Plasma

When asked by the city of Biberist (Switzerland), to compose a piece for its 150th anniversary, Gauthier Dupertuis thought of a frenetic work, possessed with energy and a constant pulsation from the first to the last note. In this sense the composer was inspired by “plasma”, the fourth state of matter (after the solid, liquid, and gaseous states) which makes up, for example, lightning or the sun.

Like a plasma ball, whose colors and shapes constantly vary, the musical material of the work is gradually transformed, both in the rhythmic signatures and harmonies and in its atmospheres: it is the same material, but always under a different shape. Sometimes rhythmic and dancing, sometimes solemn and majestic, or soft and lyrical, the work finds its unity in the omnipresence of an ostinato and similar rhythmic and melodic structure.

Plasma was premiered in September 2024.