Oliver Waespi's work "Hypercube" was premiered by the Paris Brass Band in 2016 and recorded by the same band under Florent Didier at the Studios of Radio France. Hypercube is a musical narrative partly inspired by the architecture of the Grande Arche de la Défense in Paris, whose shape has been compared to a hypercube.

With this landmark building as a starting point, the piece explores the poetry and reality of urban landscapes. The shape of a hypercube - a cube within a larger cube - finds itself mirrored in the music insofar as many motives have analogue, corresponding counterparts of different size yet similar proportions. Moreover, the actual Grande Arche presents a massive basic structure contrasted by elegant veils suspended over the inner court, called “Nuages” (Clouds). Hence the violent, bass-driven first theme is followed by a very calm yet expressive music which represents the hidden soul of the piece.

Throughout the course of the piece, these contrasting elements are being torn into a dramatic and virtuosic development in extended sections named “Le Vertige” (Vertigo). The Clouds theme later returns in a series of lyrical solos. In the final part of the piece, both the Vertigo and the Hypercube themes become the background for an ongoing acceleration which conveys the impression of some sort of musical Penrose stairs. Hypercube was commissioned by the Paris Brass Band and the association ADIAM 94 in 2015.

The recording with Paris Brass Band conducted by Florent Didier can be found here . The correspondend CD can be ordered through the homepage of Paris Brass Band.

More information about the Swiss Brass Band Nationals 2023 can be found here .