FICC 2026 — UVERSA and COSMIC PULSES in San Juan, Argentina
On 12 and 13 August 2026, I returned to the Festival Internacional Cuyo Contemporáneo in San Juan, Argentina, for the South American premieres of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s COSMIC PULSES and UVERSA. The concerts took place in the Sala Principal of the Teatro del Bicentenario, with Roberta Gottardi on basset horn and myself responsible for sound projection, video and musical direction.
COSMIC PULSES — 32′
South American premiere
Pure electronic music for eight-channel sound projection. Number 81 in Stockhausen’s catalogue, COSMIC PULSES is the 13th hour of KLANG (SOUND — The 24 Hours of the Day). It consists of 24 layers of superimposed melodic loops, each with its own tempo and register. These layers are gradually introduced and withdrawn, creating an experience of constantly changing density and spatial movement. There are no performers on stage: the focus is entirely on the projection of sound.
Given the significance of this premiere for Argentina and South America, the piece was presented again the following day, giving audiences another opportunity to experience it fully.
UVERSA — 23′
South American premiere
For basset horn and electronic music, with a video projection as the stage backdrop in the FICC 2026 version. UVERSA is the 16th hour of KLANG. The basset horn enters into a dialogue with an electroacoustic accompaniment of great timbral and spatial richness, drawn from a subset of the layers of COSMIC PULSES.
Festival coverage
Local reporting and the festival’s announcement provide further context for the concerts and the 2026 programme (in Spanish).