To my mother

L’Heure bleue: renaître du silence addresses the re-awakening of the human being and its environments which are illustrated through acousmatic sound.

The barely audible beginning represents the human perception of the re-awakening of the senses and the recognition of surrounding life and civilization as it also comes to life at l’heure bleue. The re-awakening of the physical body takes place through the simplicity and happiness of solitary play, and this joyous energy later expands to a societal level. Following, is the perception of the larval stages of nature which unfold to herald the re-awakening of nature. The work concludes with the psychological and, finally, spiritual re-awakening of the human being.

Years of experience in modern dance informed the compositional process. Initial sound material for the work was recorded in the countryside and seaside in Wissant (France), in the Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula and the Foire du Midi in Brussels (Belgium), as well as in the city of Istanbul (Türkiye).

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L’Heure bleue: renaître du silence was realized in 2015-16 at the multiphonic studio of the Groupe de recherches musicales (GRM) in Paris (France) and at the Métamorphoses d’Orphée studio of Musiques & Recherches in Ohain (Belgium) and premiered on October 8, 2016 as part of the Multiphonies series presented by the Ina-GRM at the Auditorium Saint-Germain of the MPAA (Paris, France). The piece was commissioned by Groupe de recherches musicales (GRM). L’Heure bleue: renaître du silence was composed with support from the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (Direction générale de la culture, Service de la musique). Thanks to Xavier Deprez, Daniel Teruggi, and Annette Vande Gorne for their assistance.

Composition

• Métamorphoses d’Orphée — Musiques & Recherches, Ohain (Belgium)

Premiere

• October 8, 2016, Multiphonies 2016-17: Akousma: Concert de créations, Auditorium Saint-Germain — MPAA, Paris (France)