CONCERTS
2024
“Traiettorie 2024 Returns This Fall”
Il Giornale della Musica (Italy)
October 2, 2024
[…] The opening concert, scheduled for Wednesday, September 25, featuring the Ensemble Cairn at the Centro di Produzione Musicale 'A. Toscanini', is a prime example of this approach. The program features works by Tristan Murail, Philippe Leroux, and Gérard Pesson, as well as an Italian premiere by Marco Momi and five Preludes by Claude Debussy, transcribed for ensemble by Jérôme Combier, artistic director of Cairn. […]
“Traiettorie 2024: Concert by the Cairn Ensemble at the Parco della Musica”
La Repubblica (Italy)
September 28, 2024
The second part of Traiettorie 2024 begins once again in France, as contemporary French music—and in particular that of recent decades—takes center stage at this edition of the modern and contemporary music festival organized and promoted by the Fondazione Prometeo, featuring the Ensemble Cairn, a group that, since 1998, under the artistic direction of Jérôme Combier and the musical direction of Guillaume Bourgogne, has been exploring the worlds of today’s music with great curiosity, including crossovers between genres.
In the program that the ensemble will present on Wednesday, September 25, at 8:30 p.m. at the Fondazione Toscanini Music Production Center in Parma (Parco della Musica - Falcone e Borsellino), the focus will once again be on French music, which, starting with Debussy’s liberation of timbre, evolves into a reflection on the subjectivity of interpretation and perception developed by the second generation of what is known as “spectral” music.
Thus, as in many concerts of this edition, we hear the music of Tristan Murail, who in “Paludes” (2011) explores the instability of sounds, and that of Philippe Leroux, who in “De l'épaisseur” (1998) for violin, cello, and accordion perceives the lacerations of existence in the variations of sound masses. This precariousness of a sound that is never the same also corresponds to a search for the indefinite or the possible: as in Gérard Pesson’s “Fureur contre informe” (1998) for string trio, where the incompleteness of the instrumental discourse is an internalization that fails to make itself explicit, or as in “Not Yet ” (2024) by the Peruvian composer Marco Momi, who has adopted French musical traditions, here in its Italian premiere, where flute, clarinet, and strings engage in dialogue with the noise of a few smartphones, like writing not yet expressed on the silent space of paper. Finally, we return to Claude Debussy and five of his Préludes, filtered, however, through the timbral variations of Jérôme Combier’s transcription for flute, clarinet, accordion, and strings (2005–2024), also receiving its Italian premiere.
“At the Guimet Museum, the Cairn Ensemble Presents ‘Japanese Time’”
ResMusica
March 10, 2024, Michèle Tosi
In conjunction with the exhibition “At the Court of Prince Genji: 1,000 Years of Japanese Imagination,” presented by the Guimet Museum and supported by the Sasakawa Franco-Japanese Foundation, the concert performed by the Cairn ensemble in the museum’s auditorium took us on a journey through Japan, from waka to manga.
Attributed to Murasaki Shikibu, *The Tale of Genji* is a thousand-year-old novel written during the Heian period (11th century CE) by a woman for a female readership. It recounts the life of one of these imperial princes, a man of extraordinary beauty, an accomplished poet, and a charmer of women. It has been widely illustrated and notably woven by Master Yamaguchi into three sumptuous scrolls that can be admired during the exhibition. Also on display is the manga adaptation of the novel, which appears to have inspired the young composer Kenta Onada (a student at the CNSMD in Paris and winner of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize), to whom the Sasakawa Foundation commissioned the first piece for this evening. Bogosse is written for microtonal accordion (Fanny Vicens), clarinet (Ayumi Mori), and cello (Alexa Ciciretti). In this short piece, the tension rises, slowly but surely, culminating in a powerful cello passage to which the aggressive multiphonics of the bass clarinet respond, hinting at underlying conflicts. The piece opens and closes with a violent gesture from the accordionist, who makes her bellows roar.
Yasuaki Itakura, director of the Tokyo Sinfonietta, which is presenting the concert, had promised us a surprise… Naomi Sato emerged from backstage playing a traditional melody on the shō, the Japanese mouth organ, one of the few polyphonic instruments in the Asian tradition: the beauty of her solemn gestures and the radiant sound of this instrument are captivating; she joins her two partners, the accordionist and clarinetist, for Jérôme Combier’s piece, Hoshizora (“Starry Night” in Japanese), which features soprano Michiko Takahashi, elegant in her flowing black tunic. The text is in Japanese (a poem by Makoto Ōta), and the voice—as richly timbred as it is expressive—is layered, enveloped, and diffracted by the instrumental sounds, whose microtonal texture adds to the refinement of the vocal line.
From sound to noise, from vibrational energy to the cessation of movement, from the moving wave to gusts—this is the way of “reading the winds” (Reading the winds Intermezzi VI), a 2019 piece for solo cello by Japanese composer Misato Mochizuki. It is performed under the powerful and nimble bow of Alexa Ciciretti, who lends this gestural music a very distinctive sound.
Ki i te (2017) for solo soprano by Dai Fujikura is a two-minute vignette that allows one to appreciate, if not the Japanese text, then the performer’s astonishing potential (Michiko admits to having freed herself slightly from the score) and the playful naturalness of her versatile voice. It is also in Japanese (the original is in Russian) and with a beautiful sensuality that she singsThree Poems from Japanese Lyric Poetry (1913) byIgor Stravinsky, three gems celebrating nature and the white blossoms of cherry trees. The score for small ensemble was transcribed by Jérôme Combier for shō, accordion, and clarinet, a combination he masters with the eye of a connoisseur.
The final piece, a world premiere by Aurélien Dumont and the Sasakawa Foundation’s second commission, is also introduced by Naomi Sato’s shō, a sonic pause in music that transcends time. The five musicians performing tonight are on stage: singer, shō, accordion, clarinet, and cello. It is worth noting that Fanny Vicens has switched instruments, now playing the hybrid microtonal accordion (the result of a collaboration between IRCAM and the Xamp duo), an “augmented” instrument that integrates the richness of electronics with the reed mechanism. Thus, “speakers selected based on the accordion’s range have been placed within the instrument according to a logic similar to that of the reeds, with the selection of speakers controlled by electronic register buttons,” explains the performer.
The title, *Will the Moon Go Out?*, borrows a line from a waka (poem) written by a “beauty of the evening” named Yugao (literally “face of the evening”), with whom Prince Genji fell in love. Aurélien Dumont focuses on a chapter of The Tale of Genji, one of the few, he tells us, to introduce an element of the supernatural into the narrative. Spending the night with the beautiful Yugao and her maid Ukon, Genji sees the specter of a woman strike down his beloved. She loses consciousness and dies at dawn. It is this tragic episode that the writer Dominique Quélen, a faithful collaborator of Aurélien Dumont, recounts in the French text commissioned by the composer; the drama is told from three different perspectives: that of Yugao, Ukon, and the specter itself.
This “monodrama” thus features three characters, all portrayed—and with such dramatic authenticity—by Michiko Takahashi: Yugao’s scream as she falls under the specter’s blows is unforgettable, sending a chill down our spines in a first act that shifts between spoken and sung, whispered and screamed voices. Through Yugao’s words, a sense of unease and a premonition of impending tragedy are expressed, supported and colored by the instrumental writing, with that plastic quality (the cello has a prepared string) always sought after by the composer. Ukon’s narrative shifts the energy, written in a different linguistic register and maintaining the interplay of vocal and instrumental loops that Dumont loves to employ; Michiko’s singing, with its great freshness, is deeply moving, featuring a clarity of diction rare even among French sopranos! The hybrid accordion takes center stage in a more ghostly third movement where the singer’s voice (doubled by that of Fanny Vicens) is processed in real time, much like autotune would. The soprano’s guttural vibrato occasionally flirts with Noh vocal technique. The ease with which Michiko Takahashi shifts from one register to another is astounding, revealing, in this intimate drama, a true talent as a tragedienne.
2023
“The Book of Materials by Jérôme Combier”
France Musique
September 24, 2023, Laurent Villarem
To mark the premiere of *Memento* in Strasbourg, Jérôme Combier opens the doors to his studio. Live from our studio, he makes stones sing and captures the memory of sand. A portrait of a composer engaged with his craft.
On September 30, Jérôme Combier will launch *Memento: A Book of Materials by Jérôme Combier* at the Musica Festival in Strasbourg.
"In *Memento*, Jérôme Combier paints a musical still life, brought to life in the spirit of *arte povera*. Leaves, stone, wood, metals, glass, and sand reveal their sonic qualities on a stage that resembles a grand painting. Music—and this is its power—breathes new life into the inert objects of the still life. It draws them out of the frame and brings them to our attention, as if to measure the gap between the geological time of matter and the fragile time of the human listener.
With his latest creation, Jérôme Combier echoes the Arte Povera movement and the artists Jannis Kounellis, Giuseppe Penone, and Claudio Parmiggiani, as well as Richard Long’s land art. The concert hall becomes a surface around which sonic islands gravitate. Both the composition and the arrangement of objects constitute the work. At the center of the installation, a percussionist brings natural materials to life, and by manipulating them, projects them among the instrumentalists surrounding him. Thus absorbed into the composition and the space, they become phenomena, gestures, movements. The music is then observed, exposed, sculpted, rubbed, caressed, and at times shattered. Memento is dedicated to the memory of Raphaël Thierry."
Music lineup:
Chapter 1: The Wind, the Breath, the Air, as the Original Sound
Claude Debussy - The Wind in the Plain
Jérôme Combier, orchestration
Ensemble Cairn
Guillaume Bourgogne (conductor)
Private recording
Kokû-reibo - Traditional Japanese Music
Teruhisa Fukuda, shakuhachi
Album: Japan: Kinko School of Shakuhachi
OCORA
Jérôme Combier - Dawnlight
Cairn Ensemble
AEON 1651 CD
Chapter 2: The Song of Stones
Interview with Corentin Marillier, percussionist for Memento: A Book of Materials
Jérôme Combier - Essere pietra
Ensemble Cairn
Guillaume Bourgogne (conductor)
AEON Record 0754
Chapter 3: The Bark and the Wood
Jérôme Combier - Breathing in the Shade
Ensemble Cairn
Guillaume Bourgogne (conductor)
AEON Record 0754
Chapter 4: Outside and Inside: The Study
V for Voyage (1’13’’)
Source: The ABCs of Gilles Deleuze (1989): Interviews with Claire Parnet
Jérôme Combier - Die Finsteren Gewässer der Zeit
Ensemble Court-Circuit
Jean Deroyer (conductor)
Recorded on February 19, 2017, at Radio France’s Festival Présences
Chapter 5: Memory and Sand - A Tribute to Raphaël Thierry
Jérôme Combier - Silent Lives
Interlude 1
AEON Record 0754
Excerpt from the program *Accrochages* by Martine Kaufmann on France Musique, October 11, 2006
Interview with composer Jérôme Combier and visual artist Raphaël Thierry
Source: INA
Interview with Philippe Jaccottet
Excerpt from the February 12, 2001, episode of *Surpris par la nuit* hosted by Alain Veinstein on France Culture
Source: INA
Jérôme Combier - Sable de vieux os
Ensemble 2x2
Recorded in April 2007 at the Witten Festival
“Building Community with the Ensemble(s) Festival”
ResMusica
September 17, 2023, Michèle Tosi
[…] The focus is on the organic nature of the vocal and instrumental material—a near-fusion of the voice and its various modes of expression (hissing, whispering, breath, the stretching and contracting of words, etc.) with its instrumental setting, whose meticulously crafted score contributes to the poem’s expressive rendering. The tension of the word in Dickinson’s poetry and the ambiguity of the meaning it conveys have sparked the composer’s sonic imagination, resulting in this first part of the Epigram triptych—one of the masterpieces of his catalog—magnificently performed by soprano Jeanne Crousaud and the musicians under the direction of Guillaume Bourgogne (Ensemble Cairn). […]
“Opening Night of the Ensemble(s) Festival
: Bedrossian, Hervé, Hosokawa, Morciano, Nono, and Zubel”
Anaclase,
September 13, 2023, Bertrand Bolognesi
The contemporary music season kicks off this Wednesday evening with the first of six events (spanning four evenings) presented by the Ensemble(s) Festival, which also marks our first premiere concert of the new season. For the fourth year, the instrumental ensembles Cairn, Court-circuit, Multilatérale, Sillages, and 2e2m—all dedicated to the music of our time—are joining forces by combining their members. In these rather difficult times for musical ensembles, this is an invitation to the public to appreciate the intense creativity of the artists of their own time… in the absence of any representative from the Ministry of Culture, whose actions now seem to consist solely of drastically cutting the resources that allow these activities to continue. […]
“Music: The World’s Desires”
Le Monde,
January 23, 2023, Pierre Gervasoni
The "psychedelic-lyrical fresco" by the Cairn Ensemble.
Presented under the name WhatsPop, the new contemporary masterpiece presented by the Cairn ensemble (one of the most “eccentric” groups in this field, as was once again evident with the premiere in Nantes of an opera by Philippe Leroux) brings together ingredients as varied as a Shakespearean sonnet, a declassified CIA report, and a poem by James Joyce, with Debussy and Radiohead serving as the musical glue! While the subject matter of this “psychedelic-lyrical fresco” may raise eyebrows due to its aim to explore “the altered and shared states of consciousness that music can induce,” the lineup of performers in this “mystery investigation”—featuring six instrumentalists, a singer (Juliette Allen), and a guest intellectual (Pacôme Thiellement)—offers a guarantee of artistic quality, from accordionist Fanny Vicens to composer Aurélien Dumont.
2022
“L’Annonce faite à Marie,” Philippe Leroux’s opera, closely inspired by Paul Claudel
Le Monde
October 12, 2022, Pierre Gervasoni
A woman with leprosy who is healed after nursing a stillborn child. An infant whose eyes change color after being brought back to life. The plot of *The Annunciation to Mary*, a play emblematic of Paul Claudel’s mysticism, reaches its climax on Christmas Eve in a miraculous episode. It took divine intervention to ward off the harmful effects of human complexity and attempt to ease the pain it causes. The romantic rivalry between two sisters (Violaine and Mara), set against a backdrop of divine punishment (leprosy, the death of a child), obscures the very pragmatic outlook of a family living in a “conventional Middle Ages.”
[…]
Raphaèle Fleury, who also wrote the libretto for *Dalbavie*, presents here an adaptation that remains faithful to Claudel’s spirit and sensitive to the musical dimension crafted by the composer. The resulting score (for six voices, instrumental ensemble, and electronic elements) is nothing short of inspired—both artistically (with its superbly inventive flair) and technically (in the composition of the material).
[…]
Alongside a flawless cast, it is not an orchestra that takes the stage in the pit but a small ensemble, the Cairn Ensemble—a swarm of eight polymorphous insects that fly, sting, or expand the musical pulp at the behest of an imperial squadron commander (Guillaume Bourgogne). While we are inside Claudel’s mind through his voice-over interventions, we are no less immersed in Leroux’s, where textures of great subtlety are arranged with just the right amount of electronics. This is undoubtedly why everything quickly feels familiar to us in this constant flow of unprecedented ideas. A sensation apparently shared, on October 9, by the Nantes audience, who gave an enthusiastic reception to this innovative opera, whose watchword remains emotion.
“L’Annonce faite à Marie by Leroux: A Tribute to Claudel”
Diapason
October 10, 2022, Benoît Fauchet
One of the most accomplished composers of his generation finally takes on opera… and transforms a Claudelian “mystery” into a magnificent moment in opera.
Over the course of forty years of writing, Philippe Leroux (born in 1959) has mastered the art of combining voice, instruments, and electronics, as in*Voi(Rex)*,a masterpiece premiered twenty years ago (2002). But would he be able to rise to the challenge of opera? To this question, the composer offers a response that shines with a particular brilliance, energetically navigating the narrative challenges of the operatic genre without compromising its ambitious structure. He had not, however, made the task easy for himself by deciding to tackle Paul Claudel’s (1868–1955)*L’Annonce faite à Marie*, a “mystery in four acts and a prologue” that the author saw as “the representation of all human passions as understood within the Catholic framework”: here, two sisters are torn apart, and one (Violaine) succumbs because of the other (Mara), even though the former saved the latter’s child on a miraculous Christmas Eve.
Exquisite craftsmanship on the booklet
Philippe Leroux was able to draw on the masterful work Raphaèle Fleury had done with Claudel’s verses—she had previously written the libretto for Marc-André Dalbavie’s*Le Soulier de satin*, which premiered in May 2021 at the Palais Garnier—to craft a 2½-hour score without any pauses or intermissions. The voice is treated with a remarkable variety of intentions and effects for expressive purposes—spoken, but above all sung in playful, even mischievous onomatopoeia, in glissandos,in passages full of hoarseness, with demanding demands in the extreme high register, or in the suppleness of medieval-style melismas… The electronics by Ircam (produced by Carlo Laurenzi) echo these voices, just as they bring Paul Claudel’s voice back to life in his own words—a device that innovatively highlights the text’s highly personal dimension, though one that Philippe Leroux, fortunately, does not overuse.
Writing in motion and in relief
In the orchestra pit, eight soloists from the Cairn ensemble bring to life a colorful score filled with spectral echoes, yet above all dynamic and textured, animated by Guillaume Bourgogne’s versatile conducting. Equally attentive to the stage, the conductor maintains the dramatic tension of this “drama of a soul possessed by the supernatural ” (Claudeldixit), which culminates in the passionate grand love scene of Act II between Violaine (soprano Raphaële Kennedy, with great clarity of tone) and her betrothed Jacques (baritone Charles Rice, well-projected), and then especially in the miracle of Act III, when Mara (Sophia Burgos, a free-spirited and rich-toned mezzo) sings the Gospel in an impressive ascending movement. The paternal authority of Marc Scoffoni (Anne Vercors), the “baritone-like” tenor of Vincent Bouchot, and the mother of Els Janssens Vanmunster round out the cast.
Grayscale images
Director Célie Pauthe sets the “conventional Middle Ages” described by Claudel against a backdrop of charcoal-gray walls, onto which are projected a few grayscale images of the Lardenoise countryside so dear to the author. The staging is understated yet lacks neither dramatic truth nor pictorial beauty, particularly during the death throes of Violaine, whose face evokes the Pietà.
Co-produced by the two opera houses in western France and performed in their three theaters (Nantes, Rennes, and Angers), thisproduction of *L'Annonce*deserves to be staged elsewhere. And why not at the Opéra-Comique? Everything about it—its form, its language, its boldness—calls for it.
“Fascinating Cast Announcement for Philippe Leroux’s *Marie* at Angers Nantes Opera”
Opera Online
October 9, 2022, Laurent Villarem
What if*L’Annonce faite à Marie*, premiered at Angers Nantes Opéra, were a significant musical work? Philippe Leroux’s opera certainly chooses a relatively classic subject (Paul Claudel’s play is, in fact, the author’s most popular), but its musical setting is adventurous and deeply original, and it is not unreasonable to think that the composer is even inventing a new way of singing opera in French followingDebussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande.
Let’s start by discussing the show’s shortcomings. Célie Pauthe’s direction relies on stunning lighting and superb acting guidance, perfectly in tune with a deeply committed cast of singers (we’ll mention them all later). But the set design is not without a certain literalism, even a form of Christian imagery, which borders on Saint-Sulpicianism in the final scenes. The other pitfall of the evening lies in the relative static nature of the action (but after all, isn’t Debussy’sPelléasalso static?). Philippe Leroux, a composer with a spectral background, sometimes relies too heavily on the slowness of his musical processes, and as beautiful and sensual as the instrumental part may be (the excellent Ensemble Cairn conducted by Guillaume Bourgogne), a certain monotony weighs down the two-and-a-half-hour performance, punctuated by long conversations between the characters.
But*L’annonce faite à Marie*is an opera by a composer who has synthesized his knowledge. At 63, Philippe Leroux brings together his vocal experiments to offer a version accessible to a wider audience. There is great intensity in the characters’ actions, and great humanity as well. Where certain interpretations of Claudel rely on a flat, monotonous voice, Leroux chooses the exact opposite by showcasing the human voice in all its forms. It is difficult to list all the vocal techniques demanded by the composer, so numerous are they: straight voices, saturated voices, spoken words, bel canto singing, melismas, prayers, Gregorian chant, Debussy-style recitative, glissandi, cries—to which is added the recreation of Paul Claudel’s own voice (thanks to IRCAM’s computer technology) and an enveloping electronic soundscape. All of this creates a fabulous polysemic tapestry, which, like Debussy with Maeterlinck, invents a new way of hearing the original play. At times, the libretto (by Raphaèle Fleury) strings together words detached from their contexts, without the effect seeming gratuitous or unnecessarily dry.
Faced with such inventive vocal writing, the singers convey the characters’ emotions with remarkable authenticity: Raphaële Kennedy’s luminous and mysterious Violaine, Sophia Burgos’s impressive and complex Mara, the integrity and elegance of Marc Scoffoni’s Vercors, the passion and drama of Charles Rice’s Jacques, the wit and sensitivity of Els Janssens-Vanmunster’s mother, and the moving and mysterious leper portrayed by Vincent Bouchot.
The Annunciation to Maryalso featuresa scene of incredible intensity: the miracle in the third act. Against a constantly rising musical backdrop, enhanced by electronic sounds and a vocal ensemble reminiscent of a choir of angels, Philippe Leroux draws the listener into a trance-like state. After such a climax, one might fear that the fourth and final act would be disappointing, but this is not the case: the composer redoubles his humanity, drawing ever closer to his characters. Here, one is once again reminded of the fifth act ofPelléas et Mélisande.
In recent years, a number of magnificent contemporary operas have been created. Notable examples include Francesco Filidei’s*L’Inondation*and, internationally, George Benjamin’s*Written on Skin*. It remains to be seen whether*L’annonce faite à Marie*will succeed in breaking through the “glass ceiling” of the contemporary music audience to reach a wider audience.
Both strikingly new and instantly timeless, the vocal writing showcases the talent of a composer at the height of his powers. Let us trust the performers brought together by the Opéra de Nantes (the production then moves to Rennes and Angers in November) to bring this fascinating*Annonce* to life.
“L’Annonce faite à Marie by Philippe Leroux”
Bachtrack
October 9, 2022, Tristan Labouret
[…] Under the impeccable baton of Guillaume Bourgogne, the Cairn Ensemble is exemplary in the pit, particularly Constance Ronzatti in her formidable violin solo. On stage, special mention goes to Raphaële Kennedy (Violaine), whose deeply felt acting alone is deeply moving, and to the radiant voice of Sophia Burgos (Mara), who delivers a memorable solo in the fourth and final act.
The Annunciation to Marie and Philippe Leroux for his first opera, premiered in Nantes
Olyrix
October 11, 2022, Véronique Boudier
[…] The instrumental section, combined with electronic elements (produced by Clément Cerles), subtly shapes the soundscape and intermittently echoes the voices. A distinct atmosphere is created through the innovative treatment of certain instruments, such as the electric guitar, which is surprising and charged with energy. The musicians must listen intently to one another, with the intensity always anchored in Guillaume Bourgogne’s direction: the performance is a true feat for the eight instrumentalists of the Cairn ensemble.
Throughout this opera, the audience is treated to a sensory experience and feels powerful emotions. Through the clarity of their message, the composer and his collaborators use the music itself to provide an attentive and receptive audience with the keys to listening and understanding, and the audience, in turn, expresses its delight at being there by giving the entire production a long, standing ovation.
“Bime! The Friction of Sound Bodies Between Cairn and Totem Contemporain”
Hémisphère son
March 23, 2022, Michèle Tosi
Inventing, playing, listening: these three interconnected actions embody the spirit of the Biennale des Musiques Exploratoires (BIME), led by its two artistic directors, Anouck Avisse and Sebastian Rivas. This is evidenced by the fruitful collaboration at Le Périscope between Jérôme Combier’s Cairn ensemble and Jean-François Laporte’s Totem Contemporain.
Inventing: that’s what this Canadian is all about Jean-François Laporte has been doing since 1998, when his first instruments were created: they are acoustic (wind instruments using compressed air, living membranes, oscillators, aerophones, etc.) “carefully designed and crafted thanks to our love and passion for raw materials and sound-producing materials,” explains this passionate inventor. “Latex as a vibrating material had never been used in music,” he adds. Three instruments were selected for the concert: two Babel tables (a highly colorful multi-instrument consisting of two Membrane Bowls, a Pipe, eight “Insects,” several vibrating membranes, and a free-floating latex electron), a veritable compressed-air orchestra positioned on the stage’s left and right sides; between the two, the siren organ, which also uses compressed air pulsed through “heavy truck sirens,” is reminiscent of the noise machines of the Italian Futurists!
Performance: Driven by a commitment to new works, around a hundred pieces have already been commissioned for Totem Contemporain; but this is likely the first time its members have met the musicians of the Cairn ensemble, even though the collaboration between Jean-François Laporte and Jérôme Combier goes back a long way. Three instrumentalists—Christelle Séry (electric guitar), Ayumi Mori (B-flat clarinet and bass clarinet), and Sylvain Lemètre (percussion)—take up the challenge alongside the Canadian musicians of Totem (Jean-François Laporte, Francis Leduc, and Émilie Girard-Charest) in this co-production, in which each partner commissioned two composers of their choice.
Listen: on the one hand, the finely tuned instruments of classical lutherie, which adhere as precisely as possible to the conventions of musical notation; on the other, instruments that are inherently fragile, even unpredictable, which raise questions about notation and whose unlikely materials (latex, in particular) can easily deteriorate during use and alter the listening experience: all of these elements are integrated into the project of each composer heard tonight. […] Cairn’s instruments emerge from the dark flow of Totem, scattered vibraphone notes, wafts of electric guitar, and the tremolo line of the clarinet in a beautifully colored, floating texture. A sonic explosion midway through the piece—pedals enable this kind of impulse—opens the floodgates of (compressed) air and sound (the siren organ) before the energy subsides and the piece returns to the calm of the beginning. […]
“A Launchpad for the New Generation at the Philharmonie de Paris”
ResMusica
March 18, 2022, Michèle Tosi
[…] This marathon day (from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.) kicks off with a beautiful concert by the Cairn ensemble and a piece by Ukrainian composer Katarina Gryvul (a serendipitous choice): flute, clarinet, string trio, piano, and percussion were made available to the seven composers who wrote for this ensemble founded by Jérôme Combier and directed by Guillaume Bourgogne. InSeamy Side, a shadowy, almost ghostly piece, Katarina Gryvul employs electronics alongside low-register instruments such as the bass flute and bass clarinet. The Spaniard Manuel Hidalgo Navas uses the synthesizer inself-absorption, a composition leaning toward saturation. Also worth mentioning is Quentin Louvray’s piece,La joie spacieuse, which explores the sources of energy and movement, as well as Nicolas Brochec’s highly refined work on textures inEn demi-teinte. In contrast,Dixitby Maylis Raynal uses no instruments at all. The electroacoustic piece plays a sequence of sound images through speakers running along the ceiling of the Amphitheater: a welcome initiative by Cairn offering another so-called acousmatic listening experience.
2021
Hémisphère Son
, September 21, 2021,
Michèle Tosi
The atmosphere is electric, and sound creation takes center stage more than ever at the second edition of the Ensemble(s) Festival: five ensembles dedicated to contemporary music (Cairn, 2e2m, Multilatérale, Court-Circuit, and Sillages) have pooled their ideas and energy to elevate live performance to new heights over four days, with two concerts daily at the Pan-Piper venue in Paris. The festival has renewed its partnership with the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris, inviting performers from the DAI (Department of Performing Artists) specializing in contemporary repertoire to join their seniors, as well as students from the sound engineering department […] Outreach programming is led this year by Corinne Schneider […] He is the headliner of this 2021 edition. Austrian composer Beat Furrer (born in 1954), founder of the prestigious Klangforum Wien in 1985, will be present throughout the festival. Four of his pieces are on the program, offering a deeper insight into a fascinating figure whose strong affinity for the visual arts is evident in a compositional style that seems to proceed by analogy (divisionism of the touch). Performed by the musicians of the Cairn ensemble, the trioAer(1991) is music of sonic wisps (fragility and tremors) that swirl in the air before dissolving into it. A pulse (on the piano) or a sustained note (on the cello) ensures the balance of the “sonic mobile.” […] With an even larger ensemble, Still (Stop/Silence) feeds this obsession with movement through music that sends out signals, pauses, then restarts, coloring the space (muted trumpet) or fading it (breath) according to a chain of micro-events that make the material shimmer: all these subtleties are carefully detailed by Jean Deroyer at the helm of highly responsive musicians.
Quality and diversity among the younger generation: Six new works and commissions by young composers (some of whom are still in training) feature in this program. […]
PIAO
April 8, 2021
*Lucioles* is an auditory experience, a journey of discovery through this sense. The Cairn Ensemble invites us to explore and listen, guiding us with explanations. The discussion centered on sound space, acoustic sensation, and the sonic journey between the acoustic and electronic worlds. This journey, in fact, served as the central theme of the performance, unfolding through two listening experiences. An introduction kicked off the journey. Our exploration begins with two pieces—originally composed for piano—by Claude Debussy, “Des pas sur la neige” and “Brouillards,” rearranged here by Jérome Combier. Hearing the vibration of the notes in the air, the physical sensation of the music. Becoming aware of this phenomenon that
We experience it every day, without realizing it, at every concert. The effects of live music, in short, far removed from our headphones and speakers. […] This experience introduces us to Meryl Ampe’s composition, “Illuminan” […] For 11 minutes, the audience, plunged into darkness to heighten their auditory focus, listened to several tracks diffused throughout the space. Surprising! Like a return to a primal state where every sound is a piece of information, it awakens our curiosity and imagination. The second piece was written by Jean-Luc Hervé for the Ensemble Cairn. It is a work situated between acoustic and electronic music. […] The composer’s emotion was palpable; for him, too, it was the first time experiencing his piece, due to the current restrictions we are all facing. Emotion was also evident among the musicians; the joy of playing together, for an audience of a few privileged listeners, was palpable and made the moment linger.
Orléans Métropole
April 1, 2021
At the initiative of the Scène Nationale d’Orléans, students in the 10th-grade film and audiovisual track at Lycée Pothier had the opportunity to enjoy a sound experience at the Théâtre d’Orléans under the guidance of the Cairn ensemble, an electrifying and mysterious group. […] Six musicians from the ensemble began the sonic adventure with two preludes by Debussy, *Les pas dans la neige* and *Le vent dans la plaine*, an invitation to daydream that stirs a breeze of emotion and paints a vivid picture of music that becomes almost palpable—a physical presence, a movement. The two scores are notably reimagined through computer processing that diffracts the work throughout the concert space, creating an “elusive anamorphosis.” […] The next piece, an electroacoustic work by Meryl Ampe, a sound sculptor, makes use of these small, handcrafted speakers scattered among the audience to create a sense of immersion […] the sound becomes a physical substance. We have only one desire: for the experience to continue. Following the final piece, Jean-Luc Hervé’s Lucioles takes the stage to discuss his inspiration. […] The music, organic and alive, resonates with the venue; the venue resonates with the music. Energy flows between them and the audience; the sonic gestures repeat, echo, and transform. […] It is a moment we would love to relive, one that allows us to step outside ourselves while experiencing an inner adventure. […] A beautiful invitation to listen to the world differently, to close our eyes at times to see and feel it more clearly.
Orléans Mag
January 2021, Emilie Cuchet
At the Théâtre d’Orléans, a creative residency by the Ensemble Cairn was planned for the production *Outerspace* […] “When the Scène Nationale offered to let us keep the slot, we jumped at the chance, but we transformed that time into something else—a comprehensive project,” reveals Jérôme Combier, musical director. “We wanted to be inventive, to be creative even in this context of lockdown.” The musicians’ challenge: to create a series of short videos made specifically for social media, titled Figures: vignette-style creations, released every Monday at 7:00 p.m. through the end of December. Ten commissions were placed with young composers for ensembles ranging from duos to quintets, drawing on the energy of the Ensemble Cairn, which is unique in its “flexible structure.” “This project allows us to stay active, provide work for musicians, rehearse, and maintain our connection […] A vital connection forged also “with composers with whom we will embark on adventures in the coming season and who help us look toward the future.” Inspired and creative despite the challenges, the Ensemble Cairn is also taking advantage of these few days outside of time to begin recording an album with Japanese composer Noriko Baba, a Villa Medici laureate.
2020
La République du Centre
December 6, 2020
“Even though venues are closed due to the health crisis, we’re doing everything we can to keep the show going,” explains Salomé Lelait, public relations officer at the Scène Nationale d’Orléans. Indeed, Sonore Boréale is “a show for all ages that lends itself to performances in schools.” On stage, Sylvain Lemêtre
La République du Centre
December 1, 2020
Invited to the Scène Nationale d’Orléans to rehearse *Outerspace/Série Noire*, scheduled for November 19, the Ensemble Cairn was, despite the cancellation of its concert, present that week on one of the stages of the Théâtre d’Orléans. The purpose of this residency is therefore no longer to work on the show, which has already been performed elsewhere, “but to shift into creation,” emphasizes Jérôme Combier, the ensemble’s artistic director. “To repurpose this rehearsal time into a time for original creation on a project that came to life during the first lockdown,” the musician explains. “This allows us to maintain a connection with the audience, for the musicians to play together, and to prepare for the future.” For these new Figures: Miniature Creations, Jérôme Combier has thus commissioned ten composers to write short pieces for small ensembles ranging from trios to quintets, which the ensemble is recording […] While this project may unfold and lead to a new stage production, Jérôme Combier does not, however, envision holding
Orléans Métropole
November 19, 2020
Despite the current health crisis, the stages of the Théâtre d’Orléans continue to vibrate to the rhythm of artists hard at work. The Scène Nationale d’Orléans continues its efforts to support the artists and companies originally scheduled to perform. This week, between recordings and rehearsals, the musicians of the Ensemble Cairn and the renowned Japanese composer Noriko Baba are taking the stage at the Salle Vitrez.
Le Monde: “Listen to contemporary music in a relaxed setting with ‘Ensemble(s)’”
September 10, 2020,
Pierre Gervasoni
A new contemporary music festival,Ensemble(s), will take place at the Pan Piper in Paris from September 11 to 13. Its name perfectly sums up its program. The festival will feature works for ensemble (that is, for a group of up to fifteen instruments) and will showcase specialized ensembles (2e2m, Cairn, Court-Circuit, Multilatérale, and Sillages), coming together under one banner for the first time.
Although the festival’s slogan sounds like a rallying cry from artists eager to reconnect with an audience after the lockdown, the event was conceived a year and a half ago as a continuation of a collaboration that began in 2011 with a joint concert by Court-Circuit and Multilatérale. Since that experiment proved very successful, the leaders of these ensembles (Philippe Hurel and Yann Robin, respectively) turned a few years later to Jérôme Combier, who, like them, wears the dual hat of composer and founder of an instrumental collective (Cairn). […]
France Musique “Tous Ensemble(s)”
September 7, 2020,
Laurent Villarem
[…]With the exception of the Ensemble Intercontemporain, few French ensembles are now able to bring together more than a dozen musicians for a concert. It’s too expensive and too risky; French institutions can no longer afford the production costs. Very quickly, the idea of joining forces emerged.
From September 11 to 13, the Ensemble(s) Festival is the result of this initiative. Five contemporary music ensembles—Cairn, 2e2m, Multilatérale, Sillages, and Court-Circuit—are coming together and pooling their resources. Over the course of six concerts, works by 26 composers will be performed by 41 musicians. The first edition is a trial run, but the format is proving popular: each ensemble performs a 40-minute solo concert, followed by a grand reunion of all five ensembles during the final concert on Sunday, September 13, at 6 p.m.
Among the works being performed, we are delighted to feature a new production by Oper Felz (Friday at 8 p.m.), Pierre Jodlowski’s *Série Rose*, which explores the soundtracks of… porn films (Friday at 9:30 p.m.), and the world premiere of *Lighter than Air* by the remarkable Brazilian composer Michelle Agnès Magalhès (Saturday at 8:30 p.m.). But all eyes will naturally be on the two major commissions for the final evening.
As the event’s patron, Japanese composer Noriko Baba will premiere *Au clair d’un croissant* for fourteen instruments conducted by Guillaume Bourgogne. There are also high expectations for Théo Mérigeau’s commission, *Points de maille*. The young French composer won over audiences with the highly rhythmic Hoquetus Mechanicus. At 33, the young artist has the opportunity to build on that success. All of this takes place under the optimal conditions of the Festival Ensemble(s). Points de maille evokes the idea of a sonic embroidery, and it is, of course, our highlight of the week!
2019
Classique News
“A human and musical adventure. A portrait of the ensemble and its founder, Jérôme Combier”
April 26, 2019, Marcel Weiss
For 20 years, the CAIRN ensemble has championed a different vision of musical adventure. Through concerts, new works, and innovative performance formats, CAIRN now embodies a model of an artistic laboratory, blending humanity and art, sharing and imagination… […]
The adventure began after a concert at the Maison Heinrich-Heine in the Cité universitaire, born of a shared desire among the two composers and their first performers—with no pre-established plan, and without even thinking about a hypothetical future. “We never would have imagined lasting twenty years!” emphasizes Jérôme Combier, who continues to steer the Cairn ship season after season. He recalls the heroic early days, when they had to manage everything themselves—putting together the concerts, organizing events, handling publicity, even handing out flyers (in the rain) and cleaning the venue… […]
The various halls of the Cité universitaire were followed by concerts at the Théâtre de l’Ile-Saint-Louis, before the group received the hospitality and support of the Atelier du Plateau, Cairn’s steadfast partner for nearly eighteen years. First contracts, first truly professional concerts, then the first festival, in 2005: Why Note in Dijon.
In the meantime, this artistic and human endeavor had to gradually take shape to become more effective […] For Jérôme Combier, “this support was essential for developing projects in a region that had previously lacked contemporary music ensembles; it is a model I am trying to promote to the relevant authorities.” ” This regional standing was reinforced in 2005 by the award of the “Ensemble with National and International Reach” designation. […] The ensemble consists of eleven soloists and has seen few internal changes: some, such as guitarist Christelle Séry, pianist Caroline Cren, and violist Cécile Brossard, have been part of the original lineup. All feel deeply committed to an adventure they are eager to continue, alongside their individual careers. An exemplary loyalty, Jérôme Combier notes with satisfaction: “They all feel they are part of an important adventure, that they are all in the same boat; without this crew, the boat wouldn’t move forward.”
The programming is primarily the responsibility of Jérôme Combier, but the musicians often contribute ideas or even propose their own projects. This was the case with the project “Les métamorphoses du cercle,” conceived by Cécile Brossard in collaboration with circus artist Sylvain Julien and composer Karl Naegelen, as well as percussionist Sylvain Lemêtre’s solo piece, “Sonore Boréale.”
A commitment to excellence that goes hand in hand with a dedication to high standards at every level, from individual work on the score to the quality of the final concert.
“To perform, out of conviction, music that holds a very special aesthetic resonance for us—music centered on timbre and complex forms, crafted through composition.” This aesthetic approach, however, rejects any form of dogmatism, as Jérôme Combier explains: “We want to perform the works of composers from our generation—as well as those from previous generations—who have impressed us. With the idea of following a mountain trail marked by cairns—and this path is the concert itself, with its stones and historical landmarks—we want to guide the listener along a common thread: the concert as a journey, a musical composition, both through the arrangement of the pieces and their historical context.”
It is hard to imagine worlds more contrasting than those of Gérard Pesson and Raphaël Cendo, Francesco Filidei and Pascal Dusapin, and Tristan Murail and Kaija Saariaho—artists Cairn has encountered along the way over the past twenty years. Among others, Jérôme Combier makes sparing use of the privilege of having the full resources of Cairn at his disposal for his personal projects.
The “Vies silencieuses” cycle, composed between 2004 and 2006, is a masterpiece: seven pieces that endlessly explore the instrumental combinations and possibilities of the Cairn soloists.
This story explores the very nature of the concert, questioning its conventions without seeking to break with its established protocol. For example, by juxtaposing it with other art forms (visual arts, photography, video) and other types of music, such as jazz (Vincent Lê Quang, Marc Ducret, John Hollenbeck), Afghan music (Khaled Arman), and fado (Cristina Branco).
The intersections with literature, which are particularly dear to Jérôme Combier, inform other projects: such as his “Campo Santo,” inspired by a book by W.G. Sebald and premiered in 2016, and “in Company with Shakespeare,” to be presented at the Château de Chambord on July 9, which will bring together Shakespearean interpretations by the Elizabethan masters and Kaija Saariaho, at the initiative of singer Léa Trommenschlager.
[…] Twenty years—time for a review? On the positive side, there have been a large number of commissions, awarded through the government commission program, both to established masters such as Gérard Pesson and Tristan Murail, and to relatively younger composers such as Joël Merah, Alexandre Lunsqui, and Alex Mincek. Like so many cairns, a dozen recordings mark the ensemble’s path. Among them is “Vies silencieuses,” winner of the Grand Prix de l’Académie Charles-Cros in 2008. The most recent release is Gérard Pesson’s “Blanc mérité.” The next release will be “Portulan,” featuring the music of Tristan Murail. A significant investment, but an essential one, according to Jérôme Combier: “Recording fulfills the desire to produce a finished work, conducive to a more attentive listening experience than a concert. The musicians are particularly sensitive to this. It is part of our mission.” […]
La République du Centre “An iconic piece from the 1980s”
January 30, 2019
Katia Beaupetit
For his tribute to György Ligeti, Jérôme Combier, artistic director of the Ensemble Cairn, called on the public.
Thus, as an introduction to tonight’s concert, which will be narrated by Clément Lebrun, eight students from the School of Art and Design will present a performance based on the Hungarian composer’s Symphonic Poem for 100 Metronomes. […] the Cairn Ensemble will perform five pieces by Ligeti, including Kammerkonzert, “a work conceived as a lichen. It spreads, but we don’t know what form or direction it will take,” explains Clément Lebrun. […]
ALBUMS
Well-Deserved White: Gérard Pessson / Ensemble Cairn (aeon, 2017)
Favorite of the Charles Cros Academy (2018)
5 tuning forks
Portulan: Tristan Murail / Ensemble Cairn (Kairos, 2019)
Resmusica “Tristan Murail’s Invitation to Travel with Portulan”
October 26, 2019, Michèle Tosi
Following Gérard Pesson’s world, Ensemble Cairn now explores that of Tristan Murail and his Portulan cycle. The compositional project is already long-standing but still ongoing, as it is ultimately intended to comprise ten to twelve pieces. The seven evocative tracks on this recording weave connections with the personal experience of a composer who, to paraphrase Debussy, “loves images almost as much as music.” […] Featuring six instruments, Seven Lakes Drive is conducted by Guillaume Bourgogne. “The Seven Lakes Road” is the excursion Murail loved to take when he lived on the outskirts of New York. The writing of timbre is at work here: hybridized sounds, chordal colors, and fluctuations of the spectrum spread across the harmonics of the piano and horn. A singular light is cast into the room through a very delicate handling of the upper registers. Garrigues (2008) takes us back to Provence, where this nature lover now resides. Sharp strokes and bursts of light slice through a space saturated by “cicada-maracas.” The atmosphere is one of slightly arid bowings, were it not for the reverberating touches of the vibraphone and other resonant metals. The composer maintains a shimmering texture through the tremolo of the strings and the buzzing multiphonics of the bass flute (Cédric Jullion), colored by the instrumentalist’s voice. We are captivated by the way Naaman Sluchin (violin) and Ayumi Mori (clarinet) lead their solo lines in Ruines circulaires (2006), a sort of choreography where two “ribbon-like figures” with microtonal profiles intertwine, here subject to the unfolding of the process. Murail breaks free from this five years later in Paludes (2011), which takes its title from Gide’s eponymous work (1895), “a strange little book,” he says, that enlivens his own writing. Paludes is a quintet for strings and winds, also conducted, in which a melodic dimension is reintroduced—one that Murail now explores further. The sounds of keys, breath, string distortions, and the flute’s whistle tone animate this theater of sounds, superbly rendered by the performers who maintain mystery and suspense throughout. La Chambre des cartes (2011), which closes the CD, draws upon the entire ensemble and the imaginative resources of a composer and alchemist of sound: “I imagine Captain Nemo consulting his many maps […], with the powerful machinery of his submarine in the background. ” Breath, a saturated texture involving the percussion section, and a fusion of timbres create a powerful opening. The energy of the sound propels the arabesques through space (piccolo and violin in harmonics), recalling *L’esprit des dunes* (1993–94) and its “singing deserts.” The trajectory is sumptuous and virtuosic, integrating electronic techniques (reverb, hybridization, distortion, etc.) into the instrumental writing without the physical presence of the equipment. The musicians’ commitment and the energy of their performance are evident in this demanding piece of nearly orchestral scope, which naturally requires the baton of Guillaume Bourgogne.
Diapason “Blanc Mérité: Gérard Pesson / Ensemble Cairn” (5 diapasons)
May 2018, Gérard Condé
Carmagnole, featured as the opening track, evoked words perhaps as much as the music itself: freedom, clarity, maturity. On the eve of his sixtieth birthday, Gérard Pesson makes his names ring out loud—names that have nothing in common except the category into which they must be placed. […] Nevertheless, one cannot reduce Carmagnole (2015) to a beautiful disorder, even if it were an artistic effect. Grasping its coherence means understanding how the sharp noise calls forth the pulpy sound, the accident of repetition, the consonance, the acoustic distortion, why false quotations emerge, what representations are offered, and what the ear can do…
It is invigorating, enigmatic, pyrotechnic—as one might also describe *Ne pas oublier coq rouge dans jour craquelé* (2010), a trio for piano, violin, and cello. Here, Pesson shatters the laws of the genre and its disarming imbalance. […] The canvases covered in light-colored numbers by Roman Opalka, a major figure in conceptual painting, inspired Blanc mérité (2017). As formidable to describe as Carmagnole, this fresco differs from it in its atmosphere of intimacy and mystery; even more so than the previous work, it offers an opportunity to appreciate the perfection achieved by the Ensemble Cairn, to the point where one no longer knows whom to admire more, the composer or his performers. White magic, or does the creator dissolve into the mystical nothingness he has awakened?
Diapason “Gone” (5 diapasons)
January 2017, Pierre Rigaudière
Stepping into the world of a new solo album by Jérôme Combier is a bit like returning to a place you think you know, but approaching and exploring it through different paths. Following *Pays de vent ” (Motus) and “Vies silencieuses” (aeon), we find here a familiar environment, made up of breath, wavering microtonal intonations, glissandos, and figures oriented toward the ground rather than the sky, along with numerous granular textures, rough edges, and impacts. Gone (2010) exudes a dark radiance, devoid of any pathos. In a musical context where the small ensemble (string trio, clarinet, and piano) produces a raw texture that scrapes, creaks, and slides yet does not exclude rhythmic clashes—both sharp and muted—we prefer this performance by the Ensemble Cairn for its remarkable organicity […] Beckett—a recurring reference in Combier’s work—permeates the string trio Noir gris (2007), where a dense discourse, almost expressionist in its formulation, and a noisy component that serves as its shadow are clearly distinguishable. […] Produced with Robin Meir, the electronic part blends with the acoustic sound of the four instruments with a rare sense of complementarity. In both cases, the small ensembles work well for the musicians of Cairn, who are intimately familiar with this music and strike an ideal balance between depth of detail and the relevance of the collective timbre.