Gérard Grisey (1946-1998)
Talea (ou la machine et les herbes folles), pour flûte, clarinette, violon, violoncelle et piano

Luciano Berio (1925-2003)
Requies, pour orchestre de chambre

Daï Fujikura (1977-)
Concerto pour basson

Tokyo Metropolitain Symphony
Tatsuya Shimono, direction
Prague Modern
Pascal Gallois, basson, direction

Talea, meaning "to cut” or “to carve” in Latin, by Gérard Grisey is an emblematic, striking work thanks to its unique structure and orchestration. The piece is thoroughly antinomic, divided into two by its monadic and polyphonic orchestration and structure, with the wind and string instruments ever oscillating between single and split tones (the multiphonic sounds of the clarinet). This work wonderfully illustrates the great expressiveness of spectralism, which was originally perceived as a simple experiment without any future. I was fortunate to have spent numerous musical moments with Luciano Berio. During our meetings for the composition and creation of the Sequenza XII per Fagotto Solo, we often discussed his orchestral pieces ever present on his work table. Indeed, composers very often work in parallel on solo and ensemble pieces. Dai Fujikura composed his Concerto for bassoon following several collaborative creations, and he offers a wonderfully original perspective on the possibilities of this instrument. In his concerto, Fujikura utilizes the multiphonic sounds of the bassoon as sound material transposed to a full orchestra.