sauterelles des étoiles/star hoppers

“On est âme, on sera ange, on aura des ailes bleues aux omoplates. Aidez-moi donc, n’est-ce pas Tertulien qui dit que les bienheureux iront d’un astre à l’autre ? Soit. On sera les sauterelles des étoiles. Et puis, on verra Dieu. Ta ta ta. Fadaises que tous ces paradis.”

Struck by this Victor Hugo quote from Les Misérable, I was fascinated by the imagery of locusts jumping between stars, insect bodies bouncing off of celestial ones (the thought of a debauched hedonist). The music is my attempt to capture the fantastical cosmic energy, like an angry swarm of colossal grass hoppers, or the shrill, electrifying siren warning their presence, or our flamboyant panic attack as a result.

sauterelles des étoiles/star hoppers is written for Ensemble Modern’s 2024 visit to the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The premiere performance was on April 7th, 2024.