Xenia Pestova Bennett: Light Echoes / Dasson ar gouloù

Light echoes are astronomical phenomena observed from afar. A bright flash caused by an explosion such as a supernova appears to expand, gradually illuminating surrounding debris as light travels at finite speed. According to scientists' estimates, 130 stars end their lives by going supernovae every second. Through these spectacular explosions, their fusion cores eject the building materials of life into the universe. At a slower rate, one human language becomes extinct every 14 days, with half of the 6,500 languages spoken on Earth today projected to disappear by the end of the century. Stars have served as navigational guides and timekeepers for millennia, inspiring exploration of the unknown. Language processing changes human brain structure, shaping ways in which we think. Just as our societies lose original languages and their collected wisdom through cultural homogenisation, we are also rapidly losing access to the night sky through light pollution and unregulated proliferation of artificial satellites. Both losses have profound implications for our wellbeing and ability to thrive as a species. Light Echoes is the story of a dying star told in a critically endangered language. I would like to acknowledge astronomer Phil Plait for sparking the initial idea for this piece with Echoes of Light Illuminate the Cosmos, Scientific American, 8 August 2025. This project was developed through LSO Soundhub, generously supported by Susie Thomson with additional support from the Hinrichsen Foundation and mentoring by Angharad Davies. Note by Xenia Pestova Bennett Colin Alexander cello Sue Blair harp Ruth Wall harp Matthew Farthing percussion Xenia Pestova Bennett piano Emrys van Seventer Breton translation and narration Steve Lee video art. Pianist and composer Xenia Pestova Bennett has earned an international reputation as a leading proponent of uncompromising music. Her work spans a wide range of soundworlds, styles and genres from classical and contemporary art music to free improvisation, experimental electronica, multimedia and avant-pop. Xenia has been featured at major festivals and concert halls around the world including the National Concert Hall in Dublin, the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Glasshouse Gateshead, Glasgow Royal Concert Halls, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Festival Archipel (Geneva), Approximation (Dusseldorf), Ars Musica (Brussels), Christchurch Arts Festival (New Zealand), Lanaudière (Canada), London Contemporary Music Festival, Musica (Strasbourg), New Music Dublin, Royal Albert Hall (London), Sonorities (Belfast), Spark (US), Rainy Days (Luxembourg) and Voix Nouvelles Royaumont (France). She has also performed in a tropical rainforest, on a river ferry, deep inside a cave system and while partially submerged in a pond. Recent highlights include a PRSF Beyond Borders tour of Xenia’s new work BAILE/home for early music instruments and electronics, GLOW for Magnetic Resonator Piano with ensemble and video at the PRSF New Music Biennial in Bradford and London’s Southbank Centre, world premiere of Ed Bennett’s Piano Concerto with the RTE Concert Orchestra Dublin and the release of the complete piano works of Annea Lockwood on Unsounds (Amsterdam). Recorded live at LSO St Luke's as part of the Soundhub Showcase on 22 April 2026. #LondonSymphonyOrchestra #ContemporaryMusic #ChamberMusic ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Subscribe to the LSO's channel: http://bit.ly/LSOsubscribe Subscribe to LSO newsletter: https://smarturl.it/lsonewsletter Follow the LSO on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/londonsymphonyorchestra Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/londonsymphonyorchestra TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@londonsymphonyorchestra Twitter: https://twitter.com/londonsymphony LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/london-symphony-orchestra/ Website: https://lso.co.uk/ Apple Music: http://geni.us/yH0sXY Spotify: http://spoti.fi/291cCk0 LSO Live: https://lsolive.lso.co.uk/