Echo under concrete

"The field recording and other materials immediately suggested a strong duality: natural flow versus human control. The description of a river heavily modified by channelization and reservoirs, combined with the image of a concrete fish passage designed to simulate natural conditions, felt deeply symbolic. The water moves peacefully, yet the echo reveals the artificial structure surrounding it. That tension became the emotional core of my composition.

"I began the piece using the field recording in its original, unprocessed form. At the opening, the listener hears exactly what was recorded: the calm lapping of water inside a human-made structure. This documentary moment establishes a sense of place and reality.

"From there, I gradually transformed the recording using granular synthesis. By fragmenting the sound into micro-particles and reorganizing them in time and space, I was able to stretch, disperse, and recompose the water’s movement. The contained flow begins to expand into something more unstable and textural — a sonic metaphor for the river’s suppressed geomorphic dynamics and its latent force beneath engineered control.

"Alongside this process, I used modular synthesizers and tape manipulation to build an evolving sonic current around the original recording. The modular system allowed me to create pulses, resonances, and subtle instabilities that mirror both mechanical intervention and organic persistence. Tape processing introduced slight imperfections and physicality, reinforcing the idea of friction between natural energy and imposed structure.

"The story behind the composition is not one of restoration, but of endurance. This section of the river is described as lacking natural geomorphic dynamics and without ongoing restoration plans. Yet water continues to move. Even when constrained, redirected, or engineered for hydropower production, it carries an intrinsic momentum.

"Toward the end of the piece, the sound returns to the original field recording, closing the cycle. After fragmentation and expansion, we come back to the simple, real presence of water. This return suggests continuity: despite human intervention, the river persists.

"Through this work, I aimed to translate the river’s relentless drive into sound — the infinite self-propulsion of water, flowing forward even within imposed boundaries. "

Section of the river Lech reimagined by Paco Maddalena. 

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Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river through the power of sound. The project is a collaboration between the University of Padova and the University of Würzburg, with support from Cities and Memory. Explore the full project at https://citiesandmemory.com/flow.