Les Insectes & Bastien David | Métamorphoses | ARS MUSICA

The metallophone is a one-of-a-kind instrument conceived by the young French composer Bastien David. Part vibraphone, part metal sculpture, part voice, it consists of 216 steel bars arranged in a circle several metres wide. Tuned in twelfth-tones, known as notes between the notes, they produce an otherworldly shimmer, reminiscent of strange and distant chants. The six musicians of Les Insectes create a physical and immersive sound ballet for audiences of all ages, centred on this extraordinary instrument. They glide alongside it, crawl beneath it, and race around it as they play, gradually seeming to merge with the metallophone itself. The result is a tribute to sensory experience and to the power of collective intelligence. Prepare to plunge into a captivating universe of miniature sounds.