For the Sin

The sound work “For the Sin” is based on an adaptation of the confession prayer “Ashamnu” from the Selichot liturgical cycle, and examines the mechanism of confession. Through vocal presentation and musical arrangement, the creator challenges the original religious meaning and explores the relationship between the individual and the collective, exposing the tensions between personal confession and the broader social structure.

At the center of the sound arrangement stands a single monophonic speaker, a shofar from the world of proclamation, serving as a ceremonial soloist. The shofar, bridging the worlds of ritual and technology, creates a dramatic solo line that engages in dialogue with the four additional speakers, producing a multi-layered vocal texture.

The vocal composition is accompanied by a generative electronic system, based on modular and algorithmic synthesis, which allows the composer to create a dynamic and changing sound space that reflects the complexity of the confession process. The algorithms generate sound structures that change in a semi-random manner, simulating the uncertainty and dynamics of the human confession process.

Duration: 15 minutes
Mix: Daniel Koronkevich. Lighting: Yan Bolotov. Image: Shaul Dahan, edited by Michal Arnheim

The piece is based on works from Dahan’s album “70 Faces” released on the saga.domain label in 2023, and from his work “structural neurosis” which was presented at the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, supported by the Musrara School.Shaul Dahan is a composer, sound artist, and music collector. In his works, he combines texts and prayers from the religious ritual world with analog modular synthesizers and singing inspired by cantorial traditions. His album “70 Faces”, was presented on international stages in France, Austria, and Leipzig. Shaul is a graduate of the New Music Department at Musrara and the Artistic Research Program.

The sound work is being played at the Lisbon Cinema.