Doing good by the “bad boy”: Performing George Antheil’s Ballet mécanique with robots

The Ballet mecanique by George Antheil (1900-1959) was a musical composition far ahead of its time. Written in 1924, it called for an unusual set of instruments and sound effects, as well as technology that did not exist: multiple synchronized player pianos. Not until 1999, with the aid of computers and MIDI, could the piece be performed the way the composer envisioned it. Since then, it has been played over 20 times by ensembles in North America and Europe. But its most unusual performance was the result of a collaboration between the authors: the music technologist most responsible for the piecepsilas revival and an expert in musical robotics. At the request of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, they built a completely automated 27-piece orchestra, which played the piece nearly 100 times, without a failure. The automated orchestra has since been installed in a museum in Miami, Florida, and was part of a theatrical presentation in New York City.