Pécou, Thierry: Soleil-Feu

pour violon et piano

This work is part of a cycle of five short pieces for a single instrument and piano, focused on the five ages in the cosmogony of Ancient Mexican civilisation. The peoples of the Mexican highlands believe that time follows specific cycles and that the world was created following the pattern of 'trial and error'. The creation of the world is divided into several periods which are termed 'suns' (we are currently living in the fifth phase named 'Ollin'). Each period will be brought to an end through a natural catastrophe. Solei-Feu refers to the first attempt to create a world out of a rain of fire (nahui quiahuitl).The element of fire is reflected in the musical soundscape of this work, constructed from rampant, rhythmic motifs, fragmented splinters, spinning upswings and impacts reverberating through space. An intimate dialogue develops between violin and piano on the basis of extremely simple figures. Interconnecting lines and dense musical material are thrown against each other in a play of contrasting registers and blended tonal colouring, creating a mysterious and disturbing mythological universe coloured by its ontological pessimism. Thierry Pécou