Abstract
In Salvatore Sciarrino’s musical work, ambient sounds are a constant presence. They can refer as much to the natural environment as, but more rarely, to the artificial context. Effects like onomatopoeias and animal cries, sounds of rain or wind, or even ticking of electric clocks, are part of a poetic and communicative vision that transcends the aspect of realistic imitation (which, however, can be present and deliberately pursued) and responds to an intention of an expressive and aesthetic order. With such means, in fact, the composer aims at implementing a communicative strategy that aims to involve the listener as an active subject of the listening and ultimately of the music itself. They indeed aim to evoke and to recall profound experiences and emotions in listeners in a perspective that has been defined by the composer himself as the “utopia of a listening man” (“utopia di un uomo in ascolto”).
The chapter addresses this topic by means of the analysis of works written by Sciarrino from the 1970s to the present day.