Les Horizons perdus

My Violin Concerto is inspired by James Hilton's 1933 novel " Lost Horizon " (adapted for the screen by Frank Capra in 1937). In this book, four travelers accidentally discover the Tibetan lamasery of Shangri-La, a utopian place outside of this world and outside of time. The main character is torn between his desire to return to the active life he had in London or to remain forever in this retreat where even death seems abolished. More than illustrating a romantic narrative, it is this tearing and this radical opposition between the active life and the absolute of the inner life that constitute the framework of my work. The construction of my score reflects this contrast: the "Travels" (movements 1 and 3) are very active fast movements and the "Shangri-La" (movements 2 and 4) calm meditations.

After an ominous orchestral introduction, the first movement ( Voyage 1 ) is built on three sharply contrasting themes. The first, highly dramatic, is presented by the entire orchestra before being taken up by the soloist. The second theme, in triple-stops on the violin, is supported by a relentless march rhythm, while the third is a passionate lyrical outburst. The broad development, which follows the exposition, combines the three themes in a wild race to the abyss.

The second movement ( Shangri-La 1 ) is a short intermezzo that depicts the fascination this strange place holds for the minds of the travelers. The hollow harmonic arrangements, the resonances of the gongs, and the solitary lament of the English horn prepare the entrance of the soloist, who sings the incantatory main theme. A second sequence, with a hypnotic gyrating motif and the rustling of percussion, leads to a short transitional cadenza in accelerando by the soloist, which continues with the third movement.

This one ( Voyage 2 ) is a dance of exuberant joy, an intoxication by rhythm and energy. This movement is entirely built on the opposition between two sequences: the first, ternary and bouncy, is marked by the soloist's theme with its incessant leaps, the second, binary, has a wilder and more hammered rhythm. At the end, the two sequences succeed each other more and more quickly.

The finale ( Shangri-La 2 ) is a slow, lyrical movement whose calming effect seems to be the fruit of the entire work. It corresponds to the character's definitive return to Shangri-La. It is no longer a depiction of the place, like the second movement, but a dive into the soul and its quest for the Absolute. At the end, a new theme appears on the muted violin, which sings with infinite tenderness of the rediscovered links with childhood.

Guillaume Connesson