Field of vision
A concert presented in collaboration with Les Percussions de Strasbourg.
Co-organized with Le Vivier and the UQAM Music Department.
Supported by the Consulate General of France in Quebec City, specifically by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ), Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Media and Music Technology (CIRMMT), McGill University and Squelch Transmission.
Sixtrum Percussion welcomes the percussionists of Les Percussions de Strasbourg to perform Field of Vision, a large-scale work by Michael Gordon. It requires 36 percussionists (six times the size of Sixtrum!), far beyond our usual productions.
During this exceptional collaboration with Les Percussions de Strasbourg, the legendary group that created the percussion ensemble genre in 1962, we will also invite other professional groups from Montreal, including our colleagues from the Quebec quartets Architek and Ep4. The other performers will be students from the University of Montreal, UQAM, the Montreal Conservatory, and McGill University. Following on from its 2018 Rythmopolis event, Sixtrum is reclaiming a public urban space, transforming places of passage into lively and fluid stages
Field of Vision (2022) is a large-scale outdoor work lasting 60 minutes, intended to be performed by 36 percussionists. Commissioned by the Caramoor Center for the Arts, it is performed on specially constructed tuned percussion instruments, industrial metals, and gongs, all of which are resonant instruments that produce a complex spectrum of harmonics and resonances. The number of percussionists and the vast playing field highlight the perspective and architectural movement of sound.
The piece has been performed in the United States, Germany, Argentina, Spain, and Italy. This november 7th it will be a Premiere in Canada !
Field of Vision sets itself apart from Montreal’s major festivals by removing the stage in order to bring the audience closer to the artistic experience. The Agora of the Judith-Jasmin Pavilion at UQAM, as a public space frequented daily by thousands of people, makes contemporary percussion music available to all, without barriers to access, whether in terms of price, age, or musical knowledge. Street and outdoor performances are designed to capture the attention of passersby, offering them a spontaneous immersion in the sound world of percussion. By aiming for maximum accessibility, the project seeks to democratize the experience of contemporary music, particularly percussion, which is often perceived as elitist or difficult to access.