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Grisey: Les Espaces Acoustiques

Garth Knox (viola)

Asko Ensemble, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Stefan Asbury

Grisey: Les Espaces Acoustiques
Les Espaces Acoustiques...remains the core of his achievement. It stands as a manifesto of the approach to composition...This impressively authoritative recording under conductor Stefan Asbury...

Grisey: Les Espaces Acoustiques

Garth Knox (viola)

Asko Ensemble, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, Stefan Asbury

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Les Espaces Acoustiques...remains the core of his achievement. It stands as a manifesto of the approach to composition...This impressively authoritative recording under conductor Stefan Asbury...

About

The “Acoustic Spaces” cycle, begun in 1974 and completed in 1985, consists of six instrumental works that may be played consecutively, since each acoustic space extends the previous one. The unity of the whole is based on the formal similarity of the pieces and on the two acoustic points of reference: the overtone spectrum and periodicity. I would like to summarize the musical language of the pieces as follows: - no more composing with notes but rather with tones; - controlling the differences, i.e. developing (or not developing) the tone and speed of its development; - taking into account the relativity of our perceptions; - applying phenomena that have long been studied in electronic studios to the area of instrumental sound. These applications may be heard in their more radical forms in Partiels and Modulations; - striving for a synthetic style in which various parameters contribute to the construction of a single sound. For example: the structure of un-tempered pitches results in the creation of new tone colours, giving rise to certain structures of duration, etc. The synthesis involves the creation of sounds (substance), on the one hand, and relationships among the tones (form), on the other.

The 'Acoustic Spaces' cycle, begun in 1974 and completed in 1985, consists of six instrumental works that may be played consecutively, since each acoustic space extends the previous one. The unity of the whole is based on the formal similarity of the pieces and on the two acoustic points of reference: the overtone spectrum and periodicity.

Contents and tracklist

Les espaces acoustiques: Prologue
Track length15:28
Les espaces acoustiques: Periodes
Track length15:27
Les espaces acoustiques: Partiels
Track length22:02
Les espaces acoustiques: Modulations
Track length16:10
Les espaces acoustiques: Transitoires
Track length19:52
Les espaces acoustiques: Epilogue
Track length8:04

Awards and reviews

3rd August 2016

Les Espaces Acoustiques...remains the core of his achievement. It stands as a manifesto of the approach to composition...This impressively authoritative recording under conductor Stefan Asbury dates from 2005...It captures every morsel of the music’s densely packed, immensely satisfying detail.
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