Georges Aperghis: Crosswind, Alter Ego, Rasch, Volte-face & Signaux

Featuring

Geneviève Strosser
Marcus Weiss
Pierre-Stéphane Meugé
Quatuor Xasax
Georges Aperghis

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Compositional Technique

A core aesthetic idea for Georges Aperghis is 'détournement' — putting objects, ideas, and sounds to unconventional uses, as seen in saxophonists using trumpet embouchures or garden hoses to extend their instruments.

Composer Biography

Georges Aperghis, the composer, was born in Athens in 1945 and settled in Paris in 1963, where he developed a career balancing instrumental/vocal compositions with musical theater and opera.

Performer Biography

Marcus Weiss, who performs on this recording, is a professor for saxophone and chamber music at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel and has had numerous composers, including Georges Aperghis, write pieces for him.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Georges Aperghis is interested in the 'neglected' aspects of instruments, believing that an instrument should be able to take on various 'voices' like a singer, including breathiness, vibrato, or even screaming.

Performer Biography

Geneviève Strosser, the violist on this album, has worked extensively with Georges Aperghis since 1996 and has premiered several of his works, including 'Volte-face' and 'Crosswind'.

Composer Biography

In 1976, Georges Aperghis founded the music theater workshop 'Atelier Théâtre et Musique' (ATEM), which significantly changed his compositional approach by integrating musicians and actors.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Aperghis's chamber music, unlike his symphonic works, is a consistent thread throughout his oeuvre, where he experiments with new instrumental combinations and connects them to European musical tradition.