Les vents, la houle, l'horizon (The winds, the swell, the horizon)
Cantata by Anthony GIRARD for mixed choir, choir with equal voices, piano and percussion upon poems by Yves Prié.
Commissionned by Choralies Normandie - À Coeur Joie
I - Entre ombre et lumière (Between shadow and light)
For mixed choir, piano and two percussionists
Poem by Yves Prié
Duration: 6' 20
II - Un horizon inconnu (An unknown horizon)
For choir with two equal voices and piano (Timpani and rattlesnake ad libitum)
Poem by Yves Prié
Duration: 5' 45
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III - Passages pour un ailleurs (Passages to elsewhere)
For mixed choir, piano and two percussionists
Poem by Yves Prié
Duration: 6'
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Total duration: 18' approx.
Percussion Nomenclature :
I: Large suspended cymbal, vibraphone, tam-tam, triangle, rolling case
II: Timpani (2), rattlesnake (do4)
III: Suspended Cymbal, Vibraphone, Timpani, Crotal (Bb4)
Composed in 2016, the Cantata Les vents, la houle, l'horizon was commissioned by the "Pôle Choralies Normandie À Cœur Joie", on the initiative of Emmanuelle Pascal-Falala.
Each of the three parts of the work is intended for a different formation: a chamber choir to begin with, then a children's choir to end with a large choir to which the chamber choir and the children's choir are added. The voices are accompanied by a piano and one or two percussionists.
The theme of inspiration is the ocean. The composer has chosen poems by Yves Prié, taken from his collection Passages des amers (published by Rougerie), thus continuing a fruitful collaboration that began nearly twenty years ago.
The vocal writing is essentially lyrical. But it is an intimate lyricism which favours the medium and low tessitura of the voice, the richest in emotion, the most respectful of words. The high notes appear to give the choir more brilliance, as in the first part on the word light, or in the third part to underline this ascent towards the elsewhere.
The piano is mainly used to create shades of colour or to suggest the rippling of water.
Among the percussion instruments, the timpani stand out, in the 2nd and 3rd parts, whenever it is a question of letting a restless shadow float or deepening the sense of mystery. But they also contribute to the vigour of the final peroration. The vibraphone also occupies a preponderant place.
Each of the three parts can be sung separately. However, the cantata is designed to form a whole, with a continuity of tonality, pulse and motives, without exact similarities, but in such a way as to create a timeless and dreamlike atmosphere.
