Christine Groult - L'Heure Alors S'Incline (Metamkine, 1993)

A favorite from the Cinéma pour l’oreille series here, realized by GRM alum Christine Groult in 1991 as an homage to Luigi Nono, who had passed shortly prior. Groult has great pacing and dynamics throughout, building at first from what seems to be softly blown flute with an emphasis on the breath. As momentum builds, the softness of the breath sounds fall to a much rougher texture. Over the course of nearly nineteen minutes, Groult shifts from gentle to abrasive to deep and glacial, closing with an almost pastoral passage. Each development is done with a carefully executed fluidity that works more to draw the listener in than send the piece bursting outward.

L'Heure Alors S'Incline...