Jean-François Michel

Prélude à l’au-delà

If there is period in our existence which inevitably evokes reflection, it is the end of our life on earth, and for many of us the resultant doubts and interrogations regarding the hope of a future. It is that 'soft anguish' that I tried to put into music, and the meaningful, sensitive and genuine texts by Jean-François Haas have served as the underlying basis for this musical scenario .
The title Prélude à l’au-delà [Prelude to The Beyond] leads the audience to Gabriel Fauré’s (1845-1924) Requiem, the masterwork he composed between 1887 and 1900.
I think that the contrast between historical and actual music shows the inescapable and perpetual confrontation with which each generation has faced death- beyond the evolution of the style or civilization.
The many times I listened to Fauré’s Requiem has not only heightened and strengthened my soul, it has also inspired me to write this Prélude à l’au-delà, a strong challenge, using exactly the same instrumentation.
Important: Ideally, the narrative part should be performed with a speech choir to obtain the vocal cluster effect of the Greek tragedies (alternative: one solo narrator). This choral speaking is a melodious inflected speechsong. The performers are free to interpret expression and intonation in order to emphasize the dramatic liturgy accordingly.
Jean-François Michel, september 2013, Courtepin, Switzerland