Éliane Radigue Occam XXV

On Tuesday 8th March 2022 Frédéric Blondy will perform live on Union Chapel’s world famous 1877 Henry Willis organ 'Occam XXV’ by Éliane Radigue. The work inaugurates the very special CD series of works exclusively commissioned by Organ Reframed, the organ-only, one of a kind experimental music festival, carefully curated by Scottish composer/performer and Union Chapel organ music director Claire M Singer.

"The idea of Organ Reframed dates back to 2006 when I was commissioned to write my first organ piece. At the time I was mostly composing in the studio and was struck by the vast breadth of the instrument and how capable it was of creating timbres that were similar to what I was working with electronically. The lush acoustic quality of
he sound resonating in the space was incredible and the sonic possibilities seemed endless." — Claire M Singer

Paris-born Éliane Radigue who celebrated her 90th birthday in January is one of the most innovative and influential living composers of all time. After working under Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry in the late 1950’s/early 60’s she predominantly worked with tape before developing a deep relationship with ARP 2500 modular synthesis in the early 1970’s. Through endless exploration and drawing on her personal journey as a practicing Buddhist she created an entirely new landscape of experimental sound. In the early 2000’s she made an extraordinary shift into writing predominantly for acoustic instruments. ‘Occam XXV’ is the latest chapter of Radigue’s broader series of works Occam Ocean which she has been composing in the last decade. Carefully selected by Radigue she has closely collaborated with various extremely experienced yet sensitive instrumentalists. For Occam XXV, Radigue’s first and only organ work, she collaborated with pianist, organist, composer, improviser, artistic director of the Orchestra of New Musical Creation, Experimentation and Improvisation (ONCEIM) Frédéric Blondy, which is their second collaboration in the Occam Ocean series. ‘Occam XXV’ premiered in 2018 at Organ Reframed, and was later recorded privately at Union Chapel in 2020.

"We live in a universe filled with waves. Not only between the Earth and the Sun but all the way down to the tiniest microwaves and inside it is the minuscule band that lies between the 60 Hz and the 12,000 to 15,000 Hz that our ears turn into sound. There are many wavelengths in the ocean too and we also come into contact with it physically, mentally and spiritually. That explains the title of this body of work which is called Occam Ocean." — Éliane Radigue

Since its conception in 2016, Organ Reframed has been commissioning artists including Low, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Philip Jeck, Phill Niblock, Mark Fell, Mira Calix, Darkstar, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith and Sarah Davachi, hailing from London’s Union Chapel, ending up also in Amsterdam and Moscow. Organ Reframed will be back this year on September 16–18 with Abul Mogard, Ipek Gorgun, Anna von Hausswolff, Claire M Singer and Cabaret Voltaire’s Chris Watson.

Union Chapel’s 1877 organ built by master organ builder Father Henry Willis is known to be one of the finest in the world. It is one of very few organs left in UK with fully working hydraulics (water powered) which can be used as an alternative to the electric blowing system. The organ is completely hidden from the listeners, allowing them to focus solely on the music.

Occam XXV is sold out on Bandcamp. There will be CDs available to purchase at the launch.