Le Pont de pierre

Le Pont de pierre is a cycle of four melodies for voice and piano based on texts by the philosopher.
The first, which gives its title to the collection, flirts with functional tonality; the minor colors give it a melancholy that a repeated knell in the bass draws towards the funereal.
In "La vie passe" (Life Passes), the bells are omnipresent, with their effects of inharmonicity; marked morendo, the second part is bathed in a feeling of inevitability.
"Je crois, je n'y crois pas... " is the only melody to favor major colors. A syllabic writing seemed to me the most suitable to render this poetry of exactitude.
By far the longest of the melodies, "Soyez le bienvenu" opens with a solemn, hieratic canon, between voice and piano. The movement amplifies, thanks to an increasingly accelerating rhythmic coinage. Major and minor interfere with each other, before the piece ends in a climate of resignation.

Association des Amis agenais de Michel Serres

Premiered on November, 9th 2024 at the Théâtre Ducourneau in Agen (France), by Philippe ESTÈVE (baritone) and Karol BEFFA (piano).

1. « Le Pont de Pierre », sur un texte extrait de Biogée (éd. Le Pommier) : 2 min 30 s

2. « La vie passe », sur un texte extrait de Biogée (éd. Le Pommier) : 2 min 55 s

3. « Je crois, je n’y crois pas… », sur un texte extrait de Relire le relié (éd. Le Pommier) : 1 min 40 s

4. « Soyez le bienvenu », sur un texte extrait de Le Parasite (éd. Grasset) : 5’ min 30 s