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Les Percussions de Strasbourg

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Les Percussions de Strasbourg is the oldest still-active French percussion ensemble for contemporary classical music. It grew out of an ad hoc group of six percussionists who played Le Visage Nuptial by Pierre Boulez in Strasbourg in 1959. In 1962 the ensemble was officially founded by the percussionist Jean Batigne, and on 17 January of that year it gave its first concert for French radio. In 1967 the six musicians performed Ionisation by Edgard Varèse, a piece that normally requires thirteen percussionists.

Music and breakthrough

The group recorded extensively and commissioned hundreds of new pieces. The records of the 1960s and 1970s contain works by Serocki, Silvestrov, Amy and Haubenstock-Ramati, among others. On two occasions the ensemble worked with the Greek composer Iannis Xenakis: Persephassa in 1969, in which the audience sits inside a circle of musicians, and Pléiades in 1979. They also contributed to the film music for La Guerre du Feu from 1981, composed by Philippe Sarde. The percussionist Pierre Moerlen, later known from the rock band Gong, was a member in the 1970s.

Influence

The line-up remained stable for a long time and was later expanded into a larger group with a changing membership. The ensemble showed that percussion is not merely accompaniment but a sound world of its own, with many sounds, rhythms and spatial effects. That fitted well with the composers who explored the limits of music in the postwar era.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Persephassa by Xenakis and notice how the sounds move through the space. Try to hear how the six players pass the strokes to one another.

Discography

Studio albums

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