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Music of Pierre Jalbert Performed Throughout the US

Jan. 25, 2023

The music of Pierre Jalbert can be heard throughout the United States this winter. On January 15, the Boston Chamber Music Society presented Jalbert's Street Antiphons (commissioned by the Society in 2015), played by Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinet; Alyssa Wang, violin; Raman Ramakrishnan, cello; and Max Levinson, piano at Jordan Hall. Pierre Jalbert notes: 

"Street Antiphons attempts to present and contrast secular and sacred music. The 'secular' music (music of the street) comes in the form of rhythmically driving sections, while the 'sacred' music is often lyrical and suspended. The first movement is set up by each instrument entering and adding to a very syncopated groove (with many mixed meter changes). After a clarinet and violin canon-like duo over the rhythmic accompaniment of pizzicato cello and piano, the initial process reverses itself and the instruments exit one by one. The second movement really contains two movements in one – it begins as a lyrical and ethereal slow movement, with the use of many string harmonics, but gradually transitions into a rapid scherzo-like movement, with the use of the bass clarinet. The final movement is a set of variations – the theme is a Gregorian Chant entitled 'O Antiphon'. The variations become more and more animated and after the final, extremely disjunct, variation, there is a reprise of music from the first movement, only to dissipate and once again recall the more 'sacred' music from the piece."


PSNY · Pierre Jalbert - Street Antiphons, Mov. I: Driving, In A Groove (excerpt)

The New Orleans Chamber Players will perform Jalbert's The Invention of the Saxophone at the Marigny Opera House in New Orleans on January 31. The composer comments: 

"When Fredda Hyman first approached me about writing a work for saxophone based on the Billy Collins poem The Invention of the Saxophone, I was immediately struck by the imagery created in Collins’ poem. Words and phrases like “very late at night”, “nocturnal”, “waiting for the invention of jazz”, “the smoky voice of longing and loss”, and “an angel playing the world’s last song” all conjured up musical ideas for me. The piece begins with the narrator speaking the first stanza without any music. The solo saxophone remarks on the words with music marked “freely, with a blues feel.” The narrator and saxophone continue to trade off, with the saxophone commenting on the text. The music becomes more and more animated, and when the narrator speaks the line “afloat on pools of memory and desire”, the saxophone and piano begin a more animated, jazzinflected, extensive middle section. The conclusion returns to the procedure of the opening with the saxophone commenting on the narrator’s words. And after the line, “let the music do the ascending”, that is exactly what happens in the saxophone, while the piano is left to do the opposite while waiting for that “shrill trumpet solo” which never sounds."

The Houston Youth Symphony performs Music of air and fire on February 5 at the Stude Concert Hall in Houston, TX. Jalbert notes:

"As the title may suggest, this work exhibits contrasting ideas: one of quiet lyricism (air), and one of faster, more aggressive music (fire). The “air” music comes first and features the percussionists bowing their instruments in order to create a wafting, ethereal sound. This gradually turns into the “fire” music and features the percussionists playing various sets of drums in a more pulse-oriented, rhythmic manner. This work was written for the 20th anniversary of the California Symphony under Barry Jekowsky, and has also been performed by the Boston Symphony and Houston Symphony."


PSNY · Jalbert - Music of Air and Fire (excerpt)

Performance Santa Fe presents Pierre Jalbert's Crossings for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano on February 16, featuring the Music from Copland House Ensemble, at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe, NM. The composer discusses the inspiration behind the work:

"The inspiration for this work came from the idea of wandering peoples; crossing into new territories and strange lands. My particular interest was that of French-speaking people first coming from France to North America (Quebec and other parts of Canada) in the 17th century and later on from Canada to the United States in the 19th and early 20th century since that represents my own family history. Of course, one might also just as well apply this to any migratory journey full of unexpected turns, trials and tribulations. The piece is not programmatic, but more reflective of states of mind, states of being. The whole work has its basis in a French-Canadian folk song entitled Quand j’ai parti du Canada (When I left Canada). This folk song is a simple, lyrical tune in the major mode and what attracted to me to it was its subtle use of mixing in the minor mode as well. This melody, played by the violin, does not appear until about halfway through the piece, but all of the contemporary materials heard before and after are variants derived from this main tune. The piece opens with fast, aggressive music, beginning with loudly accented and ornamented open 5ths and often returning to these open 5ths as a point of departure. The alternation of this fast, aggressive music with slower, more lyrical sections forms the structure of the work. The use of open strings in the violin and cello give the music a quasi folk-like sound from time to time, with even a short section of French-Canadian fiddle music at one point. But my idea with this work was not to simply arrange a folk tune, but to synthesize this into my own contemporary musical language."

Finally, the Apollo Chamber Players perform L'esprit du Nord at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on March 9.  Jalbert notes:

"L’esprit du Nord, for string quartet, was inspired by and is infused with French-Canadian folk song. Each of the three movements uses a folk song as its basis. The first movement, Chanson de Lisette, is a playful theme and variations in which the folk song theme is gradually transformed into a contemporary musical language. The second movement, Cantique (Canticle), contains two religious folk tunes: a ‘Passion’ song and a tune entitled Les Pèlerins. An optional 1940s field recording may be used, combined with the live string quartet at the opening and end of the movement. The third movement, Fiddle Dance, was inspired by the French-Canadian fiddling tradition. Here again, an optional 1940s field recording (a short excerpt with harmonica and spoons) may be used with the live string quartet at the beginning of the movement.

L’esprit du Nord was written for the Apollo Chamber Players as part of their 20x2020 project."


Apollo Chamber Players perform Pierre Jalbert's L'esprit du Nord

To learn more about Pierre Jalbert, visit: schott-music.com.

Pierre Jalbert
Street Antiphons (2015)
for clarinet (bass clarinet), violin, cello and piano
16'

The Invention of the Saxophone (2003)
on a poem by Billy Collins
for alto saxophone, piano, optional narration
12'

Music of air and fire (2007)
for orchestra
3(3.pic).2.3.2.cbsn-4.3.3(3.btbn).1-timp.3perc(crot, vib, mar, tri, 3tom-t, 2bass bow, s.d, 3bong, b.d, chimes)-hp.pno(cel)-str
6'

Crossings (2011)
for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
15'

L'esprit du Nord (2019)
for string quartet
16'

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