by Mike Telin
“In 1967, a young astronomer detected in the heavens a rapidly varying radio signal, in the form of periodic impulses 1.3 seconds apart,” writes Jean-Pierre Luminet, astrophysicist at the Paris-Meudon Observatory.
“The discovery caused a sensation. The impulses were so regular that for a while they were taken to be signals coming from extraterrestrial civilisations. Then astrophysicists revealed a truth that was just as surprising: the signals were being emitted by a pulsar, the fantastic compact residue created by the supernova explosions that long ago disintegrated the massive stars.”
This discovery served as the inspiration for Gérard Grisey’s Le Noir de l’Étoile. Commissioned by the French State and Les Percussions de Strasbourg, the piece was premiered in 1991 at the Ars Musica Festival in Brussels.
On Monday, April 8 at 1:00 pm, Oberlin Percussion Group, under the direction of Ross Karre (pictured), will perform Grisey’s monumental work in Hales Gymnasium. The free performance is part of Oberlin’s OCLIPSE Concert Series celebrating the solar eclipse set to take place on Monday. Click here to learn more about Le Noir de l’Étoile.