An Uchronia at Notre-Dame

Reconstructed by Olivier Féraud from one of its only surviving traces—a sculpture on the oldest portal of Paris Cathedral—the organistrum is a string organ designed to support refined forms of polyphony with long, sustained notes. In this performance, the instrument shifts the virtuoso repertoire of the École de Notre-Dame (12th century) toward minimalist exploration, harmonizing vocal lines and drone ecstasy.