played by a London or San Francisco Symphony…
Video Interview - Feat. R Rocco
The Enigma
ON STAGE
With
Joel Charles
Born 01.20.58 near PARIS, Joel Charles studied the piano & the French Horn, respectively for each instrument, under the instruction of Claude Bessmann & Robert Tassin. He was then instructed in Conducting by George PRETRE at that time he also took singing lessons with Gabriel Bacquier…
His ‘wide angled career’ lead him to conduct the Requiems of Mozart & Fauret, play on stage with Classical Soloists such as Jessie Norman, Barbara Hendricks, J Migenes, JP Rampal, Maurice Andre… But also accompanying the Ballets of Mosseiev, BEJART, Claude BESSY as well as some of the most renowned French singers Leo Ferre & Charles Aznavour to name only two of them…
Longing for a different pace after an intense career as a professional Classical Musician doubled with a Music and Singing teacher, he eventually decided to settle in the AUVERGNE REGION, DB’s home province…