For the third year running, the Palace of Versailles has allowed a musician within its halls to create original music using the building itself. This year, electronic music composer Fakear spent several days at the palace in order to understand and record the soundscape of Louis XIV’s château.
The composition, Palace of Time, uses the very sounds of Versailles itself. Sharp chimes of palatial clocks are accompanied by an entrancing electronic beat. Musically, it brings the royal history of the palace into our computerised present.
In 2019, musician Thylacine was given the keys to the palace, and created Versailles, drawing inspiration from the grand organ at the palace.
In 2021, Saycet created Messa Solaris, also using the organ as the centrepiece for the dramatic composition.
These pieces highlight the often overlooked soundscape of heritage. Echoes of old walls, creaks of wooden floors, and rumblings of worn machinery are just some of the sounds that could find their way into techno clubs of the future. Could this futuristic music find a home in heritage?
Read the full story in French at Culturez-vous.
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