Les Percussions de Strasbourg @ EMPAC 2/26/11


Special to the Times Union

TROY – “A rendezvous with the keepers of eternal time.”

That was the standout line from a lengthy, and very technical introduction, read aloud by a dignified European voice, to a performance of Gerard Grisey’s “Le Noir l’Etoile.”  The French composer, who died in 1998 at age 53, took inspiration from the discovery of pulsars — faint radio signals that arrive on earth as the astral residue of stars that exploded thousands of years ago.

The hour-long composition, completed in 1990, was performed Saturday night by six percussionists, members of Les Percussions de Strasbourg.  For the event, the EMPAC concert hall was reconfigured with the musicians on platforms surrounding the capacity audience.  Besides the percussion music, which varied from gentle to assaultive, electronic sounds were broadcast through speakers suspended overhead.

The heavenly bodies have been fodder for artists of every genre for centuries. Despite our era’s extensive scientific knowledge on the subject, this piece seemed just one more entry in the long tradition of using stars as a conceptual framework for creative exploration.  What made the piece genuinely of the modern era is the instrumentation.  Percussion, as a stand-alone instrument, is still a relatively new, if rather overworked, thing in Western classical music.

Rhythm, of course, was at the center of the night. There were countless fast riffs and rolls from each player. But there was also the bounce of where the sounds were placed in the room.  One of the objectives in the acoustical design of the EMPAC concert hall was for this very kind of piece, in which the musicians aren’t just on the front stage.

Early on, a heavy beat went counter-clockwise around the space.  Later, it traveled in a clockwise direction.  And at other points still, the players achieved a dead accurate unison of complex figures. Their timing was discreetly aided by headphones.

Twice the percussionists were silent and the only sound came from the speakers.  First there was a hushed rhythmic shuffle, something like a muffled tap dance.  Later, it was a defeated march away from a battlefield.

Such imagines were conjured by the mind, but also seemed to be invited by the theme of the work.  When the music was busy, thick and all encompassing, as it was most of the time, it was as unfathomable as the universe.

Joseph Dalton is a local freelance writer who contributes regularly to the Times Union. He blogs at: http://www.HudsonSounds.org.


Les Percussions de Strasbourg

When:  8 p.m. Saturday

Where: EMPAC, RPI campus, Troy

Duration:  One hour

Categories: Classical, Reviews
Joseph Dalton

2 Responses

  1. kathy says:

    so, did you enjoy it?

  2. Priscilla McLean says:

    From Barton McLean: At the midpoint of the work, all fell silent except for the taped pulsars from outer space emanating from the speakers. Then gradually the performers entered in, along the same rhythmic/pulsative style as the pulsars. At this point I felt truly connected to the universe and was awed by its vastness and my insignificance. The emotional impact was deep and powerful. The composer truly captured the artistic equivalent of the vastness and wonder of our universe. Most of all, I thought the work was a compositional tour de force; elegant, appropriate for the space, constantly riveting, and ultimately deeply satisfying. Way to go, EMPAC!