Barbara Monk Feldman, 2025
I have always been interested in regarding musical timbre, or color, as one of the most significant elements of music. Color and silence are for me the tools for the ‘breathing’ of the music. My thinking about timbre is closely allied with musical time: time is a blank canvas waiting for the color to be applied. For color to work in a formal way, which is what I aspire to, I think of an ‘evaporation’ process, rather than a construction.
‘The Northern Shore’ was originally composed as one piece with two possible orchestrations: I composed a trio for piano, percussion and violin, and simultaneously, I composed an orchestra part that could substitute for the violin. My idea was to have the same music in the piano and percussion in both versions. This meant finding the right weight in the piano and percussion colors that could match the intensity of either the violin or an orchestra. In some sections I wanted a weightlessness in the timbre reminiscent of the floating weightlessness of a dream.
For many years I was not content with the orchestral version. Finally in 2018 I decided to revise the piece, with changes in the piano and percussion and newly composed sections for the orchestra. The result is the work which is being premiered in tonight’s performance.*
The form of this new version is similar to a concerto, with a dialogue occurring between the orchestra, piano and percussion. One normally associates dissonance in terms of harmony. An important intention was to experiment with chromaticism in the musical timbre as well as in the harmony.
The title of the work is drawn from an ocean landscape in the eastern part of Quebec.
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With the LAB SERIES, the Brussels Philharmonic brings together musical experimentation, interaction, and total experience. Expect bold and eclectic concert nights with unique programmes, pre- and post-concert talks, interactive installations, and immersive listening sessions.
Rave Little Belgium is a book (in the making) and a website tracing the history of electronic music in Belgium. As part of the Brussels Philharmonic LAB-SERIES, the orchestra invites founder and editor-in-chief Koen Galle — music journalist, DJ, label owner, radio host, vinyl collector, and electronic music enthusiast — to give a different lecture before each concert. In each session, he explores a unique aspect of Belgium’s rich electronic music heritage, accompanied by active listening moments.
