World premiere: Nice, February 6, 1986 Vertigo is a remarkable confrontation with oneself, and with ones own capacities. Sartre defines it not so much as the fear of falling into an abyss as the fear of throwing oneself into it. Similarly, A. Glucksmann defines it as the fear of that other Self, the self one would be a moment later. Moving from ones potential to other potential selves, plunging into the unknown, this was the experimental phase of my state of mind during the composition, and is reflected in the writing of diverse textures, the ordering of the dynamics and the frequent microtonal changes of intervals. This is perhaps made particularly clear in the structure of the works first half, called Successive Figures, from which I could not free myself, psychologically, until the composition was finished. In the thrill of vertigo, and in opposition to Glucksmanns reactionary book of the same name, this is an about-turn towards the following radical principle: action rather than vertigo!... (Nicolaus A. Huber) CDs: Ensemble Kaleidocollage CD ADDA 590 049 AD 184 Ensemble Aventure CD ars musici FMF AM 1224-2 ensemble avance, András Hamary (piano) CD Telos Music TLS 018 Ensemble EstEstEst! CD perc.pro 10052004 Bibliography: Frick, Paul Friedrich: Nicolaus A. Huber: La Force du Vertige (1985). Analyse, Universität der Künste Berlin, Diplomarbeit 2006.