BERIO, Luciano

An Italian composer working in various media with various materials, Berio often combines spoken texts, sung texts, acoustic and electronic instruments, taped sounds, lighting effects, and theatrical movements, including dance. He regards all types of sound—from speech to noise to so-called musical sound—as forming a single continuum and thus himself as not so much a composer of works as an assembler, putting together different elements to create a total esthetic experience. The division between...