Jürg Frey (b. 1953)
Je laisse à la nuit son poids d’ombre (2019/2020)
ensemble]h[iatus
rec. 2021, Studio Césaré, Reims, France
Another Timbre at249 [52]

Here is an entrancing example of the endless sonic possibilities of music. Jürg Frey’s Je laisse à la nuit son poids d’ombre (‘I leave to the night its weight of shadow’) is an intriguingly constructed work, which develops gradually over its 52 minutes with an absolute sense of purpose. Each step seems to be marked with a small surprise effected in texture, variously delightful, dramatic and whimsical, usually reflecting a gentle oscillation towards a state which is never quite achieved. Indeed, the whole piece gives the rather extraordinary impression of existing somewhere between worlds, in an interstitial space which shouldn’t exist, but magically does.

It’s interesting to reflect on how Frey achieves and sustains this state of suspension. He wrote the work for the French group ensemble]h[iatus. Its instrumentation combines strings (violin and cello), woodwind (clarinet and flute), brass (trombone and tuba), percussion and an analogue synthesiser with two soprano voices. Frey worked very closely with Thomas Lehn, who plays the synthesiser, in his creation of the piece and the sounds that Lehn creates are remarkable: sometimes metallic and deep, sometimes much warmer with a completely different timbre, often defying close comparison with conventional instrumental sounds.

The two sopranos, Hélène Fauchère and Géraldine Keller explore the relationship between their voices and the texts Frey has chosen in a spellbinding way. They move from ghostly to delicate to vulnerable in a beautifully gradated manner, unified or in dialogue, at times almost affectless, at others with more emotion and, occasionally, calculation. The texts themselves are an interesting juxtaposition of the Swiss poet Anne Perrier and Japanese haikus, and very much contribute to the unrooted atmosphere which pervades the work, hinting and implying at transformations strived for but not quite achieved.

The roots of ensemble]h[iatus are in improvisation and their obvious mutual understanding of each other is striking. Notable too that Frey commented that when writing for them that he had not only for their instruments but their personalities in mind. This is evident in the most gratifying and unostentatious manner throughout the performance as the whole ensemble constructs and sustains Frey’s fragile and delicate soundscapes apparently spontaneously. There’s the utmost degree of control and skill involved, but the listener is never aware of it.

The result is that at the end of the piece one feels as if the most wonderful dream has been experienced: an immersive and at the same time illusory sensation which has shimmered past. I urge you to experience it for yourself. Another Timbre have provided brilliant recorded sound: I listened on speakers and headphones and in both cases the results were superb. The texts are included with the CD, and as usual there are illuminating accompanying interviews on the Another Timbre website.

Dominic Hartley