Music box

Tribute to Gérard Grisey

Very short concerto for rattle and five percussions.

Music box was created from the idea of a theatrical music box.
A percussionist stands in the center and in front of the stage with a half-circle rattle with five percussion points. Each instrumentalist stands, by the lighting artifice, in a small light box. The rattler is the leader of the game, by operating his instrument, he initiates one by one the musical mechanics of the other five percussionists. The rattle is fast and strong at first; then it decelerates excessively. We then hear clicks more and more spaced, in the manner of a key that would turn to the end, in the back of an automaton, creating a feeling of extreme tension. During this time the percussionist who has to play, accompanies this movement with the body by folding a little bit backwards.
At the last click of rattle, the body stops a very short time before violently releasing this tension by attacking the instrument. We are witnessing a rise in volume, transformations of the sound material. At each winding key, we lose more and more sense of heights, the material becomes steeper. When all the percussionists are in the metals, a passage to the skins is initiated, it will end on the skins with extremely violent sounds (6 or 7 strong). At the last key, the expected gesture does not ring, the light goes out.