(See full information on official site
argonov.ru/retheng.html)
"Rethinking Progress" is an experimental work of electronic music in a format similar to that of a symphony. It consists of four instrumental parts (roughly corresponding to movements in a classical symphony) and a final song.
The symphony is not purely an audio piece. It comes with an official video synopsis (see
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3C2tkQ3743E). It is a philosophical tale of the past, present and future relationship between human beings and technology: from the na?ve idolization of "progress for the sake of progress" through a series of new discoveries and revolutions in human worldview, through attempts to escape from reality, to a true spiritual revolution that reshapes the human race.
The symphony's melodies are simple and easy to understand, but together they form a unified, carefully thought-out system. Each symphony part plays at the same tempo of 120 beats per minute, and each instrumental part (including a pause at the end of each part) has a fixed duration of 192 measures, or 384 seconds. The final song plays for 256 measures, or 512 seconds. The overall length of the symphony is therefore 1024 measures, or 2048 seconds - just over 34 minutes. Each part of the symphony consists of four themes and some variations on them. Some of the melodies can be encountered in several parts, while others can only be found in one part. Each melody and harmony carries a specific meaning. This will be described in detail below, in the section "Melodic System of the Symphony".
Each instrumental part is arranged in its own style:
Part 1: techno.
Part 2: NES chiptune.
Part 3: pixel music (style developed by author, see
argonov.ru/retheng.html)
Part 4: trance
The final song features all of these styles, though trance plays the dominant role. The symphony follows a carefully thought-out system of themes and their variations, which are described below in the section "Melodic System of the Symphony".