Episode 62: Heurts - Aspérités - Desseins

Описание: Heurts - Aspérités - Desseins (2023)*

Émilie Girard-Charest (CA), composer
Recorded November 17, 2023 in Toronto

Leslie Newman, flute
Anthony Thompson, clarinet
Carol Fujino, violin
Paul Widner, cello
Gregory Oh, piano
Ryan Scott, percussion

*world premiere

Programme Note:
Forming a trilogy, Heurts, Aspérités and Desseins can be performed together or separately. The pieces are united by their use of noisy elements as raw material but are shaped differently in terms of energy.

In Heurts, I explored the notion of rupture. I was interested in the moment when a breaking point is reached, occurring from forces within or due to an external force. The piece is a series of failed attempts to channel an energy that is slipping away from our grasp, expressed by raw and playful undomesticated sonorities. It has been inspired by improvisations in duet with my friend and colleague Sergio Castrillón.

Aspérités is based on the notion of texture. It is an exploration of the “inside” of sound, bringing to light the underlying lyricism of the rough sonorities exposed in Heurts. The elements unfold more slowly and delicately, inviting a change in listening perspective that allows us to perceive the melodies that emanate from the sonic artefacts – the noise of the bows, the irregularities of the surfaces, beatings, resulting harmonics, etc.

In Desseins, the material from Aspérités returns, fragmented, and developed in a patient and assertive manner. All the performers strive towards the same goal, without bowing. Their intention is clear, their trajectories are defined but their aims are elusive. Like Sisyphus, they persevere, repeat gestures in loop, start again from the same point in order to give a meaning to these disjointed materials and, slowly but surely, they develop a discourse from these snippets.

Émilie Girard-Charest’s commission is supported by The Canada Council for the Arts.

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