Jacques Demierre / Isabelle Duthoit

This duo from France explore the outer reaches of sonorities that live within the piano, clarinet and voice. Demierre’s piano is tapped, stroked, scratched and thwacked. Duthoit gets sounds from the clarinet that veer from bird-like to something a plumber might elicit while working under your bathtub. She also uses her voice, employing muted humming and chirps, as well as guttural, glottal stops, all to evocative good purpose. "Cohue de Rêve” is full of silences, used to give each expository theme time to breathe and fully resound in the space it carves out. Highly dramatic, full of unequivocal adamant gestures, "Beaucoup est non disponsible” begins with a hair-raising assault of screeching vocal multi-phonics and bizarre machine-like piano clattering and tapping. Unremittingly intense throughout, the piece gives off a horror movie vibe without ever giving into cheesy histrionics. This duo play with a commitment and determination that would penetrate any venue to the back seats and then some.