With the exception of a few forest sounds and piano samples, all sonic material heard in Neige cendre comes from quartz crystal vessels. These instruments, commonly used for meditation or music therapy, produce a sound which is very close to sine waves. However, when listening closely, one notices a number of parasite sounds produced when the instrument is played — frictions, faint whistling and other imperfections without which the vessel’s sound would be of little acousmatic interest. Neige cendre is thus a sort of narrative between the two sides of a single reality, the “pure” and “impure” sides of it, all tending towards their ultimate poetic fusion. I wish to thank Philippe-Guy Robichaud for the use of his crystal vessels.