Movements in the arts gain validation when at least two or three creators of the movement gain a significant stature. Of course, the creators of the movement might disassociate themselves from it for fear of being typecast or of being hemmed in creatively. With regard to the late twentieth century movement spectralism, the composers Tristan Murail, Gerard Grisey and Kaija Saariaho have all achieved a level of "canonization." Their work is slowly but surely gaining admission into the concert repertoire though much of it is fart from conventional. Gerard Grisey's Le noir de l'etoile was composed for drums and untuned metal instruments. The work was first performed by Les Percussions de Strasbourg in 1990. I am uncertain as to the degree of collaboration involved between the composer and the ensemble but discussions following the concert by some people associated with the work, such as Jean-Paul Bernard, the ensemble's artistic director, led me to believe that there might have been some collaboration but that Grisey's own compositional process led to decisions for which the ensemble had to find solutions, including creating new instruments!
In Alice Tully Hall, the sight of six stations of percussion instruments placed at specific places on the stage and in the hall might lead some to expect an evening of great cacophony. Earplugs were not handed out with programs so the decibel level of the performance did not concern me...much.
There were copious notes on the origins of the work and aspects of its contents. I am quite sure that the work would not have made any sense without having read the notes. Those arriving near the beginning of the concert probably felt confused. I recalled from hearing the students at the Manhattan School of Music perform Grisey's Periodes that the composer tends to start from some place that involves the natural world and then reconciles his involvement with technology with nature. In the case of Le noir de l'etoile, the natural world Grisey chose to deal with are pulsars which are neutron stars which emit an electromagnetic field. In reading the notes, some of which were written by French astrophysicist Jean-Pierre Luminet, I wasn't sure whether I was learning about the music or about astrophysics. Either way, I was fine as I love astronomy. There is, of course, the question of how much information can be absorbed and how much information is really needed to appreciate a work.
The actual work and its performance was truly a unique experience. I sometimes felt like I was inside some huge nuclear reactor. The polychoral effect of the six percussion stations entering, exiting and combining at different times was quite amazing, a space station as St. Mark's. Grisey is translating electromagnetic impulses into sounds with as fidelity as possible. There are often cumulative build-ups of energy that lead to the edge of chaos and then recede back to a very simple impulse. Three movements are lined by "windows" that use pulsar signals in their "raw" state. Each movement explored different fields of percussive colors.
The end of the work I believe took everyone by surprise. The lights highlighting each station dimmed and one of the percussionists moved to the center of the stage where he set a small metal disc spinning by striking it. The light reflected by the spinning disc radiated around the room. The disc gradually slowed down and eventually stopped, signaling the end of the work. This "coda" was an illustration of what actually happens with pulsars over thousands of years as their spinning slows and their power weakens.
One other feature of the performance intrigued me. There were lights beaming up to illuminate each of the stations. As I glanced at ceiling I noticed beautiful patterns of colors over each station, each of qhich was unique. One resembled an impressionistic cluster of flowers. The movement within each of the images as the peformers moved added another dimension to the performance.
As with Periodes, I am not sure if Grisey quite succeeds in connecting with a general audience but there is no doubting the exquisite detail and imagination that went into the creation of this work. The audience was quite appreciative of the work and its performers and provided an enthusiastic ovation.
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