Le point musique : La Monte Young raconté par Jacqueline Caux et Joseph Ghosn

On the occasion of the concerts of La Monte Young Chronos Kristalla after The Magic Chord x 4 on January 24th and 25th, the Bourse de Commerce is organizing a discussion and screening dedicated to the founder of minimalist music. The event brings together Jacqueline Caux, director of several films on La Monte Young and his partner Marian Zazeela, with whom she maintained a close collaborative relationship to document their artistic universe, and Joseph Ghosn, journalist and author of La Monte Young: a Biography (Le Mot et le Reste, 2010). This event offers a rare opportunity to explore both the personal trajectory and the sonic work of one of the most influential creators in contemporary music.

Program:

3:00PM : Discussion between Jacqueline Caux and Joseph Ghosn, moderated by Emma Lavigne, General Director of Pinault Collection

3:45PM : Screening of the film “La Monte Young – Marian Zazeela” by Jacqueline Caux (51 minutes). In English, without subtitles.

About La Monte Young – Marian Zazeela by Jacqueline Caux

A portrait of La Monte Young, founder of American minimalism, and Marian Zazeela, his partner and collaborator since 1963. Together, they have shaped a body of work inseparable from their shared life, exploring light, form, and time, and following a unique rhythm: their days do not last 24 hours, but 27. The film moves through their immersive Dream Houses as well as the extended performances of The Well-Tuned Piano, which can last up to six hours, where sound, space, and perception slowly transform.

La Monte Young’s music is based on a radical principle: a single, continuous sound of constant pitch, unfolding over a duration that seems to tend toward infinity. Of apparent simplicity yet great perceptual complexity, this music continually evolves under the effects of time, natural resonances, just intonation, and rigorously tuned electronic frequencies. It thus becomes a living, autonomous organism, driven by its own internal dynamics.

Jacqueline Caux is a film director working across different fields: experimental short films and feature-length films selected and awarded at numerous national and international festivals. She has also participated in the organization of several contemporary music festivals and produced research programs for France Culture. She is also the author of several interview books with major artists of the 20th century.

Joseph Ghosn is a journalist and the author of several essays on music. Deputy editor-in-chief of Madame Figaro, he previously headed the editorial teams of Vanity Fair, Grazia, and Les Inrockuptibles. For France Musique, he takes part once a month in the program L’Expérimentale, produced by INA-GRM.