‘Oxalys’

Claude Debussy’s La Mer is one of the most impressive musical paintings ever created. The Oxalys Ensemble – Klara Prize 2016 – offers the audience a chance to experience its colourful and incredibly dense writing in an arrangement for a 13-piece ensemble by Marlijn Helder. This masterpiece of the nascent modern era has been a major source of inspiration for subsequent composers, including the trio of Belgians gathered for this concert: Kris Defoort offers a game of reflections and shifting tonal nuances; Benoît Mernier draws inspiration from Debussy’s evocative work to create his own Images and After Images; finally, Philippe Boesmans – whose memory we celebrate and whose new opera is being presented at the same time at La Monnaie – draws us into the countless folds and swirls of Baroque ornamentation.