Selections from the archive!

The Roberto Gerhard Digital Archive is big. While we’ve tried to make it as easy to navigate and find interesting things as possible, here are some items we’d recommend as a starting point.

Asylum Diary (1959)

‘Asylum Diary’ was a radio drama based on the book ‘Notes from the Asylum’ by Christine Lavant. There is no final recording of ‘Asylum Diary’, but the archive does have eight tapes that relate to this production in some way, from fragments of the original broadcast to different assemblages of sound by Gerhard that were used in it in some way. These traces point to a compelling dramatic monologue with sound design used to heighten the experiences of the narrative, and it paints a really vivid picture of what the final product might have sounded like.

multiple tapes

Sound Observed (1965)

‘Sound Observed’ was a radio feature produced by Roberto Gerhard, designed to introduce audiences to electronic music. It’s a really interesting historical document of how Gerhard thought about electronic music, and how he saw the best way to introduce hesitant audiences to the practice.

Tape 319

Over to you

Have a look through the Roberto Gerhard Digital Archive and, either by searching the catalogue or using the indexes or list of electronic works, find a tape that interests you and tell us why!