Claude Lévi-Strauss: for his 100th birtday/pour ses cents ans

works by Thérèse Brenet, Gloria Coates, Jean-Thierry Boisseau

Gian Paolo Chiti, Carson Cooman, Jean-Yves Malmasson, and Paul Wehage

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Notes by the composers about the project/notes par les compositeur sur le projet:

« Heureux l'homme dont l'âme ne connaît pas le repos Il est le cavalier du coursier du temps. La robe de la vie est faite à sa mesure, Car il est le dernier né de la Création et devant lui s'ouvrent les âges» Mohamed IQBAL - avec mes souhaits de très heureux centenaire. Thérèse BRENET

Elegy was written as a commission in 2002 in the wake of the tragedy of September 11th. Because the emotions were too close to me, I didn't feel like having this work performed. Thus I wrote a different piece for that commission and put Elegy away on a shelf. It was forgotten completely until this fall when Elizabeth Weinzierl, the German flutist who had originally commissioned the piece, asked to perform it with the pianist Eva Schieferstein in a concert in Munich's Performing Center Gasteig. Thus, the premier took place October 12, 2008. A few days later, Paul Wehage asked for a composition in celebration of Claude Levi-Strauss' 100th. birthday. One remembers his great writing "Tristes Tropiques" which is a romantic elegy on the Amazon. My own Elegy not only expressed my feelings about the injustice and destructive impulses in the 2001 terrorist attack, but could also include other negative forces in our civilization today such as the destruction of the Amazon. Thus, I have dedicated this work to the 100th. birthday of Claude Levi-Strauss and his untiring energy to elevate the spiritual and ecological thinking and actions in our threatened world. Gloria Coates

"Je me suis inspiré d'un extrait de "Tristes Tropiques" dont l'intense et l'économe poésie m'avait touché d'emblée: "Pendant ce temps, les femmes chantaient sur trois notes une mélopée indéfiniment répétées." Une flûte et un marimba dialoguent. Jean-Thierry Boisseau

NOTA DELL'AUTORE La composizione "Under the Left Hand" dedicata a Claude Lévi-Strauss per il suo 100° compleanno, contiene un brano dal titolo "Nocturnel". Questo pezzo particolarmente ispirato ai suoi scritti sul mito, rievoca il mistero della notee e le senzazioni che suscita negli esseri viventi. L'uso della sola mano sinistra sulla tastiera del pianoforte aggiunge un alone di arcano e di indefinito. AUTHOR’S NOTE The composition "Under the Left Hand" dedicated to Claude Lévi-Strauss for his 100th Birthday, contains a piece titled "Nocturnel." This specific piece, inspired by Lévi-Strauss’ writings on myths, evokes the mystery of notes as a sensation that moves living beings. Using only the left hand on the keyboard of the piano adds an aura of mystery. Gian Paolo Chiti

"Un regard éloigné is dedicated to Claude Lévi-Strauss on the ocassion of his 100th birthday. The work was commissioned by Musik Fabrik. The title refers to Lévi-Strauss' 1983 book "Le regard éloingé" (The View from Afar). It is a brief atmospheric work that explores the unfolding of gentle melodic cells, colored with the distinctive timbre of the flugelhorn and cello natural harmonics. Carson Cooman

"Trois petites notes de musique", comme disait la chanson. Trois petites lettres de musique : un C, un L, un S, En suspens dans un souffle et dans un frottement d'archet. Juste trois notes pour un instant de rêverie, Pour trois lettres portant en elles Un siècle de marche Vers la lumière. Trois lettres Et trois points de suspension... Jean-Yves Malmasson

"Savage Thoughts" for tenor saxophone and harp is dedicated to Claude Lévi-Strauss on the occasion of his 100th birthday. The work uses a contrapunctive "trio sonata" texture to explore how ideas change with shifting perspectives and how these changes can lead to changes in meaning. Paul Wehage

Concerts of works in this collection/Concerts des oeuvres dans cette collection:

Gloria Coates : Elegy for flute and piano/pour flûte et piano

Works in the Claude Lévi-Strauss birthday album /Oeuvres dans le recueil "Claude Lévi-Strauss:

Thérèse Brenet : Dans l'or vibrant du désert... for violin and piano/pour violon et piano

Gloria Coates : Elegy for Flute and Piano

Gian Paolo Chiti : Nocturnal for piano, left hand only

Carson Cooman : Un Regard éloigné for flugelhorn and Violoncello

Jean-Yves Malmasson : Points de Suspension for clarinet and violoncello

Paul Wehage : Savage Thoughts for tenor saxophone and harp

Presentation of the Project by/Presenation du projet par Jean-Thierry Boisseau

During my participation in the Cahier de L’Herne dedicated to the work of Claude Lévi-Strauss (on the request of Michel Izard), I had the chance to explore the work of this great thinker. He honored me greatly by thanking me for my article which corrected some misunderstandings concerning his ideas about music and also for exposing the poetic qualities of his work...It seemed clear to me that, not being a poet, I should use musical means to honor this great man who could easily have been a musician himself.

Claude Lévi-Strauss is celebrating his 100th birthday. I asked several of my friends who are also composers to mark this occasion by writing a short piece. Since Lévi-Strauss is one of the most open spirits which I have been privileged to consider, it was understood that these pieces would also be completely free in both instrumentation and form. Six different composers of different ages and nationalities agreed to write works.

Thérèse Brenet; First Grand Prix de Rome; Gloria Coates; the noted American doyen of German composers; Gian Paolo Chiti, ancien vice-directeur of the Academia Santa Cecilia de Rome and pianist; Carson P. Cooman; organist and graduate of Harvard University; Jean-Yves Malmasson; First prize of the CNSM de Paris, pianist, ondist and conductor; Paul Wehage; First prize of the CNSM de Paris, saxophonist and conductor: these six musicians are, in addition to their many musical talents, first-rate composers. I wrote the seventh work myself.

This is a celebration of Lévi-Strauss outside of all official commemorations and with no preoccupations towards the media. Rather, this is an intimate way of thanking an important thinker who has given us new ideas, stimulated our own reflection and has given us much pleasure.

C’est à l’occasion de ma participation, à la demande de Michel Izard, au Cahier de L’Herne qui lui fut consacré en 2004 que j’ai rencontré l’œuvre de Claude Lévi-Strauss. Il me fit l’honneur de me remercier de ce que j’avais, dans mon article, dissipé les malentendus qui entouraient ses rapports avec la musique et de ce que j’avais délibérément considéré son oeuvre comme celle d’un poète... Il m’a donc semblé évident si je devais lui rendre hommage, à lui qui était aussi musicien au point qu’on puisse imaginer qu’il en fît son métier, n’étant pas poète moi-même de le faire en musique.

Claude Lévi-Strauss fête ses cent ans. J’ai demandé à plusieurs de mes amis compositeurs d’envisager d’écrire à cette occasion chacun une courte pièce qui lui sera dédiée. Lévi-Strauss étant l’un des esprits les plus libres qu’il m’ait été donné par la lecture de son oeuvre d’apprécier, il a été convenu que ces hommages seraient eux aussi, totalement libres. Six compositeurs de générations et de nationalités différentes ont répondu à mon appel.

Thérèse Brenet, Premier Grand Prix de Rome, Gloria Coates, Gian Paolo Chiti ancien vice-directeur de l’Academia Santa Cecilia de Rome et pianiste, Carson P. Cooman, organiste lauréat de l’Université de Harvard, Jean-Yves Malmasson, Premier Prix du CNSM de Paris pianiste, ondiste et chef d’orchestre, Paul Wehage Premier Prix du CNSM de Paris, saxophoniste ces six musiciens joignant à leur talent d’instrumentistes virtuoses celui tout aussi évident de compositeurs. J’ai composé la septième oeuvre.

Il s’agit d’un hommage en dehors de toutes commémorations officielles et de préoccupations médiatiques. Une forme de remerciement intimiste à un esprit qui a à un moment ou à un autre nourri notre pensée, stimulé notre réflexion, et avouons-le, charmé notre sensibilité.

Buy copies of works in /Achetez des oeuvres dans Septs pièces pour Claude Lévi-Strauss published by Musik Fabrik