PULSAR

Pulsar for two performers, ventilators, objects and live electronics
Premiered by SoundTrieb

Corentin Marillier: concept and composition

Alice Hohberger and Juan José Faccio: performers

Pia Matthes: Scenographie

Special thanks to Nancy Huston: voice

Performance recorded at the HSLu, January 2021

A pulsar is a dying star rotating at a constant speed. Its discovery revolutionized modern astronomy, but it also found its way into the field of music.

As early as 1990, French composer Gérard Grisey used the sound of pulsars in his composition “Le Noir de l'Etoile.”

I chose to imagine an instrumental device capable of approximating the imagery associated with astronomy, with these sounds from space transposed for our ears. Using several amplified fans of different sizes, I was able to reproduce sounds similar to drones, but also a whole range of parameters similar to those of pulsars: rotation, tempo, periodicity, acceleration, deceleration, etc.

On stage, two performers/scientists, seated and imperturbable, manipulate different objects, amplify them, and reveal sounds hitherto unsuspected to the audience. Behind them, like an invisible presence: a chorus of fans, a radio whose actions are mysteriously autonomous.

Pulsar is a composition that combines music, performance, and visuals.