Le Noir de l’Étoile

“When music succeeds in conjuring up time, it finds itself vested with a veritable shamanic power, that of connecting us to the forces that surround us.”
Gérard Grisey

Two works from different galaxies of the musical universe, both of them attempt to grasp time itself: “Le Noir de l’Étoile” by Gérard Grisey (1946-1998) is one of the most impressive pieces by the French spectralist composer. In this work, pulsars – “clocks of spacetime” – form the tonal and poetic point of departure for a monumental space-piece for six percussionists, carried by rotation, periodicity, deceleration and acceleration.

Alvin Lucier’s piece “Clocker”, on the other hand, works with earthly time pieces and human perception of time. MaerzMusik is honoured to welcome the great American composer with a new version of his biofeedback-based space composition from 1978. The piece imagines a world in which individuals can influence the passing of time through the power of their thoughts.