Project

Rewriting, reimagining and reinventing: these three lines of work have been very dear to Ensemble Cairn for the past few years. The ensemble strives to interrogate the relationship between contemporary composers and their history, the musical practices they take inspiration from, which they deconstruct or choose to oppose…

For this project, Ensemble Cairn invites the composer Ramon Lazkano to work from Chopin’s piano Preludes, commissioning a series of short preludes for eight intruments. Cairn then invited the pianists Maroussia Gentet and Alfonso Gomez to join the project and to perform respectively the French premiere (Theatre of Orléans) and the Spanish premiere (Theatre of Vitoria). On stage, divided into two distinct spaces, the soloist will respond to Ensemble Cairn’s instrumentalists, as if today’s music responded to that of the past. By throwing the piano Prelude into an alien instrumental environment, Ramon Lazkano interrogates this form of composing and builds the spine of a composite path to listening.

Confronting Chopin’s and Lazkano’s works, antagonistic yet drawing force from one another, will create an altered, heterogeneous and rich universe, swaying between past and present realities.

Programme

Composer’s statement of intent

The cycle, comprising thirteen to seventeen pieces, will be inspired by Chopin’s piano Preludes op. 28 and op. 45. It will last about thirty minutes, and will include the following instruments: flute, clarinet, accordion, guitar, piano, violin, viola and solo piano. This new piece will comprise a series of fragments, whose profiles are inspired by Chopin’s preludes, but propelled in a foreign instrumental universe. This will create an altered, heterogeneous, corroded sound and atmosphere.

Two possibilities are being studied for the organization of the concert: the first one, somewhat traditional, would be to play the op.45 Prelude in opening of the concert, then play my piece Preludes (Shapes) and lastly, conclude with the op.28 Preludes. The second option, which I believe richer, would be to combine Chopin’s preludes to my own preludes for instrument ensemble, creating an intertwined network where both works meet as antagonistic mirrors. The music played, grouped in asymmetrical sections, would nevertheless maintain the order of Chopin’s cycle of works intact – being so subtle and refined in its tonal and motivic implications that it would suffer from an unusual layout.

The concert would thus be articulated by the alternative swaying of both worlds: the intimate piano of Chopin’s ephemeral music, preludes to a void – themselves replacing what they should have preceded – and the ensemble music, creating a shimmer between Chopin’s shadows and figures.

I would like to take into account this swinging of past worlds in the scenic disposition, separating the solo piano and the ensemble musicians in space. The tenuous light would leave in the dark the musicians remaining silent. The piano soloist would stand on one side, the keyboard and his hands clearly visible to the public. The ensemble, on the other side of the scene, would be grouped around the conductor, who would also have to be as discreet as possible.

Artistic team

Solo piano: Maroussia Gentet (Orléans) - Alfonso Gomez (Spain) 
Guitar: Christelle Séry    

Conductor: Guillaume Bourgogne
Piano: Caroline Cren

Flute: Cédric Jullion
Violin: to be determined

Clarinet: Ayumi Mori
Viola: Cécile Brossard

Accordion: Fanny Vicens
Cello: Alexa Ciciretti 

Duration of the concert

Approximately 1 hour and a half

Programme

24 Preludes op.28, Frédéric Chopin - 40’

Préludes (Shapes), Ramon Lazkano - 30’