Le Plaisir au dessin (2021/22)

for 8 Instruments and Electronics

10 min

The title of this piece is derived from the book “Le Plaisir au Dessin” by the French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy, which explores the “structure” and “form” of art.

My approach to this work is divided into two parts: first, I extract specific words and transform them into musical material; second, I translate the philosophical imagery into a purely acoustic experience.

Sound has always been a dynamic presence, with the “life” of a sound resembling that of a clarinet – starting silently, growing into a pianissimo air sound, building up to a fortissimo tone, and finally culminating in a crescendo through increased lip pressure or the introduction of a teeth tone.

The pressure within the piece is a balance of different sound states, with varying proportions of “stable tone” and “overblown noise.” Like the construction and deconstruction of composition, everything incurs entropy. Therefore, noise represents the optimal state of music, the culmination of all melodies.