Composer and PhD researcher at the FCSH/ Kunstuniversität Graz/ Fondazionne Archivio Luigi Nono and member of the Concrète [Lab] Ensemble, João Quinteiro is In Focus on MIC.PT in March.
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Instrumentation (general) flute, percussion, and violoncello
Premiere
Date 2022/Sep/17
Performer(s)
Païvi Kauffmann (flute), Guy Frisch (percussion), Ingrid Schoenlaub (violoncello)
Organization/Event 33,7 – A Two-Day Festival of New Music by Lucilin
Venue Kulturfabrik
Town Esch-sur-Alzette
Country Luxembourg
Program Notes
“Sleep is like a cat: it only comes to you if you ignore it.” (Gillian Flynn, in “Gone Girl”, 2012)
What happens when we cannot sleep? Often treated as an unwelcome guest who overstays their welcome, insomnia doesn’t seem to inspire much sympathy nor arouse the bright side of the emotions’ spectrum. Attempting to fall asleep by sheer willpower is known to be counterproductive – but how to attain the sweet abandon that leads to sleep, when something so essential eludes us?
This piece starts with the realisation that the night will be infinite, followed by a choreography of rituals that allegedly help to induce sleep. Although these rituals are meant to give comfort, they keep failing, thus extending the restless process of trying to rest.