“That is where one finally starts seeing: in the dark. The dark that fears no dawn anymore. The dark that is dawn, and noon, and evening, and the night of an empty sky, a fixed earth. The dark that shines a light on the mind.”

— Samuel Beckett, Le monde et le pantalon, 1989 [our translation]

Here, the dark is not merely absence, but a creative space, an essentiel condition that makes everything possible. That dark that fears no dawn anymore is the suspension of time, where light is not a revelation but a permanent state, both source and outcome. In that context, Light Garden, the third installment of my triptych, is exploring the light that comes out of the dark. Not simply the return of light, but light born at the very core of darkness, as a new beginning, where light is both primal principle and an end in itself.

— Armando Balice [English translation: François Couture, v-25]

Light Garden was realized in 2021 at the composer’s studio in Paris (France) and was premiered on 19 August 2021 by Olivier Lamarche as part of the Futura 21 festival (Crest, France). It was commissioned by Alcôme, Why Note [which became Ici l’onde in 2023] and the French government (Direction de la musique, France). Its realization was financially supported by an Aide à l’écriture from Ministère de la culture, région Bourgogne Franche-Comté (France). I would like to thank Lola Malique (recorded cello), Olivier Lamarche, Emmanuel Richier, Nicolas Thirion, Vincent Laubeuf, Ici l’onde, Motus, Futura, and Ina-GRM.

Premiere

• August 19, 2021, Futura 21: Concert 5, Salle des Moulinages — Espace Soubeyran, Crest (Drôme, France)