Adoration of the Magi

This meditation must be played freely and calmly except for section 23 to 32, to be played more hastily. An important place will be reserved for breathing and sound propagation.

The performers, especially the flutist, will have complete freedom to improvise (upon the scale of melodic descending B minor, or modal B minor), either by ornamentation of the written music, or between the different parts that make up the piece, preserving the airy spirit of this Adoration. For musicians with little experience in improvisation, we have added a suggestion by flutist Thierry Cazals, who created this piece with the composer.

The performers are invited to tune in with the vibration of the present moment, listening to their inner vibration as well as the one of their partner. Thus, the dynamics, intentions and inflections of tempo – that have deliberately not been set in stone within the score – will spout naturally in harmony with the external and internal environment. It is the same as the observation of a cloud: its silhouette evokes the shape of a face, and the moment after, reveals itself totally different. The impermanence of things must be revealed through performance.

Adoration of the Magi was recorded for the first time on January 30, 2017, performed by Thierry Cazals on the flute, and the composer Christian Clavère on the violin. The video of this recording is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-G0NfqdHVY.