Leroux, Philippe: M' M

Concerto grosso

m'M was composed in 2002-2003 and was commissioned by the French Ministry of Culture. It is a concerto grosso, but unlike the baroque concerto grosso, in which the concertino (the soloists) consists of only a few musicians, here it is represented by a group of 15 musicians facing the rest of the orchestra (ripieno). In this work, each of the two groups of musicians embodies a different way of perceiving and understanding music. The Concertino makes sound figures audible and emphasizes the discursive aspect of music, what is usually referred to as musical „writing“ or „speech“. Whereas the tutti (ripieno) proposes a continuum in which the notion of sound matter dominates, suggesting a more contemplative approach to sound. I have always been fascinated by the way ocean currents enter or leave the sand on the shore or the rocks, and by vibrational phenomena such as waves or surges on the water. m'M evokes these phenomena in a certain way. It is based on a constant back and forth between the figures (a kind of sea waves) played by the small ensemble and the sound materials (sand, rocks on which the waves run up or collide) interpreted by the rest of the orchestra. The figures expand and become material, while the material contracts and transforms into figures. These are continuous transformations between small sound forms and textures or strands of sound. When a figure changes its scale, for example when it is slowed down considerably, it acquires the status of matter. When it condenses, a new figure is created. Sometimes this figure multiplies and spreads out, like the wave created by a stone thrown into the water. I used piano resonances (in various playing styles), marimba, vibraphone and glockenspiel from a piece for two pianos, two percussion instruments and electronic devices entitled M, which I had composed a few years earlier for the German festival in Donaueschingen, as harmonic models. Long interpolations lead the listener from one of these resonances to another, from which some noisy or discordant components sometimes emerge.