Society and the Brain

Society and the Brain

-- Complete String Quartets by Misato Mochizuki --

In recent years, Misato Mochizuki has turned her attention to brain functions - not only in humans, but also in animals such as birds and fish. Her compositions draw inspiration from recent neuroscientific discoveries about how brains govern social behavior, communication, and coordination across species. Reflecting the social structures and the collective dynamics of its time in musical terms, the string quartet is a historically rich format.

In this concert, the Quatuor Diotima, whose members are longtime collaborators of the composer, presents the complete string quartets by Mochizuki. These include The Brains Cycle, a series of five works inspired by neural functions related to collective behavior and social organization, and Terres rouges, composed two decades earlier - both premiered by the quartet.

Through this musical journey, the audience is invited to follow the evolution of Mochizuki's thinking and sonic language at the intersection of neuroscience and society.

Program

Terres rouges (2005) 17'

Lecture

The Brains Cycle (2017-24) 35'

Brains (2017)

Boids (2018)

Boids again (2020)

in-side (2021)

ψ [psi] (2024)