'To compose sounds'
| program: | -"l'autre face" (1985) for soprano and tape -"variantes" (1994) for violin and live electronics -"passages" (1982) for flute and tape -"attracteur estranger" (1988) for bass clarinet / clarinet and tape -"invisible" (1996) for soprano and tape |
| Performed by the Schreck-ensemble with guest-performers. |
"I have always been eagerly interested in the musical use of timbre.
Timbre is often regarded in music as an auxiliary ingredient, with only
cosmetic value, and extrinsic to the genuine musical structure. There
is an analogy in the fine arts. A few centuries ago, paintings were
often copied as engravings, lacking colour, which was only considered a
dispensable embellishment: but colour can also be used as an essential
aspect of the picture. Timbre is also called tone colour, and I wanted
to give it a more functional role. Not being content to compose with
sounds, I longed to extend my compositional activity to the level of
the sound structure, to compose my own sounds." (Jean-Claude Risset)
Jean-Claude Risset has gained a high reputation as a pioneer of computer
music. His compositions, in which computer-generated or -manipulated
sounds are incorporated, are performed all over the world.
The Schreck-Ensemble has made a program of recent and older compositions,
thus giving a good survey of this interesting oeuvre.
