Éliane Radigue

Co-conception of the program: Carol Robinson.
With: Carol Robinson (bass clarinet) and Bertrand Gauguet (alto saxophone).

After four beautiful concerts presented in autumn 2023 with pioneering electroacoustic composer Éliane Radigue, the Nomadic Nights are pleased to continue the very first retrospective devoted to her OCCAMs. Fascinating instrumental pieces, which she refers to as her “sound fantasies”; bespoke compositions are created in collaboration with her performers. This new program, designed with Éliane Radigue and Carol Robinson especially for the Fondation Cartier, presents tonight the creation of a new OCCAM.

“One needs to dream on a large scale, because, in the process of realization, one is always forced to give up something. If the dream is big, there is a lot left, and if the dream is small, there is little left. The OCCAMs represent something enormous in that they are incomplete by nature. This is what attracted me to a genre of pieces conducive to a wealth of possibilities and combinations. It prevents me from saying that I have finished, as long as all these marvelous musicians fill me with the joy of their magnificent talent” – Éliane Radigue.

Program:

- OCCAM XVI (for bass clarinet) – 25’

- OCCAM XXIII (for alto saxophone) – Creation – 25’

- OCCAM RIVER XXII by Éliane Radigue and Carol Robinson (for alto saxophone and bass clarinet) – 25’

Biographies

Éliane Radigue (born in 1932, in Paris) is renowned for her electronic music, produced with feedbacks and reinjections, and in particular with the ARP 2500 synthesizer. Her compositions are defined by micro-events due to subtle changes in harmonics that dance above a seemingly static tone. The result is deeply moving. In 2005, Radigue began to compose for acoustic instruments with fellow musicians, first with Naldjorlak, her masterpiece for two basset horns and cello, and later with OCCAM OCEAN, her endless cycle. These new works have been presented in museums, concert halls and festivals in the world... She recently received a special mention from the jury of the Evens Foundation and the Giga-Hertz Award from the ZKM in Germany as well as the Open Oor Composition Prize in the Netherlands.

Carol Robinson is a Franco-American composer and clarinetist specializing in experimental creation. She performs in major international venues and festivals, and regularly collaborates with choreographers, photographers and musicians from various backgrounds. She is the author of more than a hundred works for various formations, which often incorporate electronics. Besides her own music, her recent discography includes those of great contemporary composers, alternative rock, jazz and classical music. Carol Robinson has worked closely with Éliane Radigue since 2006.

Bertrand Gauguet plays the alto saxophone in solo or in collective improvisation contexts. His interests lead him to explore breath and sound as a medium for meditation. Recent collaborations include John Tilbury, Xavier Charles, Cyprien Busolini, Ensemble Un, Didier Lasserre, Carol Robinson, composers Éliane Radigue and Kasper T. Toeplitz. Also a composer of electronic music, Bertrand Gauguet has produced many original pieces and soundtracks for dance, film and radio. He also makes field recordings for radio plays, films or live performance devices. His discography includes twenty albums. He was a resident of Villa Kujoyama, in Kyoto, in 2011.