Commissioned by Radio France, IRCAM and Orchestre National de l’Ile de France

Premiere performance: Philharmonie de Paris – 9th of June 2026, Philharmonie de Paris Studio

Premiere:

Orchestre National de l’Ile de France ONDIF

Bar Avni, Conductor

Natacha Colmez, Solo Cello

Remi le Taillander, live electronics

Orchestra: 2.2.2.2—2.2.3.0—Timb.—2 perc.—hpe—Vlc solo—8.6.5.4.3

6.1-channel fixed media, live-electronics click-track

Duration: 1o minutes

Out of Sight of Polaris is edited by Durand Salabert

Catalogue Number: DF 17023

Link: https://www.durand-salabert-eschig.com/en-GB/Catalogue.aspx/details/457964

Picture from the premiere performance. Credits: @ONDIF

Program Note

Out of Sight of Polaris was composed during a journey through Australia, Indonesia, and Thailand in the autumn of 2025. The music is inspired by the striking contrasts I experienced there: vast natural landscapes alongside the overwhelming urban skylines of Bangkok and Jakarta.

During a visit to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, I encountered the artwork (This and that) put (here and there) out of sight of Polaris by Lawrence Weiner. The title stayed with me, as I became increasingly reflective of my own time in the Southern Hemisphere — literally “out of sight” of the North Star.

The concerto unfolds in an unusual way. The solo cello assumes a largely contemplative role. While the orchestra and electronics merge into a single sonic body, the cello remains on a different plane: autonomous, detached, and almost improvisatory in character. It appears as a kind of continuous cadenza — a detached commentary to the surrounding musical landscape.