Editions Henry Lemoine

The title evokes the mythical name given by Sindbad the Sailor to the Island of Ceylon, which he discovers by pure accident on one of his voyages. This notion of accidental discovery is matched direct...

In 1970, strongly influenced by Ligeti in an orchestral piece baptized Altitude 8000, I experimented with a sound continuum that boldly reintroduced, and not without some provocation, fifths, fourths,...

Where does the title Winter Fragments come from? As a rule I don't like naming a piece before I've finished writing it, like counting your chickens before they're hatched. The completed piece may well...

As suggested by the explicit reference to the first piece of volume II of Debussy's Images for piano, Cloches à travers les feuilles, of which it inverts not only the title but also the musical intent...

La Barque mystique (The Mystical Boat) takes its title from a series of pastels by Odilon Redon. Apart from anecdotal reasons linked to the circumstances surrounding the composition of this piece, the...

Deserts have always had a particular attraction for Murail. He has visited several himself and images pertaining to them often crop up in his work, a notable previous example being the large orchestra...

Written for trombone, string trio, piano and synthesized sounds played live on a MIDI keyboard, the piece is a sequel to Le Partage des eaux (1995), for large orchestra.The title was suggested by a pi...

To the north of New York city is a vast region of parks and natural reserves, studded with lakes, hills and forests. I live in a house there, largely open to the outside world, composed of trees, a la...

This piece constitutes perhaps the most thorough and exhaustive work Murail has done to date on the examination of purely instrumental spectra. All the computer-generated spectra are directly modelled...

Allégories, completed in 1990, was commissioned by the French State for the Ensemble Musique Oblique, who first played it at the Ars Musica Festival in Belgium. It is scored for a small mixed ensemble...

Vues aériennes, commissioned by the Arts Council of Great Britain for the Nash Ensemble, and first performed by it in the Queen Elizabeth Hall in December 1986. The notion of 'process' common to so mu...

Recording:1 CD Rer Recommended, RER0271Messiaen et autour de MessiaenNadia Ratsimandresy (ondes Martenot)Matteo Ramon Arevalos (piano)

I write for myself, for a few friends, and to ease the passing of time.' (José-Luis Borges)

After a short story by Jorge-Luis Borges: a man dreams, dreams of another person who gradually comes to life, becomes real, acquires consciousness. Then the dreamer notices that he is in fact only the...

Near where I live, there is a large stretch of preserved land, a natural park (Harriman State Park) belonging to the vast Appalachian range where small forest covered mountains are spangled with artif...

(Take the various meanings of 'legend' and 'urban' and try out all of the combinations)Légendes urbaines arose from a specific commission by the Ensemble intercontemporain for a 'theme' concert integr...

Garrigue is one of the pieces of a cycle of chamber music that I am progressively building.The title of the cycle is Portulan (after medieval navigation maps). The total line up is 8 musicians: fl cl...

An attempt at combined virtuosity - instruments / electronics.The electronic sounds extend the acoustic sounds beyond the limits of instrumental virtuosity, and echo the instrumental sounds in space.T...

On the coast, the Normandy coast, westerly winds prevail. They bring clouds and rain, but also promises and dreams of a distant continent, where everything begins anew, where everything will be better...

Or the invitation to a journey...In adventure novels, I have always preferred that moment where the heroes plan their journey, assemble the necessary equipment, consult maps and compasses (cf. Jules V...

A breeze blew almost warm - above the water, with frail bending Gramineae sheltering insects. A germinating burst pushes apart the surrounding stones - a little water seeps out, moistening the roots....