Concert #8: Metronome Mania
On Monday April 11th the University of Manitoba’s Duckworth Quadrangle (”The Quad”) will host an unusual musical event. The experimental Music Collective (eMC), together with a myriad of local musicians, will mount a rare outdoor performance of legendary Hungarian composer Gyorgy Ligeti’s Poeme symphonique for 100 metronomes.
Considered by many to be the “black sheep” of Ligeti’s oeuvre, Poeme symphonique features a score comprising little more than a set of directions for winding and releasing 100 pendulum metronomes. The result is a rich and intricate exploration not merely of rhythm but of time itself.
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Metronome Mania Concert Poster »
Poeme symphonique is a product of the composer’s brief flirtation with indeterminacy and Dadaism during the 1960s. His ongoing fascination with machinelike rhythms, however, pervades many of his works, including his inimitable Chamber Concerto and striking Second String Quartet.For this performance, metronomes will be positioned at strategic locations throughout the University of Manitoba’s expansive quad. At the command of conductor Aaron Sivertson, the machines will be wound and released. At first an active, grainy texture will fill the space. As the piece progresses, slowly shifting polyrhythmic masses will begin to reveal themselves. One by one, the metronomes will eventually wind down, resulting in a gradual thinning of the texture. When the last metronome has sounded its last click, the piece is over.
Part of the beauty of the work lies in the paradox of its being both predictable (with respect to overall form) and unpredictable (with respect to local details). Such a web of multifarious textures is only attainable, however, if one is willing to relinquish control to the machines.The aim of the project is to inspire a greater awareness of time and sound. Time surrounds us, permeating our lives so thoroughly that we often become unaware of its presence. On occasion, circumstances compel us to contemplate the nature and implications of time. This may be one of the fundamental challenges of the human experience, for to contemplate time is to reconcile the seemingly infinite universe with our own mortality.Similarly, for all those who hear, sound is omni-present, yet we actually listen to very little of what we hear. Take a moment now to tune in to your aural surroundings. Observe the many sounds of which you were unaware just moments ago: the fan whirring above you, people laughing beside you, leaves rustling in the breeze. We possess the ability to listen pluralistically — why don’t we? Is it that we no longer need to (unlike our ancestors, whose safety depended on attentive listening)? Are we overwhelmed by aural overload? Why is it so challenging to simply listen?
In bringing these ideas to a public space, we hope to offer a fresh perspective on time to an audience that may not otherwise choose to engage such ideas through music.
