Composer Tod Machover’s “already and not yet” is scheduled to receive its world premiere with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on October 22, with performances continuing through October 24 under conductor Kent Nagano. The work combines orchestral performance, electronics and a “Live AI” system developed at the MIT Media Lab. Its three movements explore conflict, reflection and collective renewal through a musical response to democracy.
The AI system interacts with the musicians during performance, using their playing to produce electronic extensions and connections across the orchestra. Machover describes the technology as encouraging a creative exchange with performers, while the composition remains his authored work. The premiere offers a different application from prompt-generated recordings: AI becomes part of a live performance shaped by a composer, conductor and instrumentalists.
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