Instant d'antan, op. 7

Composed in 1994 at the age of 22, Instant d'antan opus 7 by David ALAN-NIHIL is one of his 600 works, including among others around ten symphonies for strings and the "Angélismes, 366 chants spirituels pour choir a cappella".

Les Instants d'antan are eight chamber pieces (trio, quartet, and string quintet) evoking the musical aesthetics of centuries past. Opus 7 for solo cello was performed alongside Bach's Partitas in daily concerts throughout the 2015 Milan World Expo.

"My aim in this piece for solo cello was to revisit the aesthetics and different techniques of the cello, without ever sacrificing anything to melody and emotion, which are the key words for me." In this piece, we go through the monophonic and polyphonic techniques of the cello and the viola da gamba, even going so far as to evoke the great organ in the last part in triple strings. Although difficult - as it is a concert work - Instant d'antan opus 7 is perfect for advanced teaching and the practice of different cello techniques in single, double and triple strings, with a lot of left-hand work. The fingerings for this work were jointly developed by Adrien Frasse-Sombet, who premiered it in concert in Paris, and Irène Jolys. Both perform it regularly in concert.

Instant d'antan opus 7 is also played in concert by virtuoso violinists (2 octaves above) for the same melodic interests and left-hand techniques.