L'abîme

L’abîme is scored for a trio of Bass Clarinet, Bassoon and Cello soloists complemented by an on-stage ensemble of Flute, Oboe, Piano, Percussion, Violin and a trio of French Horn, Viola and Double Bass in the rear of the hall.

Much rhetoric in the new music world focuses on the acoustically arbitrary division of sonic material into pitch vs. noise, but reality is much more fluid. In this piece, the noise- based techniques in the soloists are the source of almost everything one hears, but those sounds are projected, distorted, diffused and replicated in the mostly pitch-based ensemble parts -- like images reflected again and again in a hall of mirrors. This creates a kaleidoscope of doubles and resemblances that shift gradually over time as one moves through this very disorienting space. L’abîme was commissioned by and written for the Talea Ensemble.