Approaching Transcendence, without going through any religion. By rejecting answers of any kind. Singing from this “common ground” of questioning alone, a place where, admittedly, all words of dialogue are then possible, since the field of investigation is open, but where the “classic” references of this type of work, such as the Psalm, whose manifest faith is conducive to vocal lyricism, are absent.
The common thread is a series of 12 tones, most often accompanied by a mirror image, the one of resemblance between the human and the divine (beginning with B.A.C.H., i.e. the melisma B flat, A, C, B flat, its initial form is also a discreet tribute to the composer of passions and cantatas, often considered a god of music…). A young theologian who, in her frenzied quest for the divine, frequently uses the interval of augmented fourth, formerly known as “diabolus in musica”, and seems to have mastered it without difficulty… The human interventions are usually in binary rhythms, which become ternary as we approach the divine intervention. From the outset, the divine intervention imposes a slower tempo, a stretching of time, although a distant heart continues to beat. The tessituras unfold little by little throughout the oratorio, but it is only at the very end that each will have conquered the whole of his sonic ambitus, after death for the humans, and in his last song, when he says “I am…”.
Difficulty rating: moderate to difficult
The piece was originally composed for college students
Yves Bonnefoy
Texts collected and put into a booklet by the composer.
French
Oratorio for soprano, mezzo, mixed choir and orchestra: flute, oboe, clarinet, 3 trombones, accordion, cymbalum, chromatic gongs Paiste, string quintet
Duration : 75 minutes approximately
4 choirs : Une hâte mystérieuse, Nous nous étions fait don, Nous ne nous voyons plus, Plus de chemin pour nous.
The short story Les planches courbes (at the very beginning and the very end) will be withdrawn from the libretto and replaced by an orchestral introduction and conclusion.
Detail of the various parts :
1st part :
1) Les planches courbes (I)
Narrator and cymbalum
2) L’encore aveugle (I)
Soprano and orchestra
3) Choir I
« Une hâte mystérieuse… »
4) L’encore aveugle (II)
Soprano and orchestra
5) « Éloigne-toi… »
Soprano, choir and orchestra
2nd part :
Orchestral Introduction
1) L’or sans visage (I)
Soprano and orchestra
2) Choir II
« Nous nous étions fait don de l’innocence… »
3) L’or sans visage (II)
Soprano and orchestra
4) Choir III
« Nous ne nous voyons plus dans la même lumière… »
5) L’or sans visage (III,1)
Contralto, choir and orchestra
6) « Il est la terre… »
Soprano and orchestra
7) L’or sans visage (III,2)
Contralto and orchestra
8) Choir IV
« Plus de chemin pour nous… »
9) « Je suis… »
Contralto and orchestra
10) Les planches courbes (II)
Narrator and cymbalum