French composer and former professor at Columbia University Tristan Murail is widely regarded as one of the icons of contemporary music.

The Ensemble Cairn presents its recording of pieces from Murail’s Portulan cycle which were composed between 1998 and 2011 and describe a collection of landmarks, charting the reference points of the composer’s life and career: places he has lived, beloved pieces of music, and books and stories important to his artistic development – “a sort of autobiography through metaphors” (Murail).

Ensemble Cairn was founded in 1998. Jérôme Combier is its artistic director, and Guillaume Bourgogne its musical director. Their ambition is to create high-quality contemporary music concerts. Some of Cairn’s concerts confront other art forms, such as visual arts, photography and video, as well as other types of music such as jazz, improvisation and traditional music. The Cairn Ensemble strives to be a group of conductors.