Étoiles à neutrons

Participants

Ensemble Recherche
Anja Clift → flute
Shizuyo Oka → clarinet
Adam Woodward → Violin
Åsa Åkerberg → Violoncello
Klaus Steffes-Holländer → Piano
Students of the percussion class Håkon Stene
Studio for Electronic Music of the Institute for New Music

Program

Gérard Grisey → "Talea" for flute, clarinet, violin, violoncello and piano
Gérard Grisey → "Le Noir de l'Étoile" for six percussionists, tape and live transmission of astronomical signals

Neutron star sets the beat live

At the concert "Étoiles à neutrons" ("Neutron Stars") on November 14, 2025 at the College of Music Freiburg, a pulsar from space will set the beat live: Percussion students will take their cue from the star called "0329+54", which is over 5,000 light years away from Earth and exploded a long time ago. Since then, it has been rotating around itself and emitting signals that can be received by a radio telescope in the Netherlands and transmitted to the concert hall. Six percussionists playing in the concert hall and a light show with blue, red and white light, the colors of the universe, follow the pulsar's beat. Two pieces by the French composer Gérard Grisey will be performed.

Further information about the concert can be found in our press release.