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FOR MORTON FELDMAN

DURATIONAL PERFORMANCE FOR VARIABLE ENSEMBLE AND CONDUCTOR



Credits
Music composition - Francis St-Germain 
Piano - Fiona Xue Ju 鞠 雪
Cello - Carmen Kleykens Vidal
Percussion - Andro Manzoni
Clarinet - Elena Perales Andreu
Saxophone - Francis St-Germain
Accordion - Bastien Pouillès
Piano - Carolina Santiago Martínez

For Morton Feldman (2016) is a multi-hour durational performance for variable ensemble and conductor, based on a text score by Francis St-Germain. The instructions require the performers to evaluate their relationship with repetition and necessity of change through restrictions. Following a constant pulse set by the conductor, musicians are seemingly repeating a single note in a quest to find what striving for sameness can reveal within oneself.

The goal of the performance relates to shamatha meditation, a Tibetan Buddhist practice centered on sustained concentration. By focusing the mind on a single object for an extended period, this method is known to improve mental clarity in order to allow awareness to arise. Similarly, For Morton Feldman offers both musicians and audience members an opportunity to enter a meditative state through prolonged engagement with a seemingly static sonic object. While performers remain bound to the venue for the duration, audience members are free to come and go, experiencing the work on their own terms.

As its title suggests, For Morton Feldman pays homage to the American composer Morton Feldman (1926–1987), renowned for his introspective, slowly evolving compositions. Feldman’s later works, such as For Philip Guston (approx. 4 hours) and String Quartet II (approx. 6 hours), explored the boundaries of duration—an approach mirrored in this piece.

For Morton Feldman was first created in 2016 as a 1.5-hour performance at Arte flea market in Montreal. The piece was later expanded to a 6-hour rendition, performed in an eight-story staircase at the University of Montreal. Its European premiere took place on November 24, 2020, at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre during müriaadFEST, where it was presented as an uninterrupted 12-hour experience.


Duration: 12 hours
Credits
Music composition - Francis St-Germain 
Piano - Fiona Xue Ju 鞠 雪
Cello - Carmen Kleykens Vidal
Percussion - Andro Manzoni
Clarinet - Elena Perales Andreu
Saxophone - Francis St-Germain
Accordion - Bastien Pouillès
Piano - Carolina Santiago Martínez




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