“Climb!” – A Composition Case Study: Actualizing and Replicating Virtual Spaces in Classical Music Composition and Performance

Space is an essential part of any musical performance: it can refer to the spatial dimensions of a musical composition, the acoustic room in which the performance takes place, as well as to the physical space in which the performer operates. These vary within every performance depending on, for example, the acoustics of the concert hall, the instrumentation, the qualities of the concert instrument, or the technologies used. Today´s electroacoustic repertoires frequently contain manipulation of (either physical or virtual) space or acoustic qualities, which sets new requirements to the capabilities of the performers. This leads to a question what these requirements may be and how can the performers and composers best deal with them? Can the space itself form part of the structure of a composition and/or performance? This chapter explores the topic through a composition case study “Climb!” from the perspective of a composer-performer.