Cécile Lartigau

About

About

A sound from another world.

The ondes Martenot is one of the rarest musical instruments you will encounter at this year’s Festival. Only 300 of this electronic were ever made, known for its melancholic and mysterious tones.

During the First World War, French musician and inventor Maurice Martenot served as a radio operator, fascinated by the sounds produced by radio wave oscillations. In 1928, he developed and introduced the instrument to the world. The result found its way into music history: Edgard Varèse in Ecuatorial and Amériques, Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud and Pierre Boulez all composed works for it. The Martenot has also entered popular culture. Radiohead used it on their breakthrough album Kid A, while Norwegian band Popol Ace featured it on a track from their 1975 album Stolen from Time. The instrument can also be heard in films such as Lawrence of Arabia, Ghostbusters and There Will Be Blood.

This evening at Det Vestnorske Teateret offers a rare opportunity to experience the ondes Martenot, performed by one of the instrument's few professional artists: Cécile Lartigau. She also plays a central role in the opening concert, which features Olivier Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphony.

Picture: Cécile Lartigau, photo by Petra Hajská