Born in Le Harvre in 1947, Tristan Murail came to composition relatively late as a mature student in Oliver Messiaen's legendary Paris Conservatoire class. Searching intellect, creative energy and an acute sensibility for sound swiftly secured Murail's place in the front rank of French composers. His international reputation soared thanks to a series of experimental scores for orchestra and electronics, the unmissable Gondwana seminal among them. The beauty of the sound, diverse complexity and infinite nuances continue to provide the compelling substance of Murail's work.
11.00am Film and Talk
Cinema 2, Level 4
Tristan Murail talks to composer Julian Anderson about his life and work, followed by a screening of Bois Flotté, a film of his composition played by Ensemble Les Temps Modernes as visualised by video artist Hervé Bailly-Basin.
France 1996, Dir. Hervé Bailly-Basin 18 mins
Tickets £6
2.00pm Concert
Jerwood Hall, LSO St Luke's
TRISTAN MURAIL Winter Fragments
TRISTAN MURAIL Territoires de l'oubli
HUGUES DUFOURT Hommage à Charles Nègre
TRISTAN MURAIL Treize couleurs du soleil couchant
TRISTAN MURAIL Pour adoucir le cours du temps (UK premiere)
Guildhall New Music Ensemble
Pierre-André Valade conductor
Rolf Hind piano
Murail's pioneering explorations of sound and its perception can be traced through this essential programme of 'Spectral Music', from the early breakthrough work, Treize couleurs du soleil couchant, to Pour adoucir le cours du temps, written in 2005 for 18 instruments, MIDI keyboard and computer.
Tickets £10 (unreserved seating)
5.00pm Talk
Mozart Room, Level 4
Music and Acoustics - the Music of Tristan Murail
Tristan Murail and Julian Anderson in conversation.
Admission to the talk is by free ticket but please note that tickets are limited. Admission guaranteed with a Day Pass.
7.00pm Free Event
Barbican Foyer
The culmination of a BBC SO Learning project inspired by the music of Tristan Murail.
Barbican Hall 7.30pm
TRISTAN MURAIL Gondwana
TRISTAN MURAIL Time and Again
TRISTAN MURAIL ...amaris et dulcibus aquis...*
TRISTAN MURAIL Terre d'ombre
Pascal Rophé conductor
James Morgan conductor*
BBC Singers
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Gondawana's complex blend of acoustic and electronic sounds opens ears to fresh, unimagined sonorities. Elemental energy explodes from the depths of Time and Again, another Murail masterpiece of sonic invention and striking originality. Total immersion in Murail's art draws to an awe-inspiring close with his Terre d'ombre, a monumental score for orchestra and electronics completed in 2005.
Tickets £24 £20 £16 £12 £8
Save money and guarantee entry to all events with a Murail Immersion Day Pass. There is a choice of pass, reflecting the range of ticket prices for concerts in the Barbican Hall. Available by telephone or in person only.
