Marked by the death of his father, the American composer Joshua Levine has imagined a musical tomb like the music that was created in 17th century France. The electronics shape the harp, disintegrate it, and complete its dissolution in space. Subtle techniques of distortion, modulation, microtonal transpositions destabilize the instrument's timbre and the intonation. The transformed harp is surrounded by external sounds—the ocean, streams, rustling leaves—and the space itself becomes a vast lung. Spectral hints of richly ornamented pieces such as Froberger's Tombeau (1652) on the death of Monsieur Blancrocher drift across the room like decorations. "Their pale presence will, I hope, open a portal to an even deeper pool of remembrance and memory." (J Levine). Complementing this premiere is Michael Jarrell's Offrande from an earlier concertante work, and David Fulmer's premiere, incorporating a Bach chorale.

IRCAM-Centre Pompidou production.