100 Metronomes for Hire

To perform György Ligeti's Poème Symphonique. Each metronome has tempo settings from 40 to 208 BPM and a bell time change.

The original concept for the piece was to create a combination of different musical lines at varying rhythms and tempos, an idea that fascinated Ligeti. Each metronome is set to a different tempo and wound to it's maximum capacity. Then, when the conductor is ready, each performer will set their set of metronomes off simultaneously. Although chaotic at first, patterns and rhythms begin to emerge as metronomes begin to wind down and you become accustomed to the sound. They are then left to play until they all eventually wind down leaving one solatairy metronome clicking it's way to the very end. Once the last lonely metronome has given it's final tick, the piece ends with 1 or 2 minutes silenece before the performers return to the stage.

Until now, the piece has been played rarely due to the obviously difficulty in procuring such a large number of metronomes. This is no longer the case as we now offer a full set of 100 metronomes to hire exclusively for this composition.

Please click the Discover tab to read the performance notes for this piece.