For this opening concert of ARCo 2025, the two resident ensembles, Métaboles and Ensemble Multilatérale, present a program combining works from the repertoire and new works.
A program of diverse and varied aesthetics, featuring five personalities, five sensibilities that announce the color of this 2025 edition.
This color is undoubtedly that of eclecticism!
NOTE OF INTENT
Dérive 1 (1984)
music for instrumental ensemble - 6 min.
Pierre Boulez
"Parallel to the composition of Repons, Pierre Boulez created several short pieces for small ensemble, which exploit certain ideas that arose during the gestation of this large-scale work.
Dérive is based on the proliferation of a simple harmonic structure: a series of six chords that are permuted, each containing the six notes of the cryptogram of William Glock, to whom the piece is dedicated, followed by six transpositions forming an inverted cryptogram.
In this work, resonance plays a central role: indeed, the piano holds all the notes in the lowest octave throughout the piece, allowing the notes to sound freer and with greater harmonic richness. Ornamental and melodic figures intertwine in a climate of jubilation right up to the elided, abrupt ending." - Philippe Albèra, concert notes from March 21, 1992, Festival Archipel, Geneva / source : Ircam.fr
Partnerships* and support
Art Mentor Foundation* Lucerne ; Sacem ; Caisse des Dépôts ; Maison de la Musique Contemporaine ; GMEM ; Mozarteum Universität Salzburg ; Les Métaboles ; Multilatérale
Multilateral
musical ensemble
For almost 20 years, the Ensemble has fully embraced the "multilaterality" so dear to its artistic director Yann Robin: dissemination of the ensemble repertoire, promotion of varied aesthetics, collaboration with other artistic fields such as musical theater, dance, digital arts and cinema.... The presence of Léo Warynski as musical director offers yet another dimension, enabling regular collaborations with the vocal ensemble Les Métaboles.
This artistic openness, coupled with a team of excellent, curious and committed musicians, provides an ideal space for expression and experimentation, giving rise to innovative projects with partners such as Ircam, Le Fresnoy Centre national des arts contemporains, GMEM, La Muse en Circuit and Experimental Studio SWR Freiburg. As a result, Multilatérale has gradually established itself as a major player in French musical creation, performing at festivals such as Manifeste, Présences and Musica, as well as internationally: Controtempo (Rome), the Venice Biennale, Archipel (Geneva), X-Tract (Berlin), Sinkro (Spain)...
Keen to support the emergence of young composers, Multilatérale has always paid particular attention to transmission. The Ensemble has collaborated with numerous composition classes, including those at the CNSMDP and the Conservatoire de Gennevilliers, as well as with composition academies (Sermoneta, Barga, Royaumont). In 2022, for the second consecutive season, the Ensemble will also be associated with the Philharmonie de Paris for the Tremplin de la création concert, which showcases the young generation of European composers. - multilaterale.fr
Les Métaboles
vocal ensemble
Founded in 2010 under the impetus of Léo Warynski, Les Métaboles brings together professional singers committed to the a cappella choral repertoire.
While a large part of Les Métaboles' activity is devoted to the a cappella repertoire, collaborations with orchestras and instrumental ensembles are also part of its musical season. For example, the ensemble occasionally joins forces with Les Siècles, the Orchestre national d'Île-de-France, the Orchestre de Normandie, the Ensemble Intercontemporain and the Ensemble Multilatérale... Les Métaboles are regular guests at prestigious festivals and venues in France and Europe (Philharmonie de Paris, Musica festival in Strasbourg, Ribeauvillé festival, Musicales de Normandie in Rouen, Festival Voix Nouvelles in Royaumont, Opéra de Mainz in Germany, Mozarteum in Salzburg). Olfactive concerts, combining music with the work of perfumer Quentin Bisch, are also among the ensemble's productions.
Les Métaboles give pride of place to today's composers through commissioned works, and the creation and dissemination of the repertoire of living composers. They also invest in the training of professionals through the ARCo composition academy and training courses for young choral conductors.
The Angels (NoMadMusic) will be released in 2021, the ensemble's fourth album, following Jardin féérique (NoMadMusic - 2020), Une nuit américaine (NoMadMusic - 2016) and Mysterious Nativity (Brilliant Classic - 2014). Unanimously acclaimed by the critics, these recordings have established Les Métaboles as one of France's finest choirs, as much for its vocal excellence (in tune, sound color, homogeneity of timbre...) as for the originality of the repertoires chosen.
Les Métaboles receive support from the DRAC Grand Est as a subsidized ensemble, from the Grand Est region, from the Haut-Rhin department and from the Caisse des Dépôts, Grand mécène. Fondation Société Générale C'est vous l'avenir is the ensemble's principal sponsor. Les Métaboles, winner of the 2018 Liliane Bettencourt Prize for choral singing, receives support from the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation. - lesmetaboles.fr
Lanqing Ding
Composer
Lanqing Ding (China, b. 1990) is a Chinese composer. She is currently in her second year of a master's degree in electroacoustic music composition at the Shanghai Conservatory, with Professor Guohui YE. She has taken part in master classes given by composers Tristan Murail, François Paris and Claude Ledoux. She finds her inspiration in poetry, the philosophy of Zhuang Zi, respect for nature and freedom. Her works have been performed at music festivals in China, Taiwan, Holland, France, Belgium and the United States. - Ircam.fr
Pierre Boulez
Composer
Pierre Boulez (1925-2016) turned to music after studying science, entering the Paris Conservatoire where he studied with Olivier Messiaen and René Leibowitz. He soon established himself as a composer, conductor and musical thinker, founding Domaine Musical in 1954. A key player in contemporary European music, he was a major figure in the Darmstadt courses alongside Stockhausen, Berio and Nono. Guest conductor of the world's greatest orchestras, he has conducted in Bayreuth, New York and London, and given landmark readings of Wagner, Mahler and Bartók. In 1976, he founded Ircam, then the Ensemble Intercontemporain, revolutionizing the role of research in musical creation. His work as a composer is demanding and innovative, exploring the relationship between writing, perception and technology (Répons, Dialogue de l'ombre double, ...explosante-fixe...). An intellectual figure, he taught at the Collège de France (1976-1995) and published widely. His abundant discography for Deutsche Grammophon has left its mark on several generations of performers. Multi-awarded and celebrated worldwide, he remains one of the greatest sound architects of the twentieth century.
Ikumi Yamauchi
Composer
Composer Ikumi Yamauchi was born in Japan in 1996. On March 22, 2024, her orchestral piece Valse inégale et absurde was premiered by the SWR Symphony Orchestra under Manuel Nawri. She studied at the Mozarteum University Salzburg in the class of Johannes Maria Staud, who accompanied her until she obtained her master's degree (2022), and then in the class of Sarah Nemtsov as part of the Mozarteum's PGL program (2022-2024).
After a concert in Oropa (Italy) on September 30, an article about her work MadonnaNera was published in the Italian national newspaper La Stampa.
After being selected as one of three winners of the Münster Symphony Orchestra's composition competition in the summer of 2023, she received individual coaching from composer Sara Glojnarić and was entrusted with the composition of a new work, which was premiered by the Ensemble Campania on 24 September 2024.
In July 2024, she was appointed a scholarship holder at the ARCO Academy (Art, Research and Creation Opus) in Salzburg, where, after a ten-day masterclass with renowned musicians (H. Fourès, JM Staud, S. Nemtsov, E. Reiter, Y. Robin and F. Filidei), her piece was premiered by the Ensemble Multilatérale and Les Métaboles.
The Ensemble Multilatérale commissioned a new piece from him, created in July (Marseille, France) and then replayed in September 2025 as part of the Ensemble(s) Festival.
Johannes Schöllhorn
Composer
Johannes Schöllhorn is a German composer who trained with Klaus Huber, Emmanuel Nunes and Mathias Spahlinger, and in conducting with Peter Eötvös. Revealed at Royaumont in 1992, he came to prominence with his chamber opera Les petites filles modèles, presented at the Opéra Bastille in 1995. He was soon commissioned by major ensembles such as Ensemble Intercontemporain, Ensemble Modern, Musikfabrik and Klangforum Wien, as well as numerous international orchestras. He teaches first in Zurich, then in Hanover, Cologne and Freiburg, where he has headed the Institute for New Music since 2017. Schöllhorn is also invited to numerous institutions in Europe and Asia (Paris, Beijing, Tokyo, Milan, Seoul...). In 2009, he was awarded the Praetorius Prize. His music, both refined and inventive, questions sound memory, collage and open forms. His musical thinking is nourished by a constant dialogue between writing and performance. He was composer-in-residence at Heidenheim (2011) and then at the Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse (2013-2015).
Georges Aperghis
Composer
A self-taught Franco-Greek composer, Georges Aperghis moved to Paris in 1963, where he discovered serialism, musique concrète and the research of Xenakis. From the 1970s onwards, he forged his own personal language, combining music, text and stage. A pioneer of musical theater, he founded the Atelier Théâtre et Musique (ATEM) in 1976, bringing together musicians, actors and visual artists in hybrid creations. His emblematic works such as Les Récitations and Machinations combine vocal gesture, narrative and musical construction. Opera became a privileged field for his experiments, with works such as Avis de tempête and Les Boulingrin. His catalog includes over 100 pieces for voice, ensemble, orchestra and solo instruments, often marked by a keen sense of theatricality. He has received numerous awards: Kagel Prize (2011), Golden Lion (2015), Ernst von Siemens Prize (2021). He regularly collaborates with Ircam, notably on Luna Park and Thinking Things. His music relentlessly questions language, communication and the body in sound space.
Friche la Belle de Mai (Petit Plateau)
41 Jobin Street13003
Marseille
DURATION
50 min.
FREE ADMISSION
By reservation only: billetterie@gmem.org
Léo Warynski
artistic director
Les Métaboles
together
Valérie Philippin
soprano
Multilateral
together
PROGRAM
Pub 2 (2000)
spoken and sung phonemes for solo soprano—2 min.
Georges Aperghis
Clay
for piano and percussion — 10 min.
WORLD CREATION — ARCO Commission
Lanqing Ding
Rah I'm watching
for solo soprano — 3.5 min.
WORLD CREATION
Valerie Philippin
Dérive 1 (1984)
for six instruments - 6 min.
Pierre Boulez
I prefer flowers
for solo soprano — 2 min.
Jacques Rebotier
blue horizons, tinnitus, red train, inorganic lines and their sorrows
for six instruments — 10 min.
WORLD CREATION — ARCO Commission
Ikumi Yamauchi
Litany of life I didn't understand anything
for solo soprano — 3 min.
Jacques Rebotier
Specchio III, IV, V, VI (2022) — 15 min.
for six singers and six instruments
Johannes Schöllhorn