A highlight of the programs includes Thierry Pécou’s Méditation sur la fin de l’espèce (Meditation on the end of the species). The twenty-minute bravura work – scored for solo cello, ensemble and processed whale songs, and the ensemble – has been critically acclaimed and appreciated by audiences at Wigmore Hall, Radio France, and Gaudeaumus Muziekweek (Netherlands). Pécou was inspired to write the work while a whale-watching trip to Northern Canada. Fascinated by the highly expressive songs of the sea mammals, Pécou’s recordings of the Canadian whale songs enter dialogues with the soloist, and the ensemble. “My composition questions the relationship between humans and non-humans and the redefinition of the concept of nature“. Ensemble cellist David Louwerse performs the solo. This programme emphasizes the new piece of François-Bernard Mâche’s Vigiles for flute, clarinet, piano, sampler and guitar. Born in 1935, Mâche is considered one of the most important musical figures in France today. As the outstanding student of Olivier Messiaen the composer and musicologist finds inspiration from bird songs and the myths of Ancient Greece, Sumeria and the Maya.