Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

It is an arrangement for orchestra of the eighth movement (the `eighth station`) from Saariaho`s oratorio `La Passion de Simone`.
Written as a gift to conductor Ese-Pekka Salonen after he conducted `La Passion de Simone` in Los Angeles in January 2009.
The title is taken from Simone Weil`s work of the same name (`L`Pesanteur et la grâce`). The music explores the contrast between `heaviness` (dense, low layers of sound) and `light` (ethereal, shimmering high timbres).
The premiere took place on 22 August 2009 at the Helsinki Festival, performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen.