Divisio Spiralis

Solistenensemble Kaleidoskop transforms Catherine Lamb’s string quartet cycle Divisio Spiralis into a spatial sound installation. Three quartets are positioned throughout the room, and the audience is free to move between them. Lamb’s precise microtonality unfolds in a spiral over the course of an hour, weaving through crystalline and pulsating soundscapes and turning the space itself into an instrument.

Divisio Spiralis explores the relationship between sound, perception and space – the subtle transitions between sound and silence, light and shadow, presence and transformation. Lamb’s compositions arise from an intensive engagement with microtonal systems and just intonation, in which harmonic structures slowly shift and overlap, giving rise to new acoustic phenomena such as beat tones and combination tones.
Drawing on mathematical and natural acoustic principles, she creates unhurried sonic spaces that unfold continuously and profoundly transform the experience of listening. Her music demands patience, presence and openness, whilst simultaneously creating an atmosphere of rare poetic depth. Lamb’s compositional approach is rooted in an integral understanding of space, time and interaction.