Architecture of Paradise

Musical piece (4 voices and electronics) for an installation by Marie Sester, 2000

Architecture of Paradise is a five section piece for 4 vocal soloists and electronics, created within Marie Sester’s installation presented at the SFMOMA in 2000. The piece is based on excerpts of Plato’s Timeus-Critias, which describes the role and story of Atlantis. The text is sung in its English version, by the soprano and alto. It is read in English and French by the two actresses. Beyond its original context, it evokes the concept of an ideal city, and its consequences in matters of political domination – considerations which remain absolutely topical. The piece develops a circular tension between several parts: the soprano-alto duo, the intimate reading of the text by the actresses, the electronics (oscillations, filters and saturations) and the real time transformations of the voices.

Excerpts:


Image © Marie Sester 2000. Performers: Armelle Orieux (mezzo-soprano) Laura Gordiani (alto), Vanda Benes et Lyndee Mah (spoken voices).