Diptyque Jabès
works by Ramon Lazkano
Neue Vocalsolisten, L’Instant Donné
Following his fascinating Odradek debut with Chalk Factory, Basque composer Ramon Lazkano returns with an album of world-premiere recordings featuring intimate original works for voices and ensemble. The album is unified by the enigmatic, elusive poetry of Edmond Jabès, a French writer of Egyptian origin. Lazkano sets two volumes of short poems by Jabès: Main douce à la blessure même and Ceux à qui. The isolated, withdrawn voice of Main Surplombe (2012-13) is submerged within the instrumental texture, while the six voices of Ceux à Qui (2014) provide a response, conversing and exclaiming before the text dissolves as the music fades away.