Instrumentation: for violin

Manuscript

Instrumentation: for piano and orchestra

Manuscript

Instrumentation: for 2 bassoons (recorder, contrabassoon), violin, violoncello and saxophone

Duration: 10' 30"
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Instrumentation: for two trombones and organ

"My initial intention was to hide the tenor trombone within the organ itself and turn it into a shadow of the bass trombone. Although I had to drop this idea for practical reasons, it is still present in the way I wrote the score.
The trombones leave quasi sound traces behind them, which was only made possible by the very specific acoustics of the room.
The organ's enormous musical range inspired the idea of the abyss. "L'Abîme des Ombres" was composed for the Cavaillé-Coll organ of the Royaumont abbey near Paris.
The piece picks up peculiarities of 19th century symphonic organs: thunderstorm pedal, typical romantic registration, focusing rather on powerful sound than audible structured polyphony."
(L.T.)

Duration: 10' 00"
Manuscript

Instrumentation: for violin, cello and piano

Manuscript

Instrumentation: for string quartet

The title is a quote from a poem out of the Vergers series by Rainer Maria Rilke. By drawing a unique rising trajectory, it is an invitation to enter music in a very special way. This poem appeared at a rather late stage of the composition and, unlike the usual process, the music was not inspired by the poem but the poem describes the music a posteriori.

Vues des Anges, les cimes des arbres peut-être
sont des racines, buvant les cieux;
et dans le sol, les profondes racines d'un hêtre
leur semblent des faîtes silencieux.

Pour eux, la terre, n'est-elle point transparente
en face d'un ciel, plein comme un corps?
Cette terre ardente, où se lamente
auprès des sources l'oubli des morts.

Manuscript

Instrumentation: for ensemble

The three movements are based on a painting by Hieronymus Bosch. It is not so much a musical illustration but a translation of visual sensations and a perception of the gestures in the triptych.
The first movement expresses the ineffable, timeless quietness, although already corrupted (presence of an owl and foreign animals), which is represented in the left panel as the earthly paradise. He also takes reference to the creation to the world on the closed triptych: a globe of still undetermined forms, of dull colours within heavy weighing time. This picture is evoked by an initial strike of the tamtam, while the music begins in this immense sound.
The second movement is based on the circling movements of the centre panel: men on horses riding in a weird and dissolute way around a pond where the desired women are having a bath; bawdy scenes, depending on one's point of view; strange shapes, alcoves of pleasure or retreats for relaxation. The musical material originates in the repertoire of Renaissance music: le "Tourdion", a fast dance, anonymous; "En l'ombre d'un buissonnet" and "Allégez-moi" by Josquin des Prés; the "Chant des oyseaux" by Clément Janequin. The work with melodies extracted from these pieces is freely inspired by the process of Renaissance composition: polyphony, imitations, canons etc., in order to achieve this impression of flight in circles.
The third movement, hell, torture, is the famous panel on the right where wo(man) is tortured to pay for his/her sins. Instrumental groups of three musicians (oboe, harp and keyboard; flute and two clarinets; the three brass instruments) fight, collide and try to redirect everyone to one's own benefit. The first four notes of the Dies Irae traverse the movement as a subtle allusion to another triptych by Bosch "The Last Judgement". A point of rest now follows. Instruments become distressed, the oboe for example (in Bosch's painting a shawm, a double reed instrument of the Renaissance preiod) is reduced in its tone range while the small trumpet becomes stuck in its high notes.

Duration: 15' 00"
Manuscript