— Do you know the white-throated sparrow?

— Not at all? Me neither.

— It is a migratory bird that does not sleep during its migration periods.

— Sometimes, I too do not get enough sleep and work too much to the point of not knowing my name anymore. How about you?

— Today, sleeping is a project, a form of resistance, a desertion. To deny the highway of existence through sleep.

I advocate decline and, consequently, sleep for everyone. Wouldn’t we be happier if we were better rested? This work is a short manifesto for working less and sleeping more. I put it here, without giving it much hope.

— Sophie Delafontaine [English translation: François Couture, iii-19]

Dormir, aujourd’hui [Sleep, Today] was realized in 2018 at the Métamorphoses d’Orphée studio of Musiques & Recherches in Ohain (Belgium) and premiered on October 28, 2018, during the Espace du son festival at Théâtre Marni in Brussels (Belgium). The piece was commissioned by Musiques & Recherches. Thanks to Laurent Plumhans for his text Le bruant, Yannick De Coster for his voice, and Joachim Glaude for his sound recordings.

Composition

• 2018, Métamorphoses d’Orphée — Musiques & Recherches, Ohain (Belgium)

Premiere

• October 28, 2018, L’Espace du son 2018: Concert d’œuvres réalisées dans les studios Métamorphoses d’Orphée, Théâtre Marni, Brussels (Belgium)

Mastering

• February 2019, Montréal (Québec)