High-pitched sounds fly around like tiny ephemeral lights perceptible through the rhythms and internal space of the work. Clicking sounds appear only to disappear right away to fake a bioluminescence effect. The misaligned street lamps in semidarkness create halos that are slowly fading away, making room for the rustling of the next batch of ephemeral insects from the Lampyridae family.

An electroacoustic counterpoint that gets close to a choir is built from various sound sources and projected into the space. Imagine small beings, like white-tail rabbits, reawakening, people disappearing under a starlit night sky, or others perfectly still while watching the gently agitated scene. And finally, the long awaited glimmer of hope, a reflection!

The idea for this piece came to me on an evening stroll as I was fascinated by the show put on by fireflies all around me. And here I was thinking these insects were endangered! It was a perfect summer evening of 2017, the magical moment of a meteor shower that comes back every year like constellations in the sky. Let’s turn off the street lamps so we can observe them well.

— Roxanne Turcotte [English translation: François Couture, vii-21]

Au rythme des lucioles [To the Fireflies’ Rhythm] was realized in 2019 at the composer’s studio (Studio Séducson) in Montréal and was premiered on May 3, 2021 at the concert Les oiseaux de Nias copresented by Le Vivier and Productions RTM at Salle Pierre-Mercure of the Centre Pierre-Péladeau in Montréal. This concert was broadcast online on 26 Mai 2021. Thanks go to Bruno Galante and Audrée Southière.

Premiere

• May 3, 2021, Les oiseaux de Nias, Salle Pierre-Mercure — Centre Pierre-Péladeau, Montréal (Québec)