“What is beautiful about the world is that there are walls and beasts. Elsewhere, there is war, famine, the Internet, and here, and everywhere, a wasp, a lizard slips between two stones, and perhaps a white horse springs forth.”

Pierre Peuchmaurd, Fatigues

The composition of Bestiaire was preceded by a series of research and creation workshops that brought together the composer and performers at Vancouver’s Western Front. Through these sessions of experimentation and exchange, they quite literally dismantled and deconstructed the saxophones, uncovering a wealth of sonic possibilities from which the composer shaped this fascinating work.

Bestiaire is part of a cycle of commissions initiated by Quasar as part of the Sound Territories project. To mark Canada’s 150th anniversary, Quasar commissioned new works from eight composers representing different regions of the country. This large-scale pan-Canadian project received financial support from the Canada Council for the Arts through its New Chapter program.

Bestiaire was premiered on May 30, 2018, at the Gesù Amphitheatre in collaboration with Le Vivier.

A Quasar's commission with support of the New Chapter program from the Canada Arts Council.