« Ressac »

A ten-minute long piece, « Ressac » was composed in 1985 and was aimed at young students of elementary or medium level of the Poitiers « Conservatoire National de Région », with the purpose of making youngsters sensitive to modern creation and atonal styles.
It had to be a good opportunity to put into practice some notions of rhythm already acquired at the musical theory class.
Some passages had to be extracted from the score and be used as études at the classes of instrument.
Despite these constraints of educational character, the interest of this piece as a work of art had to be justified
There was a challenge to be taken up.
This music is often made of sound blocks, characterized by several parameters, as the instrumental colour, the ambitus, the register etc., while the harmony is rather neutral.
The shape, which is tripartite, is related to the Variation.
The title is borrowed from the sea vocabulary.
With a background which laps, sparkles and constantly moves, at the beginning one can imagine that the sea is very calm, but gradually the pressure will grow up. The sea will become whirling, to end with a climax, like a tidal wave.
From beginning to end this music will lean on a pulsation which is almost always steady, and will gradually accelerate.
In the third part, the almost inceasing beat plays a major role, giving birth to very simple obstinate rhythms, which superimpose on each other in an always faster tempo, and become frenzied. Combined with these rhythms, one can remark several motives heard all along the piece.

List of instruments :
2.2.2.2 - 2.2.0.0 - percu (2 stands) - strings

Percussion instruments :
1 marimba, 1 vibraphone, various drums, 1 tam-tam, 1 suspended cymbal, chinese blocks, triangles, maracas

Back