The Orchestra Of Futurist Noise Intoners is a 16 person ensemble directed by Luciano Chessa that performs on meticulously reconstructed intonarumori – experimental instruments originally designed by Luigi Russolo in the early 20th century as part of the Futurist movement’s approach to sound and music. They include the rumbler (“rombatore”), the gurgler (“gorgogliatore”), and the howler (“ululatore”). “[Russolo] intended to call for a new sonic sensibility,” Chessa says, “which would fully accept noises as part of what, in 1913, was called music.”

In January this year, the ensemble played in the UK for the first time, at Wigmore Hall as part of the London Contemporary Music Festival. “The concert itself was sold out months ahead,” says Chessa. “Everyone is digging [Russolo’s] work in his or her own way. I suspect many feel that what he was trying to achieve is still in opposition to more traditional music making. Diatonic scales, harmonies built with overlapping thirds, equal temperament, and a very specific formal rhetoric all still largely dominate the arena of available music – this considered, not much has changed in the mainstream between Palestrina and Taylor Swift. Russolo’s music remains set in opposition to this mainstream and still constitutes an early – and frontal – attack to that hegemony.”

Gerard Lebik, the director of Poland’s Sanatorium Of Sound Festival, which commissioned three new works for the ensemble in 2023, expands on Russolo’s enduring appeal: “He envisioned the future of music as a symphony of urban and industrial sounds, reflecting the rhythm of the modern world,” he says. “His manifesto, The Art Of Noises, called for a break from traditional approaches to harmony and melody, creating space for new sounds inspired by machines, the city, and the accelerated pace of 20th century life.”

Russolo built the original intonarumori as part of this Futurist exploration of sound. “These mechanical devices, housed in wooden boxes with levers and cranks, were designed to produce a variety of noises that mimicked the industrial and urban soundscape,” Lebik continues. “Russolo categorised them into different types, such as roars, whistles, and crackles, aiming to expand musical expression beyond traditional orchestration.”

The modern replicas were built “through a commission from the Performa Biennial in 2008-09,” explains Chessa. “At that point, I had been studying Russolo for over a decade and produced a dissertation on his aesthetics – which in 2012 became a book by the University of California Press titled Luigi Russolo, Futurist: Noise, Visual Arts And The Occult. With music instrument builder Keith Cary, we built the prototype in 2008 and the other 16 instruments in the summer of 2009.”

Lebik adds that, “By carefully analysing Russolo’s original sketches, writings, and the few surviving photographs, instrument makers and researchers reconstructed these noise machines to remain as faithful as possible to the originals while ensuring they could function reliably in contemporary performances. Various projects and commissions have contributed to these reconstructions, including collaborations between musicians, engineers, and historians who sought to revive Russolo’s vision for a new sonic language.”

The intonarumori have what Lebik describes as a “unique and unconventional sonic palette. Unlike traditional instruments,” he continues, “they do not follow standardised tuning systems or classical playing techniques, requiring composers to think outside conventional musical structures. Additionally, their mechanical nature means that nuances in tone and dynamics depend on the performer’s physical interaction with the device. This demands an experimental approach, where the composer must embrace unpredictability and noise as integral elements of the composition.”

Chessa adds that, “Under no circumstances can one blame the instruments for a bad result: you have to learn how to make art with what you have, turning everything the instrument offers into an asset, an invaluable quality.”

Russolo’s approach offers valuable lessons to contemporary musicians and sound artists, Lebik suggests, adding that “it challenges conventional notions of music and encourages a broader sonic imagination. His work serves as a reminder that music is not limited to traditional instruments, harmony, or notation – it is an evolving art form that should embrace the full spectrum of sound, including noise.”

The Orchestra Of Futurist Noise Intoners Directed By Luciano Chessa Plays Music By Mariam Gviniashvili, Aleksandra Słyż, Gerard Lebik, Luigi Russolo, John Hegre is out now on Sanatorium Of Sound.

Daryl Worthington’s review of the album appears in The Wire 495. The Wire has published many other articles on Russolo and the intonarumori. You will find them by browsing the magazine’s digital archive.