2 Cellos
5′

Aperçus / Symétriques was originally conceived as a collection of contrasting ideas, in which any element of predictability should be somehow avoided, or at least hidden.

Charles Baumstark · Aperçus / Symétriques (Live Recording 20-v-21)

During the unfolding of the events constituting the piece, the two cellos engage in a virtuoso homorhythm that brings both players to move together in a constant exchange of little glimpses of musical ideas. Those musical aperçus are viewed, and reviewed in a symmetrical way all throughout the piece, although twisted, shortened or extended, bringing an overall sense of cohesive narration directed towards the last five bars of the work.

A slow central passage exploring the colors of natural harmonics brings space and contrast in between the other two very dense and geometric parts. There, the tempo is much freer and the focus directed towards the shaping of the different ideas constituting this interlude. Still, the concept of little musical aperçus is kept and the new colors that are then explored shape the center of the piece into an aerial and ethereal atmosphere.

2 Alto Saxophones.
6′

Commissioned by the Cumnock Tryst Festival, this saxophone duet is an exploration using a unique melodic idea developed in an almost uninterrupted contrapuntal movement.