Luciano Berio (1925-2003) has been one of the main figures of music history, both as composer and as intellectual.
His contribution to the development of electronic music has been fundamental: one need only consider his works produced at the Phonology Studio of RAI (Italian broadcasting public service) in Milan, established by Berio himself and Bruno Maderna. The same can be said about his last compositional period during which his interest moved also towards the possibilities of live sound processing and spatialization, resulting in important works for orchestra, chamber orchestra and musical theater. Besides RAI in Milan, Berio was involved in the establishment of prestigious institutions such as IRCAM in Paris and Tempo Reale in Florence. The latter was established in order to create a stable center for research in the possibilities of interaction between acoustical instruments and digital systems.
Luciano Berio has been director of Tempo Reale from 1987 to 2000 and then honorary president until 2003.