György Ligeti
Poème Symphonique for 100 Métronomes, 1962

Metronomes, plinth

Ligeti’s avant-garde piece, composed in 1962, employs 100 mechanical metronomes, each set to different tempos. The piece starts with all the metronomes being wound up and set off simultaneously, creating a complex and evolving soundscape that gradually diminishes as the metronomes wind down at different rates. This work challenges the conventional notions of musical performance and time, emphasizing mechanical movement and rhythm in an unconventional and thought-provoking manner.