Innervation and second technique in Vilanos by Luciano Azzigotti

In this paper we aim to analyse Vilanos for two amplified flutes in C, by Argentinian composer Luciano Azzigotti, through Walter Benjamin’s concepts of “innervation” and “second technology”. We attempt to rethink these categories, which have been extensively applied to cinema, and transpose them into the reflection on music, in order to approach, from an scarcely explored perspective, a central problem of New Music: the use of electronic media. We posit that in Azzigotti’s work the particular way the instruments are amplified -i.e.: through a condenser microphone inserted inside each flute- has a decisive role in the construction of the piece and in it’s reception. We can hear with utmost detail all key clicks, subtle changes in embochure and even feedback sounds produced due to the flute preparation. Thus the singularities of the piece direct our attention to a specific modus of interaction between the performer’s body and the musical instrument, demanding us to reconsider Marx’s ideas about the relationship between humans and technology. Hence what we intend is, not only to say something about Vilanos, but to contribute in providing tools to reflect on political and aesthetical implications of technology in New Music today.