Isotope Ensemble

Isotope Ensemble is a variable-formation collective of Portuguese and international improvisers, associated with Ernesto Rodrigues. Its concerts bring together strings, winds, brass, keyboards, electric instruments and electronics.

Creative Sources has documented the ensemble in recordings named for elements such as Yttrium, Barium, Lanthanum, Radium, Helium, Uranium and Caesium. The latter was recorded at CreativeFest #18 in Lisbon in November 2024.

The project uses the physical and conceptual properties of chemical elements as a point of departure for large-group improvisation, exploring density, fragility and changes of musical matter.