The Secret Lives of Color

Canadian clarinetist, composer, and improviser François Houle presents the world premiere of The Secret Lives of Color, a suite of new compositions and arrangements inspired by British author Kassia St. Clair’s writing on color. From ivory to obsidian, Houle explores the color spectrum and its close historical connections to music, weaving a rich and suggestive tapestry of sounds. For his Pierre Boulez Saal debut, he is joined by an international group of extraordinary musicians, including American pianist Myra Melford and French double-bassist Joëlle Léandre in the first set, and, in the concert’s second half, American percussionist Hamid Drake as well as Houle’s longtime collaborator and fellow Canadian Gordon Grdina on oud and guitar.