Grego: Heliossea XX

“Heliossea” is an intermedial work for flutes and live electronics, composed by Alessandro Grego in 2003 and premiered on June 21—the summer solstice—that same year in Trieste. It is a meditation on sunrise, beginning with the first ray of light breaking over the horizon at dawn. Astronomical data about this phenomenon, translated into sound using software developed by Grego, plays a crucial role in shaping the music. On the 20th anniversary of the premiere of “Heliossea” in 2023, Alessandro Grego created a new version titled “Heliossea XX.” This updated version premiered on September 3, 2023, in the Miramare Castle Park in Trieste. The work is intended as a tribute to Margherita Hack and her contributions to science and Italian culture. The new version of “Heliossea,” produced by the group Prodigys, was created in collaboration with inaf-oats, which oversaw the scientific aspects of the project, and the “Studio di Sonologia Computazionale” in Padua under the direction of Alvise Vidolin, who was responsible for the surround-sound distribution. Astronomical data provided by the National Institute for Astrophysics (with thanks to its director Fabrizio Fiore and Massimo Ramella) contributed to the precision and immersive quality of the work.