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2 flutes, piccolo, 3 oboes (including English horn), 4 clarinets [B-flat, E-flat, bass and double bass], 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 4 trumpets, bass trombone, 2 trombones, tuba, harp, piano and 4 percussions

Premiere: April 23, 1998, OSMCQ III, Salle Pierre-Mercure — Centre Pierre-Péladeau, Montréal (Québec)

I am at home. The phone rings. It’s Walter! Out of the blue, he gives me a lists: “2 flutes, piccolo, 3 oboes, 4 clarinets, 2 bassoons … ” and it goes on like this until he mentions the harp and piano. I then learned that Radio-Canada wanted to commission a work for the OSMCQ III concert. I would be writing for the OSM musicians (minus the strings), something that, unfortunately, would not happen again, despite the fact that this work won the Opus Award/Creation of the year at the 2nd Opus Awards Gala (1997-1998 season). But that’s another story.