Tristan Murail was born in 1947. His biography reveals that he was a student of the famous Olivier Messiaen. But this connection is not the only asset to turn him into the heir of the rich French musical tradition. Fascinated by the pioneering work of sound magician Claude Debussy, Murail developed a new style that we have come to call ‘spectralism’. Not just the instrumental and harmonic colour, but also the overtones of the individual sound are unravelled to achieve an ultimate sound symbiosis.

In the cycle ‘Portulan’ Murail’s affinity with Debussy seems to become even more striking in that Murail translates images, impressions of his own environment into music. Holding in his hand a portulan, a 13th century primitive nautical chart, the composer takes us to all the cardinal directions. What news does the west wind bring us? What does a ride in a car across the Seven Lakes Drive, New York sound like? What is the smell of the bushes in the Provence? So, a voyage of discovery inside your ears.

Het Collectief

Thomas Dieltjens, piano
Wibert Aerts, violin
Vincent Hepp, viola
Martijn VInk, cello
Toon Fret, flute
Julien Hervé, clarinet
Félix Roth, French horn
Ties Franken, percussion
Tom De Cock, conductor