Les Horizons perdus

My violin concerto takes its inspiration from James Hilton's 1933 novel Lost Horizon (adapted for the screen by Frank Capra in 1937). In this book, four travellers accidentally discover the Tibetan lamasery of Shangri-La, a utopian, otherworldly, timeless place. The main character is torn between his desire to return to the active life he had in London or remain forever in this retreat where even death seemed abolished. More than illustrate a novelistic narration, it is this wrench and this radical contrast 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 'Voyages' (movements 1 and 3) are very active fast movements, whereas the 'Shangri-Las' (movements 2 and 4) are calm meditations.

 

After an orchestral introduction full of restlessness and anxiety, the opening movement (Voyage 1) is built on three highly contrasting themes. The first, very dramatic, is stated by the whole orchestra   underpinned by an implacable march rhythm, whereas the third is an impassioned lyrical élan. The broad development, which follows the exposition, is going to combine the three themes in a wild race to the abyss.

The second movement (Shangri-La 1) is a short intermezzo depicting the fascination exerted by this strange place on the mind of the travellers. The 'hollow' harmonic dispositions, the resonances of the gongs, and the solitary lament of the English horn prepare the entrance of the soloist, who sings the main theme of an incantatory nature. A second sequence, with a hypnotic gyrating motif, and the murmuring of the percussion, leads to a short transitional cadence in accelerando by the soloist and links the third movement.

Voyage 2 is an exuberant dance of joy, an exhilaration of rhythm and energy. This movement is built entirely on the contrast between two sequences: the first, ternary and bounding, is marked by the soloist's theme with its incessant leaps; the second, binary, features a wilder, more pounding rhythm. At the end, the two sequences follow one another, increasingly fast.

The finale (Shangri-La 2) is a slow, lyrical movement, its peacefulness seeming to be the fruit of the whole work. It corresponds to the character's definitive return to Shangri-La. This is no longer a depiction of the place, like the second movement, but an immersion into the soul and its quest for the Absolute. At the end, a new theme appears in the muted violin, which, with infinite tenderness, sings the newfound ties with childhood.

(Guillaume Connesson)

Translated by John Tyler Tuttle

Commande de Renaud Capuçon, avec le soutien de Monsieur Pierre Bergé

Création le 14 septembre 2018, à Bruxelles (Belgique), par Renaud Capuçon (violon) et le Brussels Philharmonic, sous la direction de Stéphane Denève