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" Because civilizations are finite, in the life of each of them comes a moment when centers cease to hold. What keeps them at such times from disintegration is not legions but languages. Such was the case with Rome, and before that, with Hellenic Greece. The job of holding at such times is done by the men from the provinces, from the outskirts." - Joseph Brodsky, Less than one (1986) I designed Musique des Lumières’ new programme in collaboration with Zoia Sudnis. It forms the third release in the Music & Words discographic project, published by IBS Classical. Since 2018, we have commissioned twelve new works, inspired by texts by great literary authors of our time. Many of the series’ featured composers are true artistic references in their countries: Switzerland, Argentina, U.S.A, France, Spain, Japan. After the albums dedicated to Julio Cortázar (Generación Cortázar) and Friedrich Dürrenmatt (The Dürrenmatt Project), The Brodsky Album is entirely devoted to Joseph Brodsky (Leningrad 1940, New York 1996). Our programme pays tribute to the author of Watermark, winner of the 1987 Nobel Prize for Literature and a great heir to the tradition of Anna Akhmatova, Wystan H. Auden and Ossip Mandelstam. The micro-melodrama "Brodsky, Vivaldi and Stravinsky" by Pablo Ortiz integrates some lines from the great Venetian novel Watermark: the voice of Zoia Sudnis alternates with the English horn of Nathalie Gullung. The two duets for soprano and baritone are performed by Laurence Guillod and Pierre-Yves Pruvot: "Christmas Ballad" by Andreas Pflüger and "Saints and the Aints" by Paul Suits. The programme also includes a purely instrumental work by Joan Magrané entitled “Barcarolle oubliée”, also inspired by Watermark and dedicated to concertmaster Joel Bardolet. Two larger works for soprano and chamber orchestra convey a thrilling lyrical force: Hinako Takagi's “A Song” and Pablo Ortiz's “Nativity”. The six works were premiered in 2022 at one of the orchestra's preferred recording venues, the Salle de l'Inter in Porrentruy, Switzerland. A few months later, the programme was hosted by the Théâtre du Jura in the beautiful gardens of the Villa du Vorbourg in Delémont. This spring 2023, Musique des Lumières is marking the album’s release with a series of concerts in Lausanne, Le Noirmont and Basel. We would like to thank the artistic partners of the project, especially Théâtre du Jura, IBS Classical, Les Concerts de Montbenon and Gare du Nord Basel. We would also like to thank all the institutions that have supported The Brodsky Album in various ways: Délégation jurassienne à la Loterie Romande, Pro Helvetia Swiss Arts Council, Johanna Dürmüller-Bol Foundation, Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Sophie und Carl Binding Stiftung, SUISA Foundation, Sandoz Foundation, CJB conseil du Jura Bernois, Schweizerische Interpretenstiftung, as well as the Anna Akhmatova Museum in St. Petersburg and the Brodsky Drive Festival. - Facundo Agudin