Sombre – In the Shadows of our Time

Can a love of aesthetics turn into cruelty?
In many of her works, the renowned Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (1952–2023) explored ambivalent cultural figures to investigate how destructive tendencies can arise not on the margins of a culture, but from its very core. In doing so, she focused on two historical figures: the poet Ezra Pound, an aesthete who became a supporter of fascism, and the painter Paul Gauguin, whose experiences in Tahiti were marked by controversial idealizations. Saariaho thus encourages us to question collective dark sides and to examine the «paradises» that people try to create for themselves.

As the title of Kaija Saariaho’s chamber music work «Sombre» suggests, cultures of memory are also ambivalent constructs to which people ultimately become attached.

As a tribute to the composer and pioneer of electroacoustic music, the production brings together Saariaho’s closest family and artistic circle. Directed by Aleksi Barrière, Jean-Baptiste Barrière and Cécile Marti, with two Swiss premieres, as well as Asia Ahmetjanova with a world premiere, engage in a moving dialogue with Saariaho’s chamber music.

With

Aleksi Barrière (Direction/Text/Video); Jean-Baptiste Barrière (Composition/Sound Design/Video); Cécile Marti (Composition); Lea Vaterlaus (Dramaturgy); Robert Koller (Bass-baritone); Eija Kankaanranta (kantele); Camilla Hoitenga (flute); Aleksander Gabrys (double bass); Fritz Hauser (percussion); Étienne Exbrayat (lighting); Gary Berger (audio/video coordination); Jens Schubbe (production manager)

Program

Kaija Saariaho (1952–2023):
«Caliban’s Dream» (1993/1995), text from William Shakespeares «The Tempest»
«NoaNoa» (1992), text from Paul Gauguins «NoaNoa»
Cécile Marti (*1973): «ŌVIRI» (2026, SEA), text by Aleksi Barrière
Kaija Saariaho (1952–2023): «Ciel étoilé» (1999)
Asia Ahmetjanova (*1992): «Neues Werk» (2026, UA)
Jean-Baptiste Barrière (*1958): «Un Tempo di Lampi Senza Tuono» (2026, SEA), Texte von Primo Levi
Kaija Saariaho (1952–2023): «Sombre» (2012), Text aus Ezra Pounds «Cantos»

Info

The performance will be in English, French and Italian, with German surtitles.

Duration

80 minutes, with break

Links

→ www.sombre.ch