Vox Naturae

Murray Schafer (1933-2021), the father of acoustic ecology, first introduced the notion of "soundscape". About his vocal music, he has said that it seeks to form a spiritual relationship with the environment, or even, as he explains about Magic Songs, to restore aspects of nature which have been destroyed or neglected by humanity.

 

Co-production Cité musicale-Metz.
Vox Naturae is supported by the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation and the Center National de la Musique.

VOX NATURAE

Raymond Murray Schafer
Vox Naturae
Magic Songs
Miniwanka or The Moments of Water
Snowforms

Veljo Tormis
Raua Needmine 

Les Métaboles (20 singers)
Léo Warynski, direction

Eric Oberdorff, staging
Jean-Pierre Michel, light design
Camille Penager, suits
David Langlere,technical direction

Extraits...

Raymond Murray Schafer – Miniwanka or The Moments of Water

Extrait de l'album Jardin féérique NoMadMusic - Mars 2020

Dans la presse

"The stage movements highlight Obersdorff’s beautiful staging, whose choreographic dimension is evident. "

Diapason - Pierre Rigaudière
 - Vox Naturae

"The stage movements highlight Obersdorff’s beautiful staging, whose choreographic dimension is evident. "

Diapason - Pierre Rigaudière - Vox Naturae
The Spirit of Nature Brings the Cité de la Musique to Life

A breath of fresh air swept through the opening concert of the Philharmonie de Paris’s “Choir Weekend.” Under the musical direction of Léo Warynski and stage direction of Éric Obersdorff, Les Métaboles brought to life the world of composer Raymond Murray Schafer.

[...]
With Miniwanka or The Moments of Water (1971), we are introduced to Schafer’s graphic scores, which require a more analog approach from the conductor and organic cohesion from the choir. The stage movements highlight Obersdorff’s beautiful staging, whose choreographic dimension is evident. In addition to the fluidity of movement that accompanies the sequence of pieces, this stage design succeeds in transforming the musicians’ tools—sheet music and music stands—into elements of the set, diversifying their possible uses (multiplying and sharing them), inducing unusual postures, and encouraging listeners to engage with the music while in motion. Following the various states of water, those of snow bring, in *Snowforms* (1983)—with its ten Inuit words for snow—the tranquility of soaring harmonies entrusted to a women’s choir.

Complemented by Veljo Tormis’s Raua needmine (1972, revised 1991), the program shifts toward the Nordic imagination and the *Kalevala* epic. This “Curse of Iron” inspired the Estonian composer to create music with strong shamanic resonances, which echoes Schafer’s Native American rituals. A drum, deep voices verging on the fry register, a blurred line between speech and song—and at times even between singing and shouting—all of this is remarkably brought to life by Les Métaboles. Since its premiere in Metz in 2023, this remarkable performance has clearly continued to resonate deeply with its performers.

[The full article]

At the Philharmonie de Paris, Les Métaboles opened the “Chœurs” series in spectacular fashion

Le Monde – Pierre Gervasoni
 - Vox Naturae

At the Philharmonie de Paris, Les Métaboles opened the “Chœurs” series in spectacular fashion

Le Monde – Pierre Gervasoni - Vox Naturae
At the Philharmonie de Paris, Les Métaboles opened the “Chœurs” series in spectacular fashion

“With Veljo Tormis’s spectacular *Raua needmine* (‘Curse of Iron,’ 1972), the stage at the Cité de la Musique resembles an arena where two soloists face off against a roaring choir. The Estonian composer drew inspiration from an episode in the Kalevala, the Finnish mythological epic. The treatment is of operatic beauty. The performers’ rendition was breathtaking, as noted by Raymond Murray Schafer.”

[The full article]

Léo Warynski’s Les Métaboles have the honor – but also the responsibility – of opening this weekend of choral and polyphonic music at the Philharmonie de Paris.

Olyrix –Philippe Scagni
 - Vox Naturae

Léo Warynski’s Les Métaboles have the honor – but also the responsibility – of opening this weekend of choral and polyphonic music at the Philharmonie de Paris.

Olyrix –Philippe Scagni - Vox Naturae
I Hear the Wolf, the Fox, and the Weasel at the Cité de la Musique

Léo Warynski’s Les Métaboles have the honor – but also the responsibility – of opening this weekend of choral and polyphonic music at the Philharmonie de Paris.

“The artistic and vocal performance of the twenty singers of Les Métaboles represents a feat in two respects: first, a meticulous interpretation of these highly evocative scores, which are technically demanding in terms of accuracy and precision in ensemble listening, all performed from memory for the most part, with smooth, polished voices—relatively straight yet homogeneous—seamlessly linking intoxicating, staccato rhythms as well as ethereal sustained notes with commendable mastery. It is also a feat because they manage to layer this meticulous vocalization with a rigorous yet free-flowing choreography, conceived by the highly inspired Éric Oberdorff, in which the bodies are invited to bend, sway their hips, prostrate themselves, stretch, run, and dance to imitate the elements or animals as closely as possible.
[...]
Finally, Léo Warynski’s impeccable direction deserves special mention; he leads his troupe with firm, clear, and concise gestures that are always easy to follow and inspiring. [...] The audience at the Cité de la Musique, blown away by this musical feat, applauded warmly and expressed their delight by calling the conductor and his singers back for numerous encores.”

[The full article]

"Thanks to the coherence and strength of the projects that Léo Warynski develops with his singers, Les Métaboles have built up a rich repertoire over the years that the ensemble loves to revisit—much to the delight of music lovers!"

Concert Classic - Alain Cochard
 - Vox Naturae

"Thanks to the coherence and strength of the projects that Léo Warynski develops with his singers, Les Métaboles have built up a rich repertoire over the years that the ensemble loves to revisit—much to the delight of music lovers!"

Concert Classic - Alain Cochard - Vox Naturae
Les Métaboles’ Return to the Stage – From Paris to New York

Thanks to the coherence and strength of the projects that Léo Warynski develops with his singers, Les Métaboles have built up a rich repertoire over the years that the ensemble loves to revisit—much to the delight of music lovers! Thus, after receiving a warm reception at the Rencontres de Vézelay in late August during its “Chichester Psalms” concert, the ensemble makes its Paris return on September 24 at the Cité de la Musique with a revival of “Vox Naturae”—an event featured as part of the Philharmonie’s “Chœurs” weekend.

[…]

American Acclaim
[…] Léo Warynski and his musicians are preparing to fly to New York, where a major milestone awaits them at New York City Center on January 14, 15, and 16, 2027: the Gibney Company’s premiere of the choreography Lucinda Childs created based on Philip Glass’s score to mark the composer’s 90th birthday. 

Read the full article.

I sincerely hope that it will be celebrated, and our role, with Les Métaboles, is precisely to showcase scores that are less familiar to the public and to help them discover them.

Cadences – Yutha Tep
 - Vox Naturae

I sincerely hope that it will be celebrated, and our role, with Les Métaboles, is precisely to showcase scores that are less familiar to the public and to help them discover them.

Cadences – Yutha Tep - Vox Naturae

As part of the Philharmonie de Paris’s now well-established “Chœurs” series—rich in repertoire and featuring top-tier performers—the Vox Naturæ concert, led by Léo Warynski and his Métaboles, deserves special attention, both for the music it presents and for the quality one has come to expect from these exceptional musicians. An interview.

This premiere lies at the heart of the artistic endeavor that began in 2010 when Léo Warynski founded his vocal ensemble. There are too many to count the composers whom Les Métaboles have championed with talent since their inception, and this performance—designed for the main hall of the Cité de la Musique—also serves as a reminder that theater—or at least dramaturgy—became woven into the complex textures they create quite early on. But music comes first: “The project was born from a musical idea. I love Murray Schafer’s music, and for me, among 21st-century composers—particularly those writing vocal music—he is one of the most fascinating, because his scores treat the voice in a rather novel way, with beautiful notation that is extremely intelligent. A score by Murray Schafer is already, in and of itself, a work of art, a true painting. I sincerely hope that it will be celebrated, and our role, with Les Métaboles, is precisely to showcase scores that are less familiar to the public and to help them discover them.

[…]

It takes all the (much-celebrated) talent of Léo Warynski’s singers to do justice to the dizzying diversity of works that all share the ability to conceal formidable technical skill behind the beauty of their textures. This ability to shift from one tone to another, from one language to another, is part of the ensemble’s very DNA: “There’s a sense of challenge when you join Les Métaboles. I don’t want to hold back on anything, actually, and I always tip my hat to my singers. They know that with me, they’ll perform a work by Luigi Nono, a new piece by Yann Robin, a piece by Arvo Pärt, and then, from time to time, Allegri’s Miserere or Domenico Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater.

Read the full article.

2026

September

Thursday, September 24 2026 – 8:00 pmVox NaturaeCité de la musique - Philharmonie de Paris

A pioneer of acoustic ecology, Murray Schafer unites voice and nature. Vox Naturae offers a vocal and shamanic experience in which elements and animals come to life. Complemented by a piece from Estonian composer Veljo Tormis, this vocal and dance program is brought to life through choreography by Éric Oberdorff, ensuring an extraordinary, mystical experience for the audience.

Reservation
2023

June

Saturday, June 24 2023 - 09:30 pmVox NaturaeChants libres - Esplanade de la Basilique de Vézelay

The Canadian composer Raymond Murray Schafer has developed in his music a most singular philosophical approach, his vocal works seeking to establish a spiritual link with Nature, by creating real soundscapes, drawing inspiration for this from Native American culture. The vocal ensemble Les Métaboles excels in the interpretation of this metaphysical repertoire. Completed by a piece by Estonian composer Veljo Tormis, this concert is set in motion by choreographer Éric Oberdorff, assuring the public of an extraordinary mystical experience.

May

Monday, May 1 2023 - 5:30 pmVox NaturaeFestival Classique au large - Saint-Malo

The Canadian composer Raymond Murray Schafer has developed in his music a most singular philosophical approach, his vocal works seeking to establish a spiritual link with Nature, by creating real soundscapes, drawing inspiration for this from Native American culture. The vocal ensemble Les Métaboles excels in the interpretation of this metaphysical repertoire.

Completed by a piece by Estonian composer Veljo Tormis, this concert is set in motion by choreographer Éric Oberdorff, assuring the public of an extraordinary mystical experience.

Reservations

January

Thuesday, January 12 2023 - 08 pmVox NaturaeCité musicale - Metz

The Canadian composer Raymond Murray Schafer has developed in his music a most singular philosophical approach, his vocal works seeking to establish a spiritual link with Nature, by creating real soundscapes, drawing inspiration for this from Native American culture. The vocal ensemble Les Métaboles excels in the interpretation of this metaphysical repertoire.

Completed by a piece by Estonian composer Veljo Tormis, this concert is set in motion by choreographer Éric Oberdorff, assuring the public of an extraordinary mystical experience.

Informations and reservations here