Luc Ferrari

Didascalies is the last in a three-part series curated by the Belgian label Sub Rosa dedicated to the varied works of the late musique concrete composer Luc Ferrari. These days, Ferrari (1929 to 2005) is roundly emerging as one of the most innovative figures in 20th century avant-garde music. Along with Pierre Schaeffer, in 1958 he co-founded the Groupe de Recherché Musicales in Paris, an institute that established the trajectory that electronic and classical music would follow for the rest of century. But Ferrari’s body of work has always been broad, eclectic and impenetrable to the curious. This Sub Rosa series goes some ways toward rectifying that. Whereas Les Anecdotiques offered an introduction to his early electronic work and Son Memorisé explored his musique concrete, Didascalies introduces the new Ferrari listener to his classical side. This disc features three compositions: two of his later works for piano, viola and electronics, and one live piece, also recent, from a concert in Brussels. A frequently mesmerising set, Didascalies also presents Ferrari at his warmest and most accessible.