Olivier Calmel

Call of Cthulhu

In 1926, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, prolific writer of fantastic short stories, wrote 'The Call of Cthulhu'.
In this story, he deploys all his talents to create the foundations of the founding masterpiece of the Myth of Cthulhu: cosmic horror, mental health, synthetic mythology, science and its progress as well as the infinite hierarchy of life forms are present in a coherent universe that makes Lovecraft the greatest craftsman of the classic horror story of the twentieth century.

'Call of Cthulhu' is a fantastic concerto for french horns quartet and orchestra that offers a journey through the myth of the Great Old Ones and an approach to this deity immersed in a deep lethargy able to come into contact with humans through their dreams.

Declined in three parts - Presence, Influence, and Redemption - this work highlights the wide instrumental possibilities offered by the horn through the path of a fictional character beginning his journey to Dunwich, then becoming aware of the presence of the Great Old Ones through the Necronomicon, terrified by the madness that comes from the sea, and finally finding peace in a dreamed redemption.

From 'bouchés' sounds, breath and muted treatments depicting the mysterious landscape of New England, to elephant cries, flatterzunge, swoops and 'pavillon en l'air' representing the Great Old Ones, passing through a chorale for the main theme of Cthulhu, a musical litany for the Necronomicon, and an extremely brass writing for the battle at sea: each dramatic element is developed with specific game modes and finds its place in the coherent universe portrayed by Lovecraft.
Will appeasement be de rigueur in fine? It is clear that the author of these lines does not know it yet ...

« Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn » - « In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming »